Nightfall

Candlemass shook the metal world's foundations with their debut, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, an album so fundamental to epic doom metal that the genre was named after it. It's massive riffs and larger-than-life theatricalities laid down the fundamentals of the genre for the succeeding generations to follow. So, having perfectly defined an entire genre at the first attempt, where do you go from there? Well for Lief Edling he decided to do it again, only more so! To this end Candlemass recruited the immense talent and larger-than-life personality of Messiah Marcolin from little-known act Mercy (where he was drummer in addition to singing) to take over vocal duties from Johan Längquist who was only credited on the debut as a guest performer due to his unwillingness to commit to Candlemass. There is no doubt that Messiah grabs hold of Nightfall and takes full advantage of the opportunity presented to him by turning in an amazing and, yes, epic vocal performance where he draws a line in the sand for the gold standard of epic doom singers.

Yet despite Messiah's excellent vocals, this is no one-man show as the rest of the band are in career-defining mode. The guitarists sound great with the riffs having as much depth as any you will hear on a doom metal album and Lars Johansson's solos are exhilharatingly performed.

The real stars of the Nightfall show though are surely the songs which are incredible and, as a collection for me, top the debut and are surely the crown jewels of Leif Edling's songwriting career. If you kick off an album with as devastating a one-two combination as Well of Souls and At the Gallows End (my absolute favourite Candlemass track) then you know you are in for one hell of a ride. Candlemass take massive Sabbathian riffs and draw them to their logical conclusion, the quickening riff of At the Gallows End and the main riff of Dark Are the Veils of Death would leave even Tony Iommi gasping for breath and the way the egyptian-sounding melody is interwoven into the main riff and given extra prominence following the chorus of Well of Souls is masterful. Drums are seldom discussed much in relation to doom metal, but the echoing thuds and percussive interjections, such as the tubular bell during Mourner's Lament, all add to the pomp and circumstance of the album's imperious atmosphere. This is the very definition of epic doom to my mind and should be required listening for any doom metal fanatic.

Great songwriting is the cornerstone of great metal. Forget the riffs, the solos, the screaming, the extremity and all that. The only route to the top table of metal is to have amazing songwriting. All the best and most famous metal bands (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc) had one thing in common: a deep repertoire of classic anthems. Candlemass never reached the same level of popularity as those bands, but they could equal anyone when it came to songwriting. The band's second album (“Nightfall”) could be the strongest set of metal songs ever collected on one album.

There are six songs here, all of them perfect. "The Well of Souls" and "Dark Are the Veils of Death" are immense, seven-minute supernatural epics with tons of riffs, great singalongs, plenty of speed, and copious amounts of double-kick drumming. "Samarithan" and "Mourner's Lament" are the purest expressions of the doom metal aesthetic. They are lumbering, lurching beasts that contain some of the heaviest riffs ever recorded. Then there are the anthems, “Bewitched" and "At the Gallows End". The former has one of my favourite metal solos of all time (and also spawned a hilarious video). The latter is probably my favourite Candlemass song, a heart-wrenching tale of a prisoner contemplating the last few hours before his execution (sure, it might only be the second best metal song to cover this topic, but it is a close second).

The performances are flawless. Candlemass had become a real band by this point (no session players here). The bassist and mastermind, Leif Edling, had found the musicians to elevate his vision to even greater heights. The most dramatic change was the replacement of the reluctant Johan Längquist with Messiah Marcolin on vocals. Debates rage about who was better, but Marcolin was surely better suited to these sleeker, heavier and more intense songs. His presence and power gives the band more menace and aggression than on the debut. Elsewhere, Jan Lindh replaced Mats Ekström on drums. This was a slight upgrade in terms of consistency and power, but Lindh was also more keen to play live (improving the band as a cohesive entity). I’d argue that the most significant personnel change was the introduction of Lars Johannson on lead guitar. This guy is among the most underrated guitarists ever. His solos are genius, and every song has an incredible solo that elevates the music to meet the band's epic aspirations.

The production is much better than on any other Candlemass record. The sound is more professional and crisp than the debut, but not as generic as on subsequent albums. This record sounds massive in every respect. The drums boom with reverb. Marcolin's vocals sound amazing, he brings his best ever performance here, with all kinds of varied intonations delivered on certain words. He sounds like someone who was brimming with excitement at the prospect of joining his favourite band. The guitars and bass are perfectly balanced against the massive drum sound, and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in a great hall, further adding to the epic feeling.

“Nightfall” defines and transcends the epic doom subgenre in which it is now classified. It is one of the best metal albums ever made. Even the instrumental interludes are unmissable, adding to the album’s flow and to the anticipation of the main songs. The level of polish and professionalism means that this sounds as good now as it has ever done. The band have never come close to reaching these heights again, and never will.

"Only the vultures will come to see me hang..."

Candlemass, the masters of epic doom and even doom itself released "Epicus..." in 1986 creating a new style of doom metal and showing the world another Swedish metal master, along with Bathory. That album has such an ancient, foreboding and expectedly epic feel to it and that is further developed on Nightfall. Nightfall is an album that never ceases to put chills on my back with the epic atmosphere that it creates. The lyrics, production, tempos, and the 19 year old Messiah's masterful vocals, who was full time singer after they used Johan Längquist as a session guest on the first album. (He did fantastic, but wished to pursue a solo career, but joined Candlemass in 2018) This album is one of my top 10 albums of all time, and today i'm delving into the majesty of Candlemass's magically crafted epic doom metal masterpiece, their sophomore release, Nightfall

The album prepares you for the epic atmosphere, with 48 second Gothic Stone, with opera singers, drums and a haunting melody to boot, which follows The Well of Souls with an awesome vocal intro by Messiah, introducing him to listeners. This song's riff is very catchy. There are a lot of instrumental preludes on this album, something that usually pisses me off, (There are 4 in total) but they are here for a good reason here, but i'm going to avoid talking about them because most of them are riffs of the song that follows repeated, or are a part of the chord progression of the following song, except for Codex Gigas. Codex Gigas is followed by two super strong tracks, At Gallows End is simply one of the best songs ever recorded, with it's dark and melodic intro of a man narrating the beginning of his last day, it begins with a beautiful sunrise, the last time the light will embrace his face in that manner, that beauty and light, so warm and tender. He has been hypnotized and was not able to sleep, and is dwelling on his last day, his last hours. He knows he's condemned to Hell, he has lived his life as a sinner, now being punished for it, but he has a friend where he's going, the devil. The main riff and speedier portion of this song along with solo are perfection disguised as music. The next song is the opposite of the spectrum, which is what I love about these two tracks. The next song is Samarithan, which is about a man who gives a beggar food, clothes and a bed and goes to heaven for his deeds. The song has a fantastic riff and Messiah is wonderful in his delivery on this song in particular. Then the last 3 songs, one of them having a music video that is hilarious, Dark Are The Veils of Death, Mourners Lament and Bewitched. Both Dark... and Mourners... are classic songs with awesome riffs and vocal performances. Did I mention the solos and drums? They are wonderful on this record. Mourners Lament has chiming bells and an amazing vocal intro as well. The highlight of the album, the song that everyone thinks of either first or second when Candlemass is mentioned, the almighty Bewitched. The riff, unforgettable, the lyrics legendary, the music video? Hilarious... and amazing at the same time. No one can forget that line, "You are Bewitched!" The solo on this song is the best one on the entire record as well. This album is really only 6 songs due to the preludes/instrumentals, and every song is a masterpiece. Now about the production.

