ALBUM REVIEW: Candlemass – The Door To Doom

Here I review the new album from Doom Metal legends CANDLEMASS, out now via Napalm Records!

01. Splendor Demon Majesty brings us in with soaring guitar feedback that quickly drops into slow, doomy riffs. The anticipation the guitars and drums create is huge with monstrously fuzzy build ups that have a catchy rhythm to them. We are fired into upbeat sections next that have a fun vibe to them and unique vocals, something Candlemass have always held in high regard. The lead guitars add some elevation to the sound which pulsates in a nice Stoner Metal fashion, damn powerful singing included. This was a really strong opening track with some gorgeously sludgy sections. Excellent work.
02. Under The Ocean follows up with pristine clean guitars that set a more sombre mood to the music. More gorgeous and powerful vocals quickly begin to soar over the guitar harmonies. The song suddenly drops into punchy and cacophonous doomy riffs and hard-hitting drums, the sheer impact of this change is totally awesome, as it the ferocious Doom Metal, riff-fuelled madness that comes with it. The lyrics are profoundly written and add the enticing appeal of the song heavily, such a brooding and haunting track. The lead guitars coupled with insanely tight crawling riffs sounds huge with a monolithic sense of impending doom, excellent use of modulation effects in the lead up to this section too. Fantastic!
03. Astorolus – The Great Octopus (feat. Tony Iommi) begins with some cool drum work, building up to the catatonically heavy riffs that follow, something I expected with such a legendary guitarist lending his name to the song. The smooth flow of the piece is melancholic yet powerful and eerie. The tasteful pacing of the song is captivating and a strong example of Candlemass creating music that is atmospheric, epic and also incredibly driven. Soaring vocals and impactful drums really bring things home with full band driving out all the morbid energy and gruesome vibes that they have done so consistently over the years. A beautifully written track with stunning musicianship and lyrics. The guitar solo certainly suited the song to perfection, adding to the stoner grooves the underlined it. Brilliant.
04. Bridge Of The Blind breaks things up with more laid back clean guitars, filled with melody and a much more depressive atmosphere. The sublime singing and gorgeous guitars complement each other wonderfully with a nice interval to the heavier sections that still adds to the atmosphere and tension of the album. A solo was not something I expected but the soulful melodies of the lead guitar really worked astonishingly with the other sections surprisingly well. An enjoyable break in the otherwise pretty crushing album.
05. Death’s Wheel brings us back into storming grooves and punchy drums. Riffs are the centre of my attention with this band and this song totally delivers with some really catchy yet crushing ones. Do not let this detract from the hammering drum performance and howled vocals though, they also provide such a dense soundscape of pure classic Heavy Metal worship. The track transcends between sections in a really strange manner that adds even more to the creepy and spectral sound of the song, which is really intelligently written to that degree. This track was a really fun, upbeat and classic sounding Heavy Metal song that had a really great old school feel to it.
06. Black Trinity takes the album into much darker territories with fuzzy and mesmerising guitar riffs that sound so evil and capture the Doom Metal spirit perfectly. The drums and bass soon join for whiplash groove that are certain to get you headbanging along. The primal grind of the music mixed with the melody of the vocals that come in sounds excellent, a contrast Candlemass have always been a band that pioneers. This piece cascades rich tones, killer musicianship and catchy verses effortlessly. The song dissipates and rebuilds itself in a really cool way in the latter half, something that adds tons of atmosphere and also some strange variation in the bass solo which has some weird effects accompanying it. This track also features what I believe to be the coolest guitar solo of the whole record. Amazing work.
07. House Of Doom drives out more upbeat yet doomy instrumentals with haunting vocals soaring over them, certainly the signature sound for the release. The chorus is so eerie and gorgeously performed by the whole band, killer riffs and drums with such beautiful vocal work over them. The pacing of this song is really interesting, almost like a Power Metal song in terms of structure but of course more riff driven. The catchiness of the chorus alone is fantastic and incredibly memorable, great work there. I think this song was a really interesting choice that took some stranger ideas such as the organs (something that had not appeared on the album until now), adding some new elements near the end that really worked excellently. Wonderful.
08. The Omega Circle is the grand finale for the album. Starting with clean guitars and powerful vocals that drive out the depressing lyrics before dropping into some gloriously grooving riffs and drum hits. The high impact of the song is outrageously in your face with so much energy being thrown at high velocity from the decimating soundscape that the band create. Another track that is certain to get you headbanging along from the onset of the gorgeous riffing. With a pace that morbidly crawls along, the song is still eerie but highly anthemic too. I love the use of progression in this piece, taking things from the dark verses to the more gothic chorus that works fabulously together. Blistering guitar leads make another appearance, showing this finale is going to be, from the whole band, one final spectacle. Of course we are given plenty of storming instrumentals that capture the Doom Metal spirit perfectly among this gothic masterpiece. A brilliant closing track that truly does the album justice.

Candlemass is a name that always delivers, they do so again here. This album was some of their most melodic and epically soaring work to date. While it may not be as dark as previous releases, it makes up for that in its pristinely impacting grooves and powerful vocals. A glorious addition to their already impressive discography. -8/10