Candlemass
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

I am taking a journey, a long, tiring, immense, perhaps endless journey. I am slowly discovering Metal, in all its expressions, in all its creations, in all its splendor.

This journey began with Classic Metal, the more seasoned kind, when money was not the pinnacle of an artist's career, but what mattered was conveying emotions, states of mind, and relating to the average people of the lower/middle class, because that's where the musicians come from, from the narrow passages of urban outskirts.

Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Metallica, the old school artists, let's say.

But the world has changed, real problems have doubled and artists have decreased, only a few manage to survive in a world where if your record doesn't sell, you're considered a "loser" and get dropped by your record label.

Well, among those bands that have scarcely managed to emerge, there are bands playing different genres, with musicians completely diverse in styles and behavior.

The first stop on the journey was therefore Death Metal, with all those ugly, evil, bloody, and violent bands... yes, that was what first attracted me, and I realized it was absolutely not as they depicted it, in fact, it was wonderful. It's incredible how most people don't know these niche genres, only thinking through the wrong preconceptions given by television and radio.

So I explored black metal, which gave me several satisfactions but didn't fully satisfy me, perhaps because, in my view, many bands focus more on clothing and their behavior than on music, whereas music is the key that opens the hearts of ordinary people who listen to freaking music!

But it was doom that impressed me the most! Slow, syncopated rhythms, funeral sounds, dark, gloomy, and healthy atmospheres, but at the same time inspiring trust, protection, and allowing the brain to reflect.

After having passed through Funeral, I finally discovered these Candlemass (and here begins the real review, I hope I haven't bored you up to this point, if so, get yourself a nice cup of coffee to keep you attentive until the end).

Honestly, I didn't even know who they were, but while fooling around on YouTube, I found a beautiful cover by Venom of Countess Bathory (just to return to the topic of black metal). Without even finishing the song, I opened the internet and rushed to Wikipedia to get information about this group... in two days I bought their CD!

Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

Yes, truly an epic album, for doom itself but especially for metal in general.

One of the first building blocks that founded a genre like doom, of which the first forefathers were Black Sabbath and their worthy heirs seem to be this Swedish combo.

The CD consists of the original '86 release and a bonus CD with a live performance from 1998, with the new singer Messiah Marcolin.

During this period, the band's singer was a session musician, Johan Langqvist, a great singer, perhaps better than the successor.

The album starts with a Candlemass trademark, Solitude, a dark and oppressive song with a streak of freedom in its notes. It continues with Demon's Gate, Crystal Ball, and Black Stone Wielder, beautiful songs with imposing and solemn riffs that lend an epic touch to the work, with Johan's clean vocals in the background.

Here we arrive at the gems of the album: Under The Oak and A Sorcerer's Pledge, which alone are worth the price of the album and rate it as one of the best in their field.

The live album, on the other hand, doesn't have great sound, as it was poorly recorded, often the speakers crackle, but what matters are the emotions they know how to deliver in live performances.