The production here is reverb laden, and this adds so much to the atmosphere and the epic feeling of the album, the drums are punchy and cavernous complimenting the riffs amazingly, the bass is also very well done adding awesome backbone to the riffs and drums. The distortion of the guitars is some of the best i've ever heard, that tone is amazing and I love it. Messiah's vocals were recorded awesomely as well, definitely one of the best vocal performances I have ever heard. There are also some keyboards and acoustic parts recorded, and they add to the atmosphere very well.

This is an example of a band who didn't know what a sophomore slump was, and proved that they are the masters of doom metal. Candlemass had already impressed with their masterful debut album, which I love, but not as much as this album. Candlemass and Bathory were the first extreme metal bands to get attention from Sweden, helping get the underground movement picking up where D-beat bands left off in the early 80's. Some of those demo tapes were the fastest recordings of that time. Candlemass wasn't fast by any means, but they were still very influential. Other than influencing later Swedeath metal boom of 1988-1993, they influenced epic doom bands worldwide, for example, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, Sorcerer, and the criminally underrated Scald, an epic doom metal band from Russia that have one album every Candlemass fan must hear, The WIll of Gods is Great Power.

All in all this album is a 100, it's the first album i've reviewed that isn't death metal besides 1 Bethlehem record. Doom metal is one of my favorite genres, and this is the album that got me into it. I can't tell you how many non metalheads i've shown this to, who adore it and have seen the Bewitched video. This is definitely the album to recommend to all new-comers of the doom metal genre. Listen to it today

-Nolan

After a legendary debut release, Candlemass had to repopulate the band when shaping up to deliver "Nightfall." Even though this is the sequel, and you may look at this album and feel it's longer than the debut, it actually still only has six songs if you take away the instrumental build-up and lead in songs. Along with Edling and Bjorkman, Jan Lindh and Lars Johansson joined on drums and lead guitar respectively. These four would definitely be the most consistent Candlemass lineup instrumentally; only deviating for two albums from this point on. Messiah Marcolin takes vocal duties, and he's probably the most famous Candlemass singer. Time for a bit of blasphemy on my part. Messiah is probably my least favorite Candlemass vocalist if you bar "Dactylis Glomerata" and "From the 13th Sun," since those were a DRAMATICALLY different style of Candlemass. Don't get me wrong. I still LOVE Messiah and the material he helped to create. He's a technically amazing singer, but I never found that his soaring high vocals were a bulls-eye of a fit for doom masters like Candlemass. Of course, his voice fits his own songs just fine most of the time, but I always felt like he missed something in the qualities of his voice that most of their other singers nailed.

To stave off the torches and pitchforks I hear coming my way, I will point out that "The Well of Souls" is my favorite Candlemass track of all time. The main riff is just so insanely heavy, but also very catchy in a doom metal way. It's one of my favorite riffs ever, and Edling's bass line enhances the weight behind it more. Messiah is absolutely on FIRE on this track. He hits some of his highest notes ever at the end of some of the verse lines, which adds a very unique enhancement to them. Lindh's steady double bass parts keep a grooving head banging feeling going across the entire song. The riff following the chorus is a very ominous one that gives Messiah a great stage to sing on. The song has a tremendous amount of varying parts to help it stay fresh and strong. All of them give the track a slightly different flare and feel. The slow riff after the solo is another personal favorite of mine. Despite the simplicity, it's still heavy, and incredibly powerful. It fades out with an eerie keyboard choir part that matches the riff. "The Well of Souls" is a tune that fires from all cylinders. "At the Gallows End" is another track that just gets it right. The intro mixes clean electric guitar and acoustic to give a dynamic flow of heavy and beautiful. When Messiah enters, simple but driving electric guitar is added, and keeps the doom-y roots of the song despite Messiah's beautiful melodies. The song's main riff is the epitome of head-bangable. It's a quick, chugging riff for doom standards, but the closing few notes add a sinister and angry flare. Messiah's quickened pace is spaced from the riff very well so that they're both noticeable, and neither is lost. The softer intro section returns midway in to leave breathing room, and the song's solo is excellent. "At the Gallows End" is one of Candlemass' most energetic pieces, and it makes a brilliant addition to the album.

"Bewitched" is absolutely the band's second most popular song behind "Solitude." I like "Bewitched" FAR more than "Solitude." The song's main riff is trademark Candlemass. A dark, somber riff that still has intense heaviness while retaining a level of catchiness too. It has such an incredible groove and flow to it. Every riff the track delivers follows suit in an impressive way. Nothing gets repetitive on this song like I feel "Solitude" gets. Messiah is very fitting on the track; able to tell a story with his voice very intimately. He really dials back his voice to set the tale up, but also adds his famous soaring melodies at opportune times to give them meaning. The chorus is a fantastic one, and Lindh's tom slams that match the guitar give it a little bit of an anthem-like feel. "Bewitched" is definitely a prime track that was excellently crafted. "Samarithan" gives "Nightfall" its fill of mystical and dramatic story telling. The track's main riff is once again a pretty simple one, but it gives off the perfect depressing mood. Messiah's higher vocal range and incredible vibrato are dead ringers for this song's angelic yet forlorn feel. His wordless callings interspersed sell the strange but magical journey the song takes. The small lead parts between verses are a fantastic addition to the song to give it space for the story's progression while still adding interesting elements to it. The main solo as well picks the pace up just a little and gives the tune a little bit of a shot in the arm that helps its advancing flow without growing boring. "Samarithan" is truly a doom lovers paradise.

Unfortunately, though, unlike the debut, which had six songs that packed the album to the brim with shining moments, one of "Nightfall's" six is a dud that weighs it down in comparison. "Mourners Lament" just can't hang with the album's other five songs. While far from Candlemass' worst song, the main riff of the song definitely meanders around quite a lot. It still keeps a doom-y atmosphere to make sure the flow of the album doesn't stagnate, but the riffs seem a bit more random and less polished to me. Messiah's vocals are pretty much the same. His vocal melodies are just all over the place and never finish on a strong groove or rhythm. If either the guitars or Messiah were on their A game for this track, it might have been able to save the other, but both of them are far from at the top of their game on "Mourners Lament." It really weighs the whole experience down. It's just a rather boring track that doesn't seem like it truly knew what it was trying to accomplish.

Candlemass was absolutely fighting an uphill battle on "Nightfall" by trying to live up to the expectations set after the debut. While I think this record is a bit of a step down overall, it's still an absolutely phenomenal record with showcases from each individual member across the entire record. This album set a precedent of what people expect to hear when they pop in both Candlemass and also any kind of doom record in general that has clean vocals. Even though the band had their problems with Messiah, he'd stay around for a couple of more releases at this point to further define and craft the band's sound. "Nightfall" is without a doubt another essential album that should be in your collection.

The best way I can describe "Nightfall" is that it plays out like a 46 minute orchestral piece played by a metal band. If you close your eyes during some of the instrumental passages, it's not hard to picture a symphony taking place in front of you. There's enough melodrama here to push everything just the right amount over the top, but not too much where it devolves into sappiness.

Probably the thing that'll stick out most to you is the man himself, Messiah Marcolin. As legend has it, he got the gig in Candlemass by calling Leif Edling in the middle of the night, declared, "I'm your new singer," and sang "Solitude" into the phone. And he brought just as much bravado to his performance here. His voice is towering and dramatic, perfect for those who aren't afraid of a little cheesiness, because his power and range is truly fantastic here. "Mourner's Lament" contains one of my all time favorite vocal performances in metal history. Messiah plays the role of a grieving father perfectly, managing to sound on the edge of losing his sanity from grief while his powerful voice is as strong as ever.

