No one can deny the craft of CANDLEMASS in creating gothic, low tuning, epic sermons concerning the light, the night, the graves, the witches and other such eternal topics, traditionally conjured by the premier doom voice of Messiah Marcolin but after endless personal problems now by Robert Lowe of the arguably even better Texan doom horde SOLITUDE AETURNUS. But as is the tendency with genre defining bands, they seem to have lost the interest to develop their style to anything beyond building endless remakes of "Well of Souls", "A Sorcerer's Pledge" and the discography of BLACK SABBATH. Even the several KRUX and LEIF EDLING albums released on the side sound nearly identical.

CANDLEMASS has an edge over the REVEREND BIZARREs of the world in that they are not afraid to inject a couple of speedier songs (think TROUBLE or SABBATH at their fastest) in there that remind you that true doom is true heavy metal - not only a lethargic depression but a sense of might like a cathedral seen against the dark horizon. "Bleeding Baroness" imprints itself immediately to your mind like a trauma and "House of 1000 Voices" might have the saddest and most regal doom chorus of the year, but overall as much as Lowe's vocals rule, the apocalyptic mood that causes one to cry for salvation and deliverance is the frustration for the fact that they played it too safe. Only about a half of this album's tracks are above average and I am even unsure if I rate this above the previous one, the interesting "King of the Grey Islands". As with the self-titled comeback album from 2005, it's catchiness is mostly due to the fact that it's a regurgitation of cliché. I face the risk of being hunted around the city by monk robed assassins, but I dare state the hope that CANDLEMASS will become traitors to doom metal and create an original album again.

- Devamitra

OFFICIAL SITE: www.candlemass.se

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