Candlemass
Dactylis Glomerata

More than vocalists like Messiah Marcolin and Robert Lowe, Candlemass are the emanation of the musical genius of Leif Edling, the main songwriter of the band from Stockholm. It is he who has "steered" one of the most important entities in the global doom metal scene through a complicated period: the one from the release of "Chapter VI" in 1992, after which the Swedish doomsters, having lost their compass, practically disbanded. Edling decided to focus on a side project, releasing "Abstrakt Algebra" in 1995, a self-titled album from a creation that would have a short life but at the same time would release its strong experimental yearning in "Dactylis Glomerata" and the following "From The 13th Sun," albums brought to light with Bjorn Flodkvist behind the microphone. These works are among the least appreciated and known of Candlemass, fruits of an evident period of dullness, perhaps due more to the lack of a suitable singer than to insufficient solutions or less inspired songwriting.

"Dactylis Glomerata" was released on April 13, 1998, the first and only Candlemass album with Michael Amott on guitar, after the departure of Mats Bjorkman. There are two main considerations regarding this work: the first concerns Flodkvist’s voice. His predecessors (Marcolin) and successors (Lowe) have a definitely greater range and theatricality that can perfectly adapt to the dark, epic, and martial scores of a reality like Candlemass. Yet, the frail and somewhat "canonical" voice of Flodkvist gives DG that aura of essentiality that does not hurt. The second point to highlight is related to the slight change of direction: this platter sounds decidedly less "epic" compared to the first three works. It could be said less "doom", definitely more varied. Consider the initial "Wiz", a sort of abrasive and relentless stoner far removed from previous Candlemass. In this sense, some influence can be linked to Amott, who, with his Spiritual Beggars, constituted, at least initially, one of the most interesting examples of stoner rock in the Scandinavian land. More classic is "I Still See The Black" that sails over the typical atmosphere of the more raw Candlemass, even if the unusual bridge is noted as one of the most successful moments of the CD.

The feeling is that Candlemass with "Dactylis Glomerata," while attempting a different approach to the material, less standardized, have still not been able to elevate their offering to certain quality levels. The long "Dustflow" presents us again with a band that "experiments" a sort of "basement psychedelia" and while the result can certainly not be set aside, it’s felt that it’s a substance that does not completely belong to them. Similar in composition and structure is "Apathy", but its greater accessibility makes it more appreciable than the previously mentioned song. It is perhaps not a coincidence that "Karthago" is often considered the most successful piece of DG: precisely the most doom-oriented, a sort of foretaste of that doom/thrash that characterized Marcolin’s return in 2005 with the self-titled album.

Born out of a moment of evident wavering, "Dactylis Glomerata" is noted as the first true work where Edling and company attempted, in a not entirely convincing manner, to detach themselves from the epic and "religious" doom of full lengths like "Nightfall" and "Ancient Dreams." We are in the presence of a minor, faint whimper, but part of that long journey that has made Candlemass one of the most appreciated entities in the genre.

1. "Wiz" (4:05)
2. "I Still See The Black" (6:19)
3. "Dustflow" (9:24)
4. "Cylinder" (1:22)
5. "Karthago" (6:37)
6. "Abstrakt Sun" (6:40)
7. "Apathy" (4:07)
8. "Lidocain God" (3:31)
9. "Molotov" (1:30)