Candlemass - Candlemass
Comeback albums rarely have finer statements of intent than the rampaging opener, Black Dwarf. It's uptempo, traditional heavy metal with awesome dense riffing. This is all I wanted the Candlemass comeback to be and more. The epic Seven Silver Keys follows with its slower, more familiar doom. Assassin Of The Light is a great mixture of the two styles, equal parts hulking doom and fist pumping metal.
Messiah's vocals soar throughout the album, adding drama. He isn't the band's greatest ever singer but he is probably their most charismatic, and that charisma mixed with Leif Edling's monster riffs create magic. It's just a shame that this particular line up wasn't able to record any further material as Messiah left the band shortly after this album's release.
The Man Who Fell From The Sky is a fine instrumental with some great, textured guitar work. Born In A Tank is another neck wrecking headbanger which rides a mammoth 'Children Of The Grave' style groove. The verse of Spellbreaker has an eastern feel which reminds me a little of Rainbow's 'Stargazer' before leading to an absolutely crushing chorus.
This is classic doom at its finest yet it is more than just a 'genre' album as this is a record which could easily appeal to a wider metal audience.
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