And of course, that's not to discount every other element of the album. Leif Edling's songwriting ability is at its best, and he proves himself able to write some truly incredible riffs. Being doom metal, there's a sort of raw simplicity to the songs, many of the riffs are just single string melodies, but in the hands of Candlemass they sound massive and towering. "Samarithan" is a great example of this; at its core it's a pretty simple song, but every single element of it works to perfection. Lead guitarist Lars Johansson has an expressive, melodic style to his soloing, and the solos don't feel shoehorned in or forced, they feel like a natural extension of the song. The production has a bit of a raw, live feel to it. The guitars have a nice fuzzy bite, and I love the massive, booming sound of the drums. Usually I prefer a tighter, less reverb-y drum sound, but that's the beauty of this album, I guess. "Dark Are The Veils Of Death" is a microcosm of everything great about this album: titanic yet catchy riffs, operatic vocals, and thundering drums, that stretch on long enough that you're not left wanting more, but not to the point where you lose interest.

Even the lyrics are top notch. There's a gothic flair to them, and it casts Messiah in the role of the wizened old storyteller informing the young ones of the trials and tribulations of life. In an old Headbanger's Ball interview, Messiah has described their lyrics as neither Pro-Christianity or Pro-Satanism, but merely as stories of good and evil. And judging by the characters in these songs, that sounds like a pretty accurate assessment: a grieving father looking for answers, a condemned man on his last morning alive, the strange bewitching villain of "Bewitched."

If I had to pick a minor quibble with this album, some of the instrumental interludes can feel a bit excessive at times, but in the grand scheme of things, that's a minor speck on its greatness. Go listen to "Nightfall," you won't regret it.

Without 'Nightfall', it's hard to imagine Candlemass having quite the reputation they do. The debut album 'Epicus Doomicus Metallicus' set the template for a new kind of doom metal (epic doom metal if you haven't noticed the title yet) and did away with almost all competitors in the genre, both old and new. However, despite the lofty heights, plodding riffs, and insane melodic parts that 'Epicus' welded together into an enormous doomy whole, there was still more to be done to establish Candlemass as one of the most revered names in slow music and solidify the band's unique style. That's where 'Nightfall' comes in and, a few drawbacks aside, it's surely the most majestic album the group ever made.

First up, Candlemass had not solidified as a band when they recorded the debut, so there are numerous line-up differences, Mats Björkman and Leif Edling being the only familiar faces. This line-up would remain stable for some time, but the first time that Edling, Björkman, Lars Johansson, and Jan Lindh combined they got it absolutely right, with crushing riffs, spine-tingling melodies, and a rhythm section that transitions between dragging and skipping in an instant. The original production doesn't quite bring all of the power out of the band, though there is still plenty of weight and shine to the songs, plus a vaguely misty iridescence surrounding the instruments. There's a remastered version too, which I've also heard, and would recommend to anyone who is seeking more power and doesn't mind sacrificing an ounce of atmosphere. On the original, the guitar tone is flatter for the rhythm and sparkling for the leads, while the remaster gives a little more juice to both, closer to the final product of 'Tales of Creation', while the drums become crisper (the 1987 snare is a little flat in places). Edling's bass is still audible, though doesn't quite dictate the plays so much as in other Candlemass recordings.

There's also another new face and whole new haircut to go with it, which of course belongs to everyone's favourite afro-ed monk, Messiah Marcolin. I've noted that there are some other reviews that mention him going overboard on his vocals and leading the band down the road of cheese. On the one hand, anyone with ears can hear Messiah overreaching hmself at the end of 'Samarithan', but then again he is one of the most otherworldly and gifted singers you're ever likely to hear, plus he puts his all into every song, so some oversights are forgiveable. His voice is slightly operatic yet always clear, while he uses his range in a very different way to most 80s metal singers, preferring to stay in his mid-range and stick to actual vocal melodies rather than screeching away at high pitch. That means that his contributions all tend to memorable and, when he does go into the upper registers, it has an electrifying effect, such as how he climaxes the verses in 'The Well of Souls'.

'The Well of Souls' itself is a song that shames almost every metal band on the planet, both from the sheer creativity and complexity of its ideas and in its execution. To get a sense of excitement, an atmosphere of drama, dynamic riffs, catchy guitar and vocal melodies, plus a whole load of shredding into the same song and form one coherent whole is a hard task to pull off once in a career, let alone several times in an album. And, although 'The Well of Souls' is probably the outstanding achievement, none of the six main songs on 'Nightfall' disappoint in the slightest, all proving that ambition and vision do pay off. The slower numbers, 'Mourner's Lament' and 'Samarithan', both have the advantage of possessing great riffs despite their simplicity, as well as an excellent singer (singing interesting lyrics too) to focus on. 'Mourner's Lament' has the edge on its sluggish brethren due to a jaw-dropping solo from Johansson - the repeating parts really hit twice as hard - and a great change of pace as the chorus enters. On the other side of things, 'Dark Are the Veils of Death' has some great faster sections alternating with doomier passages and throws down another killer solo, while 'At the Gallows End' is one of a long line of death row doom songs that has incredible potency and doesn't forget to apply the heavies with music as well as feelings.

If I have any complaints about 'Nightfall', they are only minor. The production doesn't completely satisfy as I have already mentioned, just muddying the doomier parts a little and not offering the power I would hope for, though I guess there's always the volume knob to solve that issue. Other than that, Messiah's occasional indiscretions mildly tarnish an otherwise superlative performance, while there are also a few parts, like the slow mid-section of 'Dark Are the Veils of Death' or the lead section of 'Bewitched', where the rhythm guitars drop down to simple power chords, something that Candlemass have usually been too good and too creative for. Then, as another minor point, the interludes don't all seem necessary; just one to open and one to close the album would be worthwhile, particularly since 'Bewitched' doesn't seem conclusive as a stand-alone closer. Regardless of these criticisms, 'Nightfall' is a doom metal - and a metal - album of immensely high calibre, with incredible performances across the board and some of the best-written songs in this genre. If you are feeling cheerful, it will make you feel holy; if you are feeling blue, it will make you feel black. It's a total classic and you will certainly understand why from the first time you listen.

Noticing how Candlemass never left us down with their debut full length, they gave us 'Nightfall', surely a spectacular creation. I agree too, Candlemass is a special case in which it does manage to spread sorrow with the dark ambience portrayed in the several instrumentals crafted within this album. I agree too this was something hard to achieve back in 1987. It's all mixed perfectly with a fine production, although the latter doesn't affect the percentage I give to this album. Paired with Solitude Aeternus, these two bands conform what epic doom metal basically is.

This is also my favorite band and and hopefully I won't appear too much of fanboy on this one. From the bowels of Sweden, Candlemass sets on the table what is arguably the best epic doom metal album out there, if not the best DOOM metal album in existence. And we´ll get into that now:

Ripping up with an instrumental to open 'The Well of Souls', the song itself has the dark and evil atmosphere we all appreciate in a doom metal album. Messiah did a great job pairing his vocals to the rhythm of all songs, making him an interesting and notable element of the band. Not to forget the true mastermind of the band; Leif's dark Christian lyrics shape this as epic doom metal, along Messiah, of course. 'Mourners Lament' and 'Bewitched' are the songs that truly show off Lars' skills when it comes to guitar solos, kicking off real dramatic and glorious ones in each of these songs. Then the album closes with a nice gothic instrumental as nice farewell to the masterpiece.

Having this said, I reckon this work has no flaw whatsoever and makes for a great standout among the plethora of doom metal albums available. I also must say that this is the start of Candlemass' best era, with Messiah being their most remarkable vocalist their career ever knew and Leif Edling's best lyrics ever written. From this to 'Tales of Creation', Candlemass overrode onto a memorable journey appreciated by all of us, judging by the critical acclaim guarded within the archives. Surely, this work will accompany us through the next 20 years.

