UMUR "Candlemass" is the eponymously titled 8th full-length studio album by Swedish doom metal act Candlemass. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in May 2005. It´s the successor to "From the 13th Sun" from 1999 and features massive lineup changes since the predecessor and a major change in sound. Candlemass had been through a decade of lineup changes, a break-up in 1994, the Leif Edling side-project Abstract Algebra, and experimentation with their sound, which resulted in the albums "Chapter VI (1992)", "Dactylis Glomerata (1998)", and "From the 13th Sun (1999)". "Candlemass" however sees a return of the classic lineup from the late 80s, which also means a return of lead vocalist Messiah Marcolin.

The classic lineup reunited in 2002 and played some live shows, which resulted in the release of the live album "Doomed for Live – Reunion 2002" from 2003. Candlemass subsequently started working on material for a new studio album, but soon disbanded again. They however reunited in November 2004 for a second time in the classic 80s lineup and completed writing and recording the material featured on this album.

Stylistically the material on "Candlemass" is a continuation of the epic doom metal sound of the previous Marcolin-fronted Candlemass albums, but the band have opted for a darker, less epic, and more riff heavy sound this time around. "Black Dwarf" opens the album in an energetic and quite aggressive fashion (for Candlemass), and it´s a high quality opening track. Other standout tracks are "Seven Silver Keys", "Witches" and "Copernicus". There are a couple of more standard quality tracks on the album, but the quality of the material is predominantly high and fully on par with the quality of the material on the three other Marcolin-fronted Candlemass albums.

The musicianship is high on all posts. The rhythm section is heavy and solid, the riffs are massive, and the lead guitar work from Lars Johansson is exquisite. Marcolin is THE voice of Candlemass, and his vocals on this album are more varied but just as powerful and unique as always. He has a distinct sounding voice and a commanding semi-operatic delivery, and the vocal melodies are intriguing and memorable. As "Candlemass" also features a high quality sound production (maybe the best production on any Candlemass album), it is upon conclusion a high quality release through and through. This is in other words a mandatory listen for fans of the band´s classic sound, and the fans who fled the ranks during the musical experimentation of the 90s, are advised to return to the fold. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dactylis Glomerata" is the 6th full-length studio album by Swedish doom metal act Candlemass. The album was released through Music for Nations in April 1998. It´s the successor to "Chapter VI" from 1992 and can be labelled a comeback album as Candlemass disbanded in 1994. Much of the material featured on "Dactylis Glomerata" were originally written for bassist Leif Edling's side-project Abstrakt Algebra and were supposed to be included on that project´s second album. However Music for Nations refused to release the material under the Abstrakt Algebra monicker and thus Edling had to revive Candlemass. Only Edling remains from the lineup who recorded "Chapter VI", but some of the musicians who were involved in Abstrakt Algebra are also featured on "Dactylis Glomerata". It´s worth mentioning that Mike Amott (Carnage, Carcass, Arch Enemy) plays guitar on the album.

"Dactylis Glomerata" opens in the heavy end of the spectrum with the Black Sabbath influenced doom metal/stoner doom metal track "Wiz", but the album is not a one-dimensional affair and there are a lot of other types of heavy riffs and rhythms, and a strong psychadelic influence here too. I wasn´t surprised that tracks like "Abstrakt Sun" and "Lidocain God" were originally written for the Abstrakt Algebra project, but that a track like the slow building atmospheric/psychadelic "Dustflow" was also written for that project is a bit more surprising to me. It doesn´t really sound like a typical Candlemass track either though, and it´s just an example of the eclectic nature of the material on "Dactylis Glomerata". It´s not only eclectic, but also very, very different from what the band had produced before.

"Dactylis Glomerata" features an organic and powerful sound production, which suits the material perfectly and while it´s not the strongest nor the most memorable release in the Candlemass catalogue it´s still a decent quality release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Chapter VI" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swedish doom metal act Candlemass (despite what the album title might suggest). The album was released through Music for Nations in May 1992. It´s the successor to "Tales of Creation" from 1989 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist Messiah Marcolin has been replaced by Thomas Vikström. Marcolin had a serious falling out with some of the other members of the band while touring in support of "Tales of Creation (1989)", and left the band mid-tour. "Chapter VI" would be the last album release before Candlemass initial split-up in 1994.

