Candlemass rises again with a new EP!
To celebrate 40 years of Doom Metal, Johan Länquist (vocals), Lars Johansson (lead guitar), Mappe Björkman (rhythm guitar), Leif Edling (bass) and Janne Lind (drums) unveil Black Star, released by Napalm Records.
We begin with Black Star’s acoustic intro, the first track which recalls an iconic song, but the heady saturation quickly joins the vocalist on the more energetic moments where the vocals also get carried away, revealing an obvious virulence coupled with the throbbing sound. Keyboards add further depth to the combo’s catchy riffs, as on Corridors Of Chaos, which adopts a rather luminous touch while remaining heavy and uniquely instrumental. A few leads confirm the epic nature of the Doom, then the band tackles the covers with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath from the masters of the genre, Black Sabbath, in which they obviously retain the original flavor while putting their own stamp, notably in Johan‘s voice, very different from Ozzy‘s one. The EP ends with Forever My Queen, which the band borrow from Pentagram, another Doom legend, where the main difference is again the vocal section, but which retains that explosive madness at times.
A new Candlemass release is always eagerly awaited, and even if Black Star remains far too short (only two new tracks, including an instrumental), it definitely comes at just the right time to celebrate the band’s anniversary!
85/100