Candlemass' debut album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" is seen by many as THE doom metal album, the one that one has to hear at least once in their lifetime if they are in fact a fan of the genre at all. Now let me say that I love "Epicus..." as much as anyone. I think that it was an ambitious and beautifully bleak record that kept me invested from start to finish and that I still play my copy requarely. Now while the album was undoubtedly great and its hype is justifiable, I am reluctant to declare it the "greatest doom metal album of all time". No I believe that Candlemass' second release "Nightfall" is a bit more deserving of that title as it not only improves and one-ups everything that "Epicus..." first displayed, it also is the album to introduce Messiah on vocals and put the band on the map.

Generally speaking, Candlemass' sound is woven through a slow paced mix of thick, meaty guitars, bombastic drumming, borderline operatic vocals and an overall dark and somber tone. This album's sound is accompanied by lyrics focussing on themes of religion, death, occultism, mourning and dark fantasy. Now as I said, in a lot of ways "Epicus..." first did this, but "Nightfall" improves it to a higher degree. Musiaclly the biggest difference is obviously the vocals. Johan Längquist was the main vocalist for "Epicus..." but did not stick around afterwards. After this the band went on the hunt for a new singer and Messiah, after relentless hounding to be given an audition was finally heard and recruited by Leif and company for the band, making his first debut here. To me this is an improvement. While some may disagree with me, I think that Längquist, while had a good sounding voice, went a little overboard in performance on the debut. While his voice had a genuine sorrowful vibe, it was a bit exaturated and at times, his highs were a bit too over the top. Mesiah has a much more powerful approach, in comparisons to Johan, putting out this high vibrato that sounds massive, almost operatic a lot of the time, and immediately comands the listener's attention. Where as Johan (in my opinion) had a tendency at times to sound flat or a bit exaturated, Messiah's voice is much tighter and a bit more passionate.

And the instrumental work on this album is just as powerful as the vocal performance. The guitar work is immensely heavy and thick, just pumping out one beefy riff after another coupled with some really memorable guitar solos that are catchy, melodic and above all crushing coupled with some massive and bombastic drum work on the part of Jan Lindh. All the performances all sound very tight and passionate, considerably more confident and refined than the debut as everything blends together greatly and is executed very seamlessly. Which brings me to Leif Edling who seems to have a natural talent for composing good music as each song is put together very well and succeeds in painting a very dark, brooding and gloomy atmosphere. This is made better by the fact that each song tells a different story, such as "The Well of Souls" about an occultist attempting to open a door to hell, "At the Gallows End" describing a man's last feelings and thoughts the night before his execution and "Mourners Lament" describing a parent's grief and inner turmoil following the death of his child. Each song is composed to fit the story it tells and does it very well.

To me, this is the go to the album for Candlemass. For someone who has never heard them before, I would say that this is the first one to check out. The songs are perfectly composed and just well executed, with every instrument balanced and mixed to a near perfect degree. All of which creates a nice moody atmosphere. The music itself is heavy, crushing and very dark but is also memorable, involving and leaves a deep and lasting impression. It's well worth the price to purchase. You won't be disappointed.

Candlemass were one of the first doom metal bands I had ever listened to before I had ever come to realize what on Earth doom metal was, and I’m definitely not the only one whom Candlemass was their first experience. So it was not long before I started investigating the genre further and with a righteous fury at that. While “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” is a testament for time, it was “Nightfall” that made its mark. This was the album that made me feel as if I had found something truly otherworldly. This would be the world of grief and despair. As crushing as it may be.

The instrumental tracks on this record all detail a sense of progression (a funeral procession?) and do not stray from the feel that Candlemass portray; thick and heavy and full of sorrow. Plus it is always magnificent to see a take of classical composers in metal, especially when it’s Chopin’s “March Funebre”. Now with that out of the way, the tracks that do indeed have lyrical content are all brilliant and I will endeavor to not go into all of them in depth, at least not too much. The first two are “The Well of Souls” and “At the Gallows End”, and I find that they are very much similar whilst having their own uniqueness. Here we’ve got some slow and brooding guitar work with some upbringing leads here and there. Standard fare. Messiah Marcolin has a brilliant vocal performance here and can hit just about any note and it is most impressive. It leaves nothing more to desire.

As far as I am concerned, the undisputed masterpiece on this album is the track entitled “Samarithan”. While the vocals here do not shine as much as with the rest of the songs on the album, it does not set the track back from being a supreme entity of the doom metal master class. The lyrics reek of sadness, gloom, and hope, and I get a sense of some sort of personal touches from the lyricist. The riffs are as enjoyable as your mother’s cooking and just as tasty, and the bass and drumming live up to their standards while not always standing out. The other standout is naturally “Bewitched”, a song so catchy and cheesy you just can’t help but love it. This probably has one of my favorite riffs of all time as well, and you know you’ve tried to sing them...somehow. I really do not wish to say it, but I’m going to anyway. It’ll leave you bewitched (Brb, necking myself).

This is some essential doom metal listening right here. Giving Solitude Aeturnus a run for its money since ages ago. Not that there’s much problem on that side of the fence, either.

1992 was the year of my first meeting with Swedish Candlemass. This album was called “Chapter VI”. And after listening to it, I thought “quite good heavy metal band”. But at the time “When the Runes Still Speak” song seemed to be most interesting on the album. What is more, it rather didn’t fit to the entirety due to its very slow and monumental structure. Anyway I decided to check this band out, and bought the rest of discography, or better the rest of un-original tapes copied in my country, because there was no chance to get the original ones. Definitely the best one was the tape entitled “Nightfall” with incorrect track-list (standard thing here in Poland in the old times).

“Nightfall”, the second performance of these Swedes, was another test for the young band. Even if they released “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” one year earlier, I treat “Nightfall” as the second debut. Why? Because after the releasing of debut, the band lost three members: vocalist, guitarist and drummer were gone. Fortunately these significant changes weren’t heavy loss for the crew, on the contrary the new guys pumped some new blood to the organism. Especially the vocalist Jan Bror Alfredo Marcolin, or better known as Messiah Marcolin, became an identification mark for Candlemass. His unique vocals (resemblance to opera singers) were complete contrast to the previous Johan Längquist, moreover Marcolin’s kind of singing perfectly fitted to the music, in addition his scenic image gained reputation among the fans, just like another surname “Mr. Doomdance”. Of course, gifted and original vocalist does not mean successful album. Yes, this is an elemental truth, but when it comes to the musical entirety of the second Candlemass recording, another elemental truth is coming: the music is simply… superb. “Nightfall” beat the debut, but the quality jump wasn’t gigantic, because the first epic doom revelation in Candlemass career was pure metal greatness too, and the successor is a continuation of the chosen way.

