ALBUM REVIEW: The Door To Doom – Candlemass

The music industry is an unforgiving thing and moves on like the heavyweight industrial machine it is with trends and fashions that seem so important at the time falling by the wayside. With this fact in mind it takes a special kind of band to remain relevant after more than thirty years in the business. CANDLEMASS are one of these bands. Since their inception in 1984 the band have kept true to their original mission religiously (other than a couple of short term hiatuses) which is two create epic doom metal. It is that simple.

That band are back with their first full length album since 2012’s Psalms For The Dead which would prove to be their last release with vocalist Robert Lowe who would leave the band mere days before the albums official release. The answer to this dilemma would come from a very unexpected reappointment of vocalist Johan Längquist who would record with the band for the first time since their debut album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus all the way back in 1986. The big question being posed with this particular scenario is would this album be like a poor attempt at a reunion or would it be the fresh injection of life that a band need after over three decades in the industry?

The question is answered very quickly with the opening track Splendour Demon Majesty. The song begins with walls of feedback that are quickly interrupted by dense, heavily distorted, low end guitars that draw out the notes to add extra weight. The pace of the song picks up and chief songwriter/bass guitarist Leif Edling lays his thick, rumbling bass lines on top of thunderous drums with the vocals from Längquist cropping over the top and links up wonderfully with choir sections to give the track an epic feel. Throw in a fantastically over-the-too guitar solo on the top for good measure and the song is a slam dunk.

The next song Astorolus – The Great Octopus is a collaboration that should turn the head of any doom metal fan. The presence of a living legend, the infamous Tony Iommi of the metal overlords BLACK SABBATH. The track begins with a typically heavy, yet catchy guitar riff which is sure to be a unified head bang moment when the band play it live. The dark, brooding instrumental work in the verses makes the whole track seem a lot more ominous with Längquist doing a fantastic job in laying his power vocals over the top. The guitar solo trade-off between Iommi and Lars Johansson is a thing of sheer beauty and shows that the band can still provide surprises at this stage of their career.

Towards the end of the album we find the song House Of Doom which sounds exactly like the title suggests. A hail to all things doom metal and a nod to the forefathers of the sub-genre previously mentioned, BLACK SABBATH. The track opens with the sound of rainfall and a tolling bell before jumping straight in to an upbeat riff that sounds like it would have sat quote happily on any of the band’s previous releases, which would be a relief to the faithful fans who were concerned about the band straying from what they do best in this stage of the CANDLEMASS’ existence.

The wonderful thing about CANDLEMASS is that they know their lane and stick to it fairly religiously. The band manoeuvre through various sub-genres that they keep in their repertoire and still manage to keep their own voice perfectly intact. This album shows that the band have not slowed up their creative roll or shifted too dramatically from their original game plan they laid out over thirty-five years ago. The fact that the band have managed to carry on for all of these years without losing any of their style and characteristics proves that the quality of good songs prevail over the constant hurdles of line up changes and hiatuses.

The Door To Doom is an album that will not disappoint the core of the CANDLEMASS fandom. The return of Längqvist feels more like a lab injection of nostalgia and revitalisation than it does a corny reunion. The band may not be reinventing the wheel here, but this release will sit perfectly in and amongst the grand discography of this doom metal mainstays.

Rating: 8/10

The Door To Doom is out now via Napalm Records.

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