Krux
III: He Who Sleeps Amongst The Stars

The self-titled debut album was a true bolt from the blue: perhaps too confined to the underground of doom and to the visceral lovers of the genre, "Krux" had delighted the most hardcore doomsters, especially considering that the turn of the millennium was the most challenging time for Candlemass.

Why Candlemass? The reason is simple: the bassist and leader Leif Edling is the same who decided to bring the side project Krux to life: a venture that was originally expected to be characterized by a sound different from the "mother ship," yet inevitably ended up coinciding with the Candlemassian doom that has inspired so much in Scandinavia and Europe. However, this does not mean being a poor reproduction of Candlemass, a reality that happens all too often in the dense undergrowth of side projects. Krux succeeded in producing works certainly related to the "monster" but at the same time of high quality, able to distance them from the shadows of Messiah Marcolin and Robert Lowe. The credit, aside from Edling, always adept at maneuvering within a genre he helped create, goes to the voice of Mats Levén, who recently joined Candlemass to conclude various live performances after Lowe's departure.

So after a dazzling start, here comes "II," a second release not up to par with the first, followed by "III - He who sleeps amongst the stars," released five years later in November 2011. The role and weight of the keyboards of Carl Westholm become more prominent, for a work that, starting from the artwork, presents itself as an atypical yet epic space doom. Pathos, monolithic riffs indebted to the NWOBHM, dense atmosphere of epicness, well-conceived choruses. There is everything a good doom CD requires: no need to dwell on the various composition of the tracks. Just mention the best-executed songs to understand how the combo's offering is valid and varied: "Emily Payne" is a tribute to the early Black Sabbath, "Small deadly curses" is a heavy/doom gem, characterized by a perfect and anthemic chorus. But the track that most captures the listener's attention is the long "Prince Azaar and the invisible pagoda," the summary of what has been said so far, a clear embodiment of the style and soul of Edling and company.

The rest of the album maintains more than good levels and unlike the previous work ("II," 2004), there are no dips in tone. It is not known if the adventure of Krux has ended as that of Candlemass, but the last work delivered by the Swedish group is undoubtedly a masterpiece in which the knowledge and understanding of the genre by competent musicians, with Edling at the forefront, is evident. Positive album, that will delight lovers of the slowest metal and beyond.

1. "He Who Sleeps Amongst The Stars" (4:58)
2. "The Hades Assembly" (7:07)
3. "Emily Payne (And The Black Maze)" (4:51)
4. "Small Deadly Curses" (5:29)
5. "Prince Azaar And The Invisible Pagoda" (10:40)
6. "The Death Farm" (4:43)
7. "A Place Of Crows" (7:28)