The amount of the songs may lead into error. Only six of them are with vocals lines, so can I write about laziness or musical tardiness in composing? No, of course not. The debut album also had six songs, so I think there is no surprise here. These four instrumental tracks are small additions, the first of them, called “Gothic Stone” is an introduction to “The Well of Souls”. The same is with the next ones: “Codex Gigas” based on heavy guitars, “Marche Funebre” (taken from F. Chopin) and the finishing track “Black Candles” written by Mike Wead, full of sorrow and revery, right choice to end the recording. Of course that four isn’t the salt of the doom earth. And when I start to think about the best song on the album, “At the Gallows End” comes to my mind immediately. What is more, I treat it the best doom song ever written. It has calm beginning with warm solo lead and some acoustic tunes, after thirty seconds powerful guitar riffs and drums enter the stage, just like phenomenal vocals. With words “…sunrise I greet you, the beauty of your light…” the band creates excellent, unforgettable catchy melodic lines, then after one minute the song becomes typical Candlemass work with all epic doom riches. Guitar riffs are maintained rather in faster tempo as compared to hypnotic and slow “The Well of Souls”, these beautiful vocals/melodies are shown once again, in addition the song is decorated by memorable guitar lead by Lars. To be honest with myself, without any difficulty, I can define “At the Gallows End” as summary of the album. Obviously, these impressive moments are also served in other songs, but such beautiful melodies are played rather rarely. Nevertheless each of them is a classic track of epic doom metal. I nearly forget about debut thrilling rawness during listening to “Nightfall”, yet musical and harmony arrangements are better and more interesting on the second album. Joining Lars Johansson as a new guitarist was also very good idea. Mixing incredible heaviness and specific melody lines (more hidden than in my best track, but also marvelous), these agents of doom metal recorded an absolute thing: by no manner of means the mighty cruel time cannot spoil this doom monolith.

This album is a good example where four elements like music, lyrics, production and front-cover are inseparable unity. The artwork that ornaments “Nightfall” is a picture of American painter Thomas Cole, entitled “Old Age” and completely fits to the entirety. The death motive is present here, when an angel guides an old man sitting in the boat and waiting for eternal redemption and simply better reality. This journey runs through the dark and ominous clouds, but on the end there is a light (or the entrance to paradise) giving hope to the tired human being. Lyrics written by Edling don’t vary from this subject matter shown by Cole, the title word of the album is a consequence of life, because the death or the nightfall of man is something inexorable. The Swedes also told about the moment of death and profound sadness during whole life, like in “Mourners Lament”, where father bewails child’s death. For me this story is most dismaying on the album, effigy of death is very sensible and while listening to this monumental song, I couldn’t feel indifference. Simply I can understand the message coming straight from the song, because I am also father of two children. The lyrics are supported by music full of total sadness, it perfectly fits to the story: colossal, crushing riffs bathing in slow tempo with paralyzing Lars solo lead. And this atmosphere where readily noticeable vision of merciless death befogs the human senses…

The realization of sound helps the music to conquer my metal heart. My cd is a re-edition, everything here is audible (but the same was with my unoriginal tape), so what do I want more, if the music itself is served on the highest metal level. That’s obvious Candlemass reached an epic doom peak, as well as they defined (also with the debut album) the idea of the style. “Nightfall” is a denial to the boredom, by creating slow and monumental anthems, these five Swedes recorded masterful slab of doom or metal in general. They smuggled life truths, yet life searchings of something better not only on earthy valley. Sadness, grief, despair, downheartedness, fatality, loss of life… but there is (always?) a small light of hope sparkling in the deep dark, just like in “Samarithan” song, where the man becomes an angel after his death. Musically I get once again slow superb piece of paralyzing doom with beautiful chorus.

And on the end, I’d like to set forth some words from the chorus of “Bewitched”, namely: “You are bewitched…”. Yes, I am bewitched… by this timeless classic metal music…

Well, here we are again, folks. Considering they were the first metal band I ever listened to, it's quite appropriate to come back to them after all this time. The last time I wrote a review for a Candlemass album was about three years ago. That was for "Ancient Dreams", and I am considering writing a new review of said record to coincide with these upcoming reviews of their other classic albums.

Not to digress, however. In terms of influence, power, and compositional excellence, Nightfall in its greatest moments is up there with the likes of Painkiller, Piece of Mind, Somewhere In Time, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells, and many other famous metal albums. At the same time, it's not a patch on its predecessor, frequently going way over the top into levels of cheese not rivaled until Painkiller came along. And that was by Judas Priest, so it wasn't so unexpected. Here, it's like Sabbath mixed with the worst excesses of Maiden, and a hint of Rainbow and Dio - all fantastic, but sometimes taken way too far.

That's not to say it isn't an excellent album. On it are four of Candlemass's most well known and highly regarded songs - The Well of Souls, At The Gallows' End, Samarithan, and Bewitched. There's also Dark are the Veils of Death, which is also pretty popular amongst the band's fans, and Mourner's Lament, probably the only less well known song on the album. Unfortunately, strength after strength doesn't change a few fundamental things that, in my opinion, make this album a lot weaker than Epicus.

First, there's Messiah Marcolin. His operatic delivery works wonders on many songs. Unfortunately, both he and in particular this record (far more so than the two that followed, interestingly) suffer from what I call the Dickinson syndrome. Don't get me wrong, Bruce Dickinson is a great singer. But he also had that tendency to go way overboard, making some songs painfully cheesy to endure. Notably, it's taken me several years to even listen to Aces High, and I didn't actually like it until just a few months ago - most of which is related to Bruce's performance. This is more than a lack of subtlety; it's disdain for the very concept.

And Messiah often does the exact same thing, throwing himself so far into his roles that he ends up looking silly. On this record, the only time this element doesn't matter is when the songs benefit from extreme cheesiness - Bewitched being a good example. Other times, it's just plain embarrassing.

This isn't a new problem either. Ever since I got into Candlemass, I remember listening to parts of Nightfall, Ancient Dreams and Tales of Creation after immersing myself in the crowning glory of metal majesty that is Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and fervently wishing that Johan Langqvist had stayed on instead. Like Bruce, Messiah goes into the highest registers imaginable too often for my liking. When he sings deeper or more mid-range, it's so much better. Johan had a slightly less powerful high than Messiah, but his low intonations were incredibly strong - without being cheesy. It's for this reason that I've always preferred the first album.

On the other hand, this record and the two that followed wouldn't be what they are without Messiah. His vocal style is still pretty unique, and there's no denying his talent. Indeed, some of the songs on here are truly amazing. Others, not so much.

The Well of Souls is a good example of a fantastic song, that nevertheless is for both better and worse ridiculously cheesy, and not in the manner of a song like Bewitched. With its mixture of grinding Sabbathian tones and aggressive, chugging riffage equally reminiscent of Maiden and Dio, plus a hint of Mercyful Fate and early thrash, it's a classic metal song with all the right elements. Unlike Epicus's monumental opener, though, it doesn't attempt even a single thoughtful moment. It's just crushing heaviness, evil riffs with middle-eastern overtones, and a totally over the top performance by the Mad Monk. No matter how good it is, when this song is played to the wrong audience or at the wrong time, it's so absurd that it stops being powerful and becomes laughable. Of particular notice is this part:

"Cold wind blows out the candles
The air grows cold and threatening
Dark shadows wicked laughter
Brings darkness to your heart
Behold the Goat of Mendes
Red burning evil eyes
Lord's prayer holy water
Just faith can save you now"

Erm...what? Is this some kind of Christian Metal parody? No, of course it isn't. I know that. But lyrics like this, especially the way they are delivered here, are quite ridiculous. This shouldn't matter, but I find that unless I'm drunk, it's hard to take the song seriously. What's being described is so horrific and evil that it couldn't possibly not be laughable when delivered in the manner that it is. It's even worse than that, though, because Messiah sings said passage in a ridiculously high register, over a fast paced middle eastern riff, with an extreme amount of emotion!

So, yeah. But for the most part, it works anyway, provided you're either listening to it through headphones on a dark evening, playing it through your car's CD player while driving to a satanic ritual, or rocking out with your mates at a very, very metal party. As for it working in any situation, at any time...well, just think about that one and I'll get back to you. But that applies to most metal anyway, so what the fuck.

