Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/05/2009
Candlemass founder/bassist
Leif Edling has been quoted as boasting that
Death Magic Doom is "the best album we have recorded since
Nightfall."
Edling definitely exaggerates; this 2009 release isn't their best album since that 1987 classic. But
Death Magic Doom is excellent nonetheless, and it could easily go down in history as one of the finest metal releases of 2009 -- regardless of the absence of
Messiah Marcolin. Some longtime
Candlemass fans have a hard time believing that the influential doom metal band can excel without
Marcolin on lead vocals, but truth be told, other lead singers have also served
Candlemass well along the way (including
Johan Längqvist in the beginning,
Tomas Vikström in the early '90s, and
Björn Flodkvist in the late '90s/early 2000s). And on
Death Magic Doom,
Robert Lowe (of
Solitude Aeternus fame) has no problem rising to the occasion. A powerhouse of a singer,
Lowe brings an appealing, somewhat
Ronnie James Dio-ish quality to darkly melodic,
Black Sabbath-influenced gems such as
"Hammer of Doom," "Clouds of Dementia," "The Bleeding Baroness," and
"Demon of the Deep." Lowe really goes that extra mile -- and between the impressively consistent songwriting and
Lowe's inspired vocals,
Death Magic Doom is clearly a winner. Nonetheless, some of
Marcolin's admirers will refuse to listen to this 47-minute CD because of his absence and will wish that his reunion with
Candlemass had worked out; that is to be expected. But
Lowe's performances are nothing to complain about -- and even though
Death Magic Doom isn't
Candlemass' best album in 22 years as
Edling has claimed, it is nonetheless an exciting addition to their catalog.
~Alex Henderson, Rovi
Listen
