Candlemass
Tales Of Creation

THE REVIEW

"Tales of creation".

A formidable, cathartic, desperate, and pachydermic work, the true sound of the night, the majestic symphony of gothic transposed into metallic shrieks. One is left astonished, speechless in the face of the solemnity, the evocative power of harmonies capable of conjuring landscapes abandoned to the rigors of endless winters, authentic sonic cathedrals among barren forests and grayish skies.

Here even the myth of doom-metal giants like Paradise Lost and Cathedral is overshadowed by the seismic impact of these hymns to the darkest epicness, where the atmospheric aspect is exalted between whispers and vehement cries. Candlemass creates an authentic work with a hard-metal appearance but endowed with an unparalleled "classical" touch, without equals, thanks to an extraordinary and unrivaled vocal performance.

Marcolin Messiah is the unleashed protagonist, his interpretations loaded with pathos are incredible, a deep throat with overflowing gothic intensity. Notable also is the guitar work of Mats Björkman and Lars Johansson, stalwart sculptors of granite riffs, boulders of overwhelming gloom paired with solos that are never cloying nor too melodic. The rhythm section Lind-Edling reigns with tolls reminiscent of bell sounds on solitary nights, hefty, solid, and authentic forger of the doom-metal sound. The ten tracks would deserve to be mentioned in full, but special mention goes to the two gems, creators of the now stereotyped Gothic-Metal, which I refer to as "Under the Oak" and "The Edge of Heaven". Slow, nebulous, with thundering and enveloping riffs, adorned with autumnal acoustic chants and elevated to perfection by Marcolin's penetrating and solitary singing.

This work, along with "Nightfall" and "Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus", laid the foundations for the creation of a musical subgenre that has developed into a myriad of facets but which never, and I emphasize, has reached or will reach the levels of the quintet from Stockholm.

A masterpiece of absolute brilliance, rightfully entered into the history of music, regardless of whether it is called metal or anything else. Essential.