The rest of the song is pretty reliable too: Lars Johansson's solo is cool, nothing great, but far from bad. Then we get the chugging riffage which is just a bit too thrashy for a doom band, and it works, but it sounds a little odd with the album's guitar tone. Then the breakdown: powerful, heavy, and Sabbathian. Though, whenever I hear it I get this image in my mind of Messiah doing his "doom stomp" which, again, is amusing, but perhaps too much so. Then comes the part that's supposed to be really "evil". "Disharmony...satanic, serenade! Black symphony! A tribute, to the plague!" Uh, yeah. It's times like this when I think of Candlemass as a more Spinal Tap-esque band than anything else. Unless listening to it while drunk, of course.

I'm not sure what they were going for here...either trying to sound cool, genuinely scary, or just be metal as fuck. For the record, in this case they only succeeded in the latter, but that's no bad thing. The song ends soon after this, following a repeat of the verse, chorus, and bridge, and fades out.

Now, on a fundamental level, as well as a purely musical one, this is a great song. Unfortunately, it's so over the top and cheesy that it makes Mercyful Fate's first two records and even parts of Painkiller seem normal in comparison. Well, ok, not really. Messiah isn't anywhere near as outrageous as King Diamond, and Rob Halford's singing is often far more cheesy. I've got mixed feelings on it, to be honest. It's awesome really, but a little subtlety could have gone a long way into making it more dynamic.

The rest of the record continues in a similar vein - attempts to either be evil and/or sinister, or to be morose, doomy and depressing, or in one case, somewhat uplifting as well as sad. This is intermingled with silly little interludes, such as the utterly pointless "Codex Gigas" which does absolutely nothing, Gothic Stone, which is the intro to The Well of Souls, Marche Funebre, which is a cover of the famous Funeral March by Frederic Chopin, and finally Black Candles, which is a fittingly, and actually effectively creepy closer. In between these are various tales of death, pain, sacrifice, doom, sorrow, and evil that at times do create a pretty palpable atmosphere.

As a whole, though, this record doesn't work for me the way Epicus does, or the way Ancient Dreams and Tales of Creation do. The biggest reason for that, which I've barely touched on so far, is that it's just too depressing.

Nightfall isn't a concept album. However, nearly every song featured on it revolves around death. The Well Of Souls is about some priest trying to stop the evil dead rising out of the "black hole to hell", which is pretty objectively ghastly. At The Gallows' End is about an execution. Samarithan is about one good man's life and how he then dies and goes to heaven - positive, but he still dies, and I don't have much faith in Christian ideas about the afterlife. Dark Are The Veils Of Death is about, guess what, death! Mourner's Lament is about a man mourning his dead child. Can you think of anything more depressing? Oh yeah, and we've also got Bewitched, which is about Satan luring some poor dude to his doom, proclaiming "no one will see you again! Muahahahahaha!" minus the evil laughter. Not exactly full of joy and light, now is it?

Perhaps that's the point of doom metal. Many people would say it is, and I imagine most doomsters would too. I don't really agree though, and in that case, if an album like Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is less of a pure doom album for having more variety, then so much the better. If Nightfall could do all these things and still be as epic as its predecessor, none of this would matter so much. Which brings us rather nicely to my next point: the "epic" element in Candlemass's music and metal in general, or in this case, the lack thereof.

This is one of the biggest issues I have with the album. There are two genuine epics here, The Well of Souls and Samarithan. I've already talked about the former. The latter is far less cheesy, which to me proves that Messiah is better at singing emotional songs than evil ones. However, I wouldn't say that any of the other four real songs on Nightfall are really "epic", especially when compared with what followed or with the preceding record.

The other three classics on here are a mixed bag. At the Gallows' End is considered by many Candlemass fans to be their best song ever. I strongly disagree. Like a lot of stuff on here, it is often very cheesy due to Messiah's delivery of his lyrics. Additionally, there's a fair amount of Christian bullshit to be found here, which is also scattered throughout the rest of the album, and to a mostly lesser degree its two successors. Here, we have a song in which the main character is being killed for...what? "Drinking to the Devil with Servants"? What the hell is wrong with that?

Moreover, what does it even mean? Sacrificing a virgin to the devil, yeah, that's indeed questionable, if only because it's murder. But what even is drinking to the devil? That the man feels he deserves to be executed just for being a Satanist, to me, reeks of apologist Catholic bollocks from Messiah's upbringing. I strive to respect the rights of individuals to believe what they wish so long as they do not force their beliefs on others. But I can't and won't respect, nor stand for bullshit.

This doesn't ruin the song, but I don't think it was that great to begin with. It's also far too speedy. It's not epic either, and it's a rather tired concept, used far better by a classic band that had at least some influence on Candlemass's more epic side - Iron Maiden with Hallowed by Thy Name, obviously. That worked, because it was subtle, in its own unique way. This isn't, it's just some Christian nonsense that says, basically, if you disobey the rules of the church, you deserve to be hanged. Hell, if you even toast to the devil with your mates, you're pure black evil and deserve to die horribly because you're a sinner! Oh yeah! No more of those sins baby!

In the words of Dr. Evil...Riiiiiiiiiight.

Dark are the Veils of Death is, apparently, another Candlemass classic. Again, I compare it to Under the Oak, to Mirror Mirror, to Darkness in Paradise, to Ancient Dreams, to Dark Reflections, to Where the Runes still Speak, and this just doesn't cut it. Like a lot of the songs on Nightfall it's very cheesy. Even worse, it tries to be groovy, bluesy, evil, thrashy, and doomy all at once, which is an overblown mixture of ideas so different that they couldn't possibly all work in the same song. Yet that's what they did, throwing in a blues like opening riff as the intro, then speeding up to a groovy riff that's designed for headbanging. Is that the purpose of doom?

The next riff is speedy, almost like thrash, and all this is interspersed with some silly lyrics about "passing to the other side" by Messiah. Again, I ask, is this Candlemass or is it Spinal Tap? Seriously, Candlemass accidentally parody themselves, metal, rock, and the whole doom genre so many times on this album that one has to wonder if it was accidental. Perhaps they were trying to be tongue in cheek here, feeling that Epicus was too serious, so it would be better to create an album with even darker undertones, yet put such an absurd spin on it with ridiculous lyrics, cheesy delivery by an nevertheless very talented singer, and overly obvious riffs that it would be funny. Yeah, funeral doom rock, or metal with a humour slant. Great idea, guys. I laughed so hard when I first heard some of these songs that I nearly shat myself. Not.

I must apologise for all of the sarcastic potshots I'm taking here. I really do love Candlemass, they are actually one of my favourite bands of all time. Epicus, Ancient Dreams, Tales of Creation and Chapter VI are all fantastic records. And Nightfall, objectively, is certainly a very good record at the least. It just doesn't work for me as well as the others do.

So yeah, Dark are the Veils of Death was never a favourite of mine. It just doesn't feel like the kind of thing that a band like Candlemass should be doing, really. Too thrashy, too groovy, trying too hard to be sinister, and with rather ridiculous lyrics.

Before I come to Bewitched, I'll quickly go over Mourner's Lament, which is feel is rather underrated. Again, Messiah goes way overboard in his vocal delivery, but considering what the song is about - a father losing his child - it's actually warranted this time. Not only that, but the riffs are great, pure doom here, crushing, dark, sad, and ever so slightly creepy without being too cheesy. Lars' solo is also fantastic, filled with emotion, and a strong neo-classical feel. If only they played this song more often, and not Dark are the Veils of Death or At the Gallows' End all the time.

And now we come to Bewitched, one of Candlemass's most popular songs ever, and with good reason - it rocks. It's one of those songs that shouldn't work, but somehow just does. The lyrics are genuinely evil, and yes, if you watch the video, it's funny. In fact, it's fucking hilarious. This time, however, I feel like I'm laughing with the band rather than at them.

