"Doom Metal"--slow, gothic, and Swedish.

"Epicus Doomicus Metallicus"

1. "Solitude" (5:34)
2. "Demon's Gate" (9:10)
3. "Crystal Ball" (5:21)
4. "Black Stone Wielder" (7:34)
5. "Under the Oak" (part IV of "Tales of Creation") (6:52)
6. "A Sorcerer's Pledge" (8:20)

I've had real good luck with this hard-to-find classic. Back before CDs were da shit, I searched long and hard for this album, and eventually walked into the record store one day and saw it right on the front shelf, brand new, just waiting for me. Then when I started phasing out my crappy vinyl collection, I despaired at finding it on CD, since everywhere I looked it was out of print. In fact it was #1 on my "Need It" list and told everyone I knew to watch out for it, and one day, a friend of mine found it used for only $5.99 and bought it for me!! Thanks, Zonker!

(On the other hand, recent searches of online CD music stores show that it's recently been reissued; in fact, it's the ONLY Candlemass CD domestically available! Oh well...still cheaper to have gotten it used!)

And musically? Well, like I said, it's a doom-metal classic. I don't know if Messiah Marcolin sings on this album, or if it's him under a different name, but the vocals sound identical to his. Also, demo versions "Black Stone Wielder" (a PHENOMENAL piece of work!) and "Demon's Gate" appear on the Nemesis CD, which was bassist Leif Eidling's first band.

"Nightfall"

1. "Gothic Stone/The Well of Souls" (8:12)
2. "Codex Gigas"--instrumental (2:20)
3. "At the Gallow's End" (5:46)
4. "Samarithan" (5:26)
5. "Marche Funebre"--instrumental (2:18)
6. "Dark Are the Veils of Death" (7:08)
7. "Mourner's Lament" (6:08)
8. "Bewitched" (6:36)
9. "Black Candles"--instrumental (2:18)

This was the first Candlemass album I ever bought, and was hooked immediately. The slow, dark, gothic sound is reminiscent of early Black Sabbath, yet with its own unique style. Messiah Marcolin's voice has an ASTOUNDING range, on par with Geoff Tate and other opera-trained singers. He also has a commanding stage presence, which I found out on the tour for their following album. "Samarithan" is an unusual song retelling the parable of the Good Samaritan, continuing on to his deathbed where angels come down from heaven and escort him to his eternal resting place. Who says heavy metal has to be evil ALL the time?

1. "Mirror, Mirror" (6:07)
2. "A Cry from the Crypt" (5:14)
3. "Darkness in Paradise" (6:38)
4. "Incarnation of Evil" (7:47)
5. "Bearer of Pain" (7:14)
6. "Ancient Dreams" (6:54)
7. "The Bells of Acheron" (5:14)
8. "Epistle No. 81" (4:30)
9. "Black Sabbath Medley" (6:14)

After Nightfall made me an absolute Candlemass nut, I greeted this release with much eagerness. In fact I first heard it by playing the entire tape on my college radio show. Quite impressive, though not as awesome as the previous album; the songs are more simply constructed, but it's still definitive Candlemass. What I really liked was the "zombie-moshing" to the real slow songs when I saw the band in concert for this album (they really picked up for the unusually fast & thrashy "The Bells of Acheron", however!) The "Black Sabbath Medley" is a CD-only track, which prompted me to switch over from crappy vinyl as my format of choice.

"Tales of Creation"

1. "The Prophecy" (1:28)
2. "Dark Reflections" (4:57)
3. "Voices in the Wind" (0:20)
4. "Under the Oak" (6:04)
5. "Tears" (4:13)
6. "Into the Unfathomed Tower"--instrumental: (3:00)
   • i. Dance of the Fay
   • ii. Magic/Entering the Tower
   • iii. Dance of the Fay (reprise)
   • iv. Souls Flight
   • v. Towards the Unknown
   • vi. Choir of Angels
   • vii. Outside the Gates of Heaven
7. "The Edge of Heaven" (6:31)
8. "Somewhere in Nowhere" (3:47)
9. "Through the Infinitive Halls of Death" (5:05)
10. "Dawn"--spoken word (0:30)
11. "A Tale of Creation" (6:50)

This is a good CD, though definitely a step down from Ancient Dreams, and what's more, Messiah's voice lacks the range & power of the earlier releases. This was sadly confirmed by the awful live CD that came out later (which I no longer own), which proved that his voice was completely shot. (He didn't sound so bad with Memento Mori, however.)

"Chapter VI"

1. "The Dying Illusion" (5:48)
2. "Julie Laughs No More" (4:19)
3. "Where the Runes Still Speak" (8:37)
4. "The Ebony Throne" (4:21)
5. "Temple of the Dead" (7:08)
6. "Aftermath" (5:33)
7. "Black Eyes" (5:49)
8. "The End of Pain" (4:22)

When this CD came out, I only saw it on the import lists, and debated long and hard whether it was worth seeking out. Finally saw a brand-new copy with my own eyes, and the fact that they didn't list the band members made me instantly suspicious that Messiah was no longer in the band. But that could be either good or bad, considering how shot his voice was...so I took the chance, and sure enough, I was right. Thing is, the new lead singer has a style more akin to Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath, and the band changed musically to match his voice, making the CD more a clone of Headless Cross or something, which wasn't that great to begin with!

So sadly it was that I wrote off one of the greatest dark-metal bands in the universe...as did Leif, who disbanded the 'Mass and formed a side project called Abstrakt Algebra, which only lasted one album before he figured he could make more money by using the old Candlemass name instead. (I'd really like to hear that Sigge Furst! album someday, though!)

"Doomed for Live - Reunion 2002"

Oh dear, look who's come down with D.N.R.S.!! (Dreaded Nostalgic Reunion Syndrome) Okay, first of all, Messiah's apparently undergone vocal rehabilitation, because his voice sounds MUCH better here than on that Candlemass Live piece of crap! It's got all the songs, too...except that 3-minute instrumental, which didn't need the vocals improved. :) Lots of other songs too, focusing on the first two albums -- they play EVERY song from Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and all but the instrumentals from Nightfall!! (Except "Black Stone Wielder" gets only a bit medley part...d'oh!) Messiah doesn't hit all the high notes, but he rarely avoids them altogether -- his diminishing range is only noticeable in "Mirror, Mirror" and the ending soprano warble in "A Sorcerer's Pledge"...yes, he used to sing THAT HIGH, at least he did on the Ancient Dreams tour, I know, I was there! Not anymore, though. The rest of the band also plays to perfection, which makes this the definitive Candlemass live album.

The concert was recorded at a Stockholm festival on August 31st, 2002, so all the between-song chatter is in Swedish, which is pretty cool. :) I think there's also a DVD of this show available. Funny thing, my copy is apparently Russian, and contains a disclaimer: "THIS CD MUST NOT BE SOLD OUTSIDE RUSSIA, CIS & BALTIC STATES." So how the hell did it wind up in a So-Cal used bin??? Mysteries abound.

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