I suppose breaking in a new band line-up can take time, especially if the new factor is a singer. Candlemass' last album, 'King Of The Grey Islands', failed to draw on the considerable experience Edling and his cohorts, to say nothing of new boy Robert Lowe, have in crafting earth-shaking, sky-blackening traditional doom metal in the Candlemass vein. It started well, then hit a vast mid-album slump, only to pick things up again for a good send-off. The good news is that, this time around, they've managed to crank things up a bit. The bad news is: they haven't cranked it all the way back to the top.

They're certainly learned to incorporate Lowe's awesome vocal presence and range into their sound a lot better; the album is full of great vocal-led moments and generally strong vocal arrangements. Lead guitarist Lars Johansson (who also wins the prize for Most Generic Nordic Name Ever) also seems a lot more switched-on and enthused. Lowe comes close to stealing the show on the awesome opening track, 'If I Ever Die' with a wonderfully OTT vocal performance. This guy is, note for note, possibly the most powerful singer currently practicing this sort of histrionic, classic metal influenced vocal style. The follow-up, 'Hammer Of Doom' is such a wonderfully archetypal slab of Sabbath-worshipping trademark Candlemass plod-doom that I'm surprised they didn't already write it many years ago, and glad they finally did. 'The Bleeding Baroness', easily the high point of the album, takes things to a heavier plane with some speedier tempos, a huge melody that sticks in the mind and a killer showing from Lowe.

This is the point at which the last album started falling apart; this time, thankfully, there's more killer material in the kitty, in the form of the ominous maritime yarn, 'Demon Of The Deep'. 'House Of A Thousand Voices' is all menacing chug, nicely enhanced with keyboards, and it starts to seem as if this album can't do much wrong. But after a while, the song starts to drag its feet, with parts being repeated a few too many times (though nowhere near the way Iron Maiden has started to play the same riff 1 million times over so as to sound proggy). 'Dead Angel' picks up the slack immediately with a full-on speed attack and instantly catchy chorus. Nothing like a change of pace to keep things fresh (okay, I admit it, now I'm just cribbing from sex advice manuals to pad out this review). Generically Nordic Lars Johansson takes the opportunity to go to town a bit too with a madly flailing lead solo. 'Clouds Of Dementia' fails to really stand out in any way, but 'My Funeral Dreams' manages to capture the spirit of classic albums like 'Ancient Dreams' remarkably well and seals the package with a big, black bow on top.

This is a much more consistent album than its predecessor, with all its highs bettered and none of its lows reached. That doesn't make it a classic album, but very good latter-day material from a brilliant band. Not likely to blaze any new trails, but guaranteed not to disappoint. Or at least, only in as much as looking around at the doom metal genre and seeing the number of bands taking Candlemass on at their own game and equalling, if not bettering them (a hard comparison to avoid when singer Rob Lowe features in one of those bands too) does leave one a little nostalgic for the days when Edling and his cohorts led the pack.



Label: Nuclear Blast
Year of release: 2009