I'm pretty sure that they knew when they made it that the video would be very amusing. Messiah is very charismatic here, his performance is genuinely quite evil in terms of the vocal delivery. "So take my hand, and understand, that no one will see you again!" Yes, it works. Perhaps also because it's fairly slow, grinding, and deliberate, and revels in its own humourous side rather than trying to be deadly serious.

So, that's Candlemass's second album. A doom landmark, to be sure, even if not on the same level as Epicus. The parts that work really do work. It's unfortunate that the opposite is also true, which is not something shared with their first, third, or fourth records.

If it seems like I've come down pretty hard on this album, well, I guess I have. One of the four interludes here sucks, two of the songs barely work for me at all, one can work but is oh so cheesy, but the other three are all great in their own ways. So, the score?

Well, to me, 86 is pretty fair considering that the stuff here that's good is really damn good. The weaker songs aren't actually bad as much as they are either absurd and cheesy or filled with annoying lyrics and overly speedy riffs. There's nothing actually horrible here. Just some irritating stuff that could have been great if it was done differently.

And that sums up Nightfall pretty well. A very good album overall, with some fantastic songs, but also lumbered by many problems that the first album lacked, and that the next two would attempt, and mostly succeed, thankfully, to fix. So many fans would disagree here, but again, I suppose that just shows that I prefer my doom the way it was originally made - slow, grinding and crushing, with its epic elements having an emphasis on the "broadly epic" as opposed to the "fast". Cases in point: everything that followed.

Nevertheless, it's a classic album, and one well worth owning if you like Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, Dio, Rainbow, or Mercyful Fate - or, for that matter, Trouble, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General, or Pentagram. At its best, Nightfall, like Candlemass's albums in general, combines the doom and gloom of Sabbath and their other sucessors with the epic stylings of Maiden, Priest, Dio and Rainbow, and some of the evil and over the top absurdity of Mercyful Fate, and fuses them together in a way that just plain works.

To sum up, despite its problems, this record is still essential to any Candlemass or doom fan. Just skip tracks 4 and 7, and have plenty to drink before listening to 2 - trust me, you'll need it.

"You are Bewitched..."

Legend has it that Messiah Marcolin contacted Leif Edling after hearing "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus," telling Edling that he was going to be Candlemass' next singer. The rest is history. Aside from Edling and rhythm guitarist Mappe Björkman, the lineup was entirely different from the one that recorded "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus." Mike Wead, who would become a guitarist in such varied acts as King Diamond and Marcolin's own Memento Mori, was a member for most of the sessions for this album, but was replaced at the last minute by Lars Johansson. One of Wead's instrumental compositions, "Black Candles," appears at the end of the album.

The fact that four out of the album's ten tracks are either intros or interludes is a bit problematic. Momentum isn't really something that one would normally be concerned with on a doom album, but I wish that perhaps instead another song could be added to replace the two interludes in the middle.

Jan Lindh is an incredibly boring drummer. Matz Ekström knew when to go along with the music, but also would open up on occasion with fine results (see "Demons Gate"). Lindh just uses simple drums beats throughout and certain parts (like after the solo in "At The Gallows End") suffer.

Messiah Marcolin, despite having a powerful and charismatic voice, loves to go so over-the-top that at times his singing is either cringe-worthy or funny, depending on how you look at it (see "Samarithan's" "Lots of food to eat...woah-oh-oh-woah"). When coupled with heavy guitar riffs to bring the song back down to the ground, Marcolin's vocals work extraordinarily well. However, on some songs like "Samarithan" and "Mourner's Lament," the guitars are dialed back and the singing is just too much to bear.

However, on "Well of Souls," that formula of heavy guitar riffs countered with Marcolin's operatic vocals is unbelievably successful. Leif Edling's vision of taking the groundwork that Black Sabbath laid and bringing it to a whole new level can be evidenced here. Also, who says all doom has to crawl forward at a snail's pace? "At the Gallows End" picks things up a bit and the chorus line "Ring brother, ring for me/Ring the bells of hope and faith" is just classic. Oh, and that riff after the verses? Pure gold. "Bewitched" is another song that is a grower, despite Marcolin again trying to be too dramatic. The guitars save this one. Be sure to watch the unintentionally hilarious video that they made for it.

I may be in a minority here, but I can't help but wonder how much better this album would have been if Johan Langquist would have stayed in Candlemass instead of pursuing a career in pop music. Oh well, we still get a respectable doom album with more focus on the "epic" aspect and less of a focus on being heavy and crushing all in its path. The artwork for the album is excellent and can especially be appreciated if you have it on vinyl like I do. "Nightfall" comes with a recommendation, but to be honest, I prefer "Epicus Doomicus Metallus" and the albums that follow this.

Few bands can truly conjure despair through their music. But against all odds, Sweden's premiere gothic doom outfit, beneath the operatic vocals of Messiah Marcolin and the superb songwriting of Leif Edling, were one of the first bands to succeed. Overwhelmingly. In 1987, you didn't have today's widespread genres of drone, doom, funeral doom, and the like. You had Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General, St. Vitus, and a few other founders and contemporaries. The Candlemass sound embraces the heavier riffing style of Tony Iommi ("Symptom of the Universe", etc) and marries it with gothic lyrics of hopelessness.

Nightfall is their masterpiece, a flawless slab of crushing sadness drenched in Edling's archaic Christian lyrics. "Gothic Stone" is a short intro with some keyboards which perfectly sets up the grooving doom of "The Well of Souls". Immediately, the 'Mad Monk' Messiahs Marcolin's vocals offered a distinct alternative to basically ALL other metal music of the period with their operatic power. Yet these aren't calling at you from a theater balcony, but the walls of an abandoned castle, a decaying Medieval cathedral, or a roadside shrine in the Plague Years.

The instrumental "Codex Gigas" follows with its gorgeous gothic dirge, and after that comes one of the greatest doom songs ever written, one of the greatest METAL songs ever written. "At the Gallows Ends" begins with some sad acoustics under chords, then erupts into the best riff of its kind since "Symptom of the Universe". Jesus. When I first heard this song I was instantly hooked (I had picked up the single before the full-length). Marcolin's vocal line during the chorus is haunting, and the brief lead section near the close of the song is excellent. "Samarithan" is another beauty with its slow pace and story-driven lyrics. Chopin's "March Funebre" is covered with keyboards and guitars, and then the somewhat faster paced, groovy "Dark are the Veils of Death". "Mourners Lament", another slower song with some evil riffing. The last vocal track on the album is "Bewitched", one of their more popular numbers. And then "Black Candles" closes the epic, a haunting instrumental written by Mike Wead of Mercyful Fate.

The mix of the album was pretty much perfect for its day and it still sounds great to these ears. The band was a class act. This isn't a style of music where one expects any manner of virtuosity, but riff for riff it's one of the best albums of its type to date, if not THE best. The songs are perfect, even the instrumentals which may come off a little sappy. I hold the album as the standard for epic, crushing gothic metal, and the band's influence is still heard today as a landmark between Sabbath and most modern European doom.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

After having released the excellent debut album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", which was unfortunately met with poor sales, Candlemass had acquired a loyal local and underground following. By the time the first album had been recorded they had also acquired a new singer in the form of Messiah Marcolin, a man classically trained within the fine arts of opera singing. This gave Candlemass a unique edge not only within the doom realm, but also in the realm of all things metal.

The production is excellent when it comes down to the fact that Candlemass was just an underground band at the time, but it's nonetheless very good. Messiah’s vocals are godly, and so are Lars Johansson’s leads. Edling’s bass playing isn’t bad either, but he’s no Steve Harris or Joey DeMaio.