Replacing a frontman like Marcolin must have been a daunting task for Vikström, as the former had such a distinct sounding voice and stage presence. And let´s establish right away that Vikström is not able to replace Marcolin and add anything resembling his predecessors uniqueness. Less will do though and Vikström is not a poorly skilled vocalist by any means. His voice and singing style are just a little more regular heavy metal/power metal styled and as Candlemass have also added keyboards and a little more pace and traditional heavy metal/power metal elements to their music, "Chapter VI" is not the most doomy album in the band´s discography. Those tendencies were already introduced on "Tales of Creation (1989)", but they are even further explored here.

The material on the 8 track, 46:26 minutes long album are well written and the listener is treated to loads of powerful heavy riffs, blistering melodic guitar solos, and heavy rhythms. So "Chapter VI" is in many ways a strong release by Candlemass, if you listen to it with an open mind and don´t expect it to sound like -era Candlemass. The sound production is a bit on the thin side (the bass drums sound pretty horrible), but it´s overall a decent sounding release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Tales of Creation" is the 4th full-length studio album by Swedish doom metal act Candlemass. The album was released through Music for Nations/Metal Blade Records in September 1989, less than a year after the release of "Ancient Dreams" from November 1988. Candlemass were on fire in those years (releasing albums on a string and touring the world) and they obviously wanted to capitalize as much as possible on their success. "Tales of Creation" would be lead vocalist Messiah Marcolin´s last studio album with Candlemass as he left the band during the tour supporting the album after disputes with some of the other bandmembers (he would rejoin in 2002 and leave again in 2006).

The material on "Tales of Creation" continue the epic doom metal style of the preceding releases by Candlemass and in many ways it is very similar in sound and style to especially the two direct predecessors which also feature Marcolin on vocals. They experiment a little more on "Tales of Creation" though and there are even a couple of tracks which can be described as slightly fast-paced (including "Dark Reflections", which is the first regular track after the short intro "The Prophecy"). The neo-classical influenced instrumental "Into the Unfathomed Tower" is also a standout track on the album, and quite different from anything the band had done before. There are several epic, doomy, and heavy tracks like "Under the Oak" and "The Edge of Heaven" on the album too though, so this is still through and through Candlemass as we know them. It becomes Candlemass to try some different ideas and it brings nice variation to the album and helps create a good tracklist flow.

The musicianship is strong and there are some skillful playing on display. The guitar solos have to be mentioned among the highlights of the music, but the instrumental part of the music is generally of a high quality. Marcolin is an exceptionally skilled and distinct sounding vocalist too with his strong voice and semi-operatic delivery. Candlemass were at the time (and still is) a very unique sounding act and while primary composer/bassist Leif Edling have openly admitted his fanboy status, when it comes to Black Sabbath, it´s not the legendary Birmingham band which comes to mind when listening to "Tales of Creation", but more a combination of the epic doom metal of Trouble and the neo-classical influenced melodic heavy metal of King Diamond. If I was Candlemass and read that description of my music, I´d take it and run with it, because coming from my mouth, that´s a major quality stamp. Featuring a raw and powerful sounding production job "Tales of Creation" is a high quality release on all parameters and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

SilentScream213 Tales of Creation is the last of Candlemass’ original golden era of albums, and what a fine way to conclude Messiah’s (first) run with the band. The album is a concept album of sorts, focusing on creation, loneliness, introspection and self-love. It may not have a direct overarching story, but there are call-back moments throughout that connect the dots.

Musically, it sounds rather identical to the previous two albums. Every song is strong, aside from the short segues there are no weak moments. Messiah’s voice is in top form, and Leif’s slow, melodic yet sludgy riffs are on point. You can’t expect anything new here, but you can expect another top notch Candlemass album.