The first real song is called ”The Well of Souls”, which is preceded by the short instrumental track called ”Gothic Stone”. Right at the beginning of the song, you’ll know that Candlemass’ new vocalist is not a bad one, but your head will most likely explode if you can’t tolerate operatic vocals.

The next song is called ”At the Gallows End”, and is probably one of Candlemass’ best songs ever. It has a very sad and very emotional mood, and Marcolin’s vocals and Johansson’s lead only enhances the song’s already existing excellence. This song is also preceded by a short instrumental track. This time it’s called ”Codex Gigas”.

”Marche Funebre” is a cover of a classic piece by the composer Frederyk Chopin. This is probably my least favourite song on the album, but it works amazingly well within the concept of the album.

The main driving force in the next two songs, entitled ”Samarithan” and ”Dark Are the Veils of Death”, are the vocals. The part where Messiah goes ”Begging for a penny to survive” in ”Samarithan” will stick in your mind for a long time.

”Mourners Lament” is a little more forgettable, but it is probably the most doomy track on this album and the lyrics tell a strong story.

And so the album closes with ”Bewitched” and ”Black Candles”. ”Bewitched” crushes everything in its path with a severe heaviness and an absolutely crushing lead played by Johansson. ”Black Candles” is another little instrumental track that closes the album in nice fashion.

This is an essential album for all doomsters, but you can definitely find some crossover appeal if you’re willing to look below the surface.

“…only the vultures will come to see me hang…”

You can call it history. You can call it history that early sludge vindicators Mercy were the sharpening stone for a voice already edged with vivid, booming eloquence.

You can call it coincidence. You can call it coincidence that Mercy and Nemesis/Candlemass tread the same Swedish mire, both chest deep and in echoing earshot, powerless to ignore the other’s rise in underground magnitude.

You can call it fate. You can call it fate that Mercy would splinter under its own planetary bulk after two albums just as Candlemass invokes its own gravitational pull.

So here we are, on the cusp of what will be a grand relationship between a most promising Swedish band and a vocalist that was already overflowing with talent most uncommon. The only people who could’ve seen something startling right around the bend were those fans of both bands, few as they were compared to mainstream affairs, but the rest of us would catch this contagious syndrome quickly, this confrontation between two irresistible, symbiotic forces.

And this...this you can call doom.

“…the priest he will pray for my lost soul…I’m sure he’s wasting his time…”

Come ’86, mind and mouth meet, probably not for the first time, but in this instance it’s for the sake of unemployment, necessity, proximity, and obvious kinship. Spark between the two seems inevitable, if not personally then musically. Old songs are laid with shiny new pipes. Canticles barely explored by Edling, the band’s creative vortex, find matrimony with a creamy voice of glory, a voice that can easily be seen billowing from a figure perched high on a snow-capped mountain peak, frost on his breath, hand raised as if to clutch a goblet of white faith or a skull of dark despair. Y’see, the band already had a sculptor of words in Edling, perhaps one of the most gifted of metal’s fantasy-focused wordsmiths, and these words swirled majestic whether rising from Johan Lanquist’s impoverished cries or the bassist’s own lips. But these verses deserved a declaration transcending the two vocalists’ famished beggar’s character, the hand-to-mouth existence of a pauper trudging the alleys of the river district. They needed a new lease on life. They needed an entrance to elegance, an upholder of the story. Well, they got one, their own messiah – all dauntless, frizzed, monked-out, 250+ lbs of him.

What this meeting awakened is more than something born out of a spirit-dampened virulence honed by Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Witchfinder General, and of course, Candlemass’ cement-legged debut and Mercy’s past artifacts. Nightfall vitalizes and depresses simultaneously like an ornate crest on mace-crushed armor, thudding together seamlessly and painlessly. It pays tribute to Epicus Doomicus Metallicus by not swaying the doom balance and enhancing its elaborate carnage with a voice that can accompany kings as they stride to their thrones. Like the squalling start of “Gothic Stone”, it’s where heaven and hell meet, ‘cos it’ll be a cold day in hell when someone’s gonna convince me this melding of incorruptible alto and grandiose, yet disheartened atmosphere isn’t a match made in heaven.

Messiah Marcolin is trained in the operatic arts. So are hundreds of other metal mouthpieces, but while most trained (opera or otherwise) vocalists send notes into the clouds with regularity, Messiah resists all that, for he targets the short expanse of alto, the highest male pitch sung by a bonafide opera singer, and only a short, lonely list of crooners can share the portly one’s scale to any length. He’s a copier of no one, and I’ve yet to hear a singer that aurally resembles the mad monk’s obscure talent or resonance to any close degree.

“…no one would share my last chalice, so I drink to the ones that I know…”

With this forlorn ten-track campaign, Edling and his accomplished group take their beloved doom to its already memorable heights of isolation, enchantment, mourning, and hope, concocting substance not unusual for the style, but with dressed songcraft, absorbing lyrics, exploratory vocals, and Lars Johansson’s regal solos, this four-way union certainly conveys that presence. Here, story and song use the same respiratory system to survive. Imagery is not a babbling dash of thoughts masquerading as cohesion. With Nightfall and Candlemass, it is lifeblood.

“The Well of Souls” and its preface, “Gothic Stone”, entangle faithfulness and impending peril in their combined age, the latter giving birth to an atmosphere of angels choiring softly as if not to stir a chorus that slowly, menacingly, rises from its knees, like an elder rewarning against a terrible prophecy as the being who is destined to fulfill it continues walking forward. Imagery. Titanic “Samarithan” is snail-slow and pillar-heavy, the tale of a tatterdemalion’s stroke of luck as a wealthy stranger takes him in, and then that stranger’s ascent to heaven for the deed is food for the mind's eye, meanwhile high-flown tandem guitars between verses glide hot and electrified. “Mourner’s Lament”, a tune the band save Messiah despise playing live, is a heartfelt quasi-epic chimed by lyrics earnest and pleading, meanwhile “Dark are the Veils of Death” and “Bewitched” can beguile with their unorthodox pace changes and rhythm shifts that are the hallmarks of inspired songwriting. But outweighing them all is the lp’s tour de force, the ode to treason “At the Gallows End”. Once again the story runs neck and neck with rhythms that about-face on a dime. The chorus soars with a strange triumphant despair and looks to the sky as if to defeat it. Some of the album’s most provocative lyrics lie here and lead you to believe that he in the story who is waiting for death knows it is deserved.

Making up much of the remainder is what can only be dubbed as filler tunes, albeit short ones. There’s no way around this branding really, criminal when thinking of the breadth this lp throbs with, and I often wonder what really could’ve emerged as Nightfall if a collective 6+ minutes had been more than a famed Chopin interpretation (“Marche Funebre” – a song that was once the fitting soundtrack to a car accident I had in the spring of ’89 where everyone went to the hospital except yours truly), a string-of-chords instrumental that marches in place a minute too long (“Codex Gigas”), and another wordless ditty (Mike Wead-penned “Black Candles”) that trickles the record’s end. They’ve got a countertenor like no other and we get a bevy of instrumentals trapped in a cul-de-sac. Yeah I know, Lindh, Johansson, Bjorkman, and Edling are a united force for sore ears, but here Messiah is like a new toy on Christmas, and you know how that goes.

All I have to say is, so why not the astonishing “Battlecry”? Why couldn’t this song, a mover and shaker that’s inexplicably demo-entrenched until ’01, kick off side two, drop the Chopin piece down to finale, and blow “Black Candles” onto one of the following eps? Finally exhumed, Candlemass brush off the dirt that hides this most combative track, streaking with anti-doom except where a future riff from Ancient Dreams’ “A Cry From the Crypt” lumbers through and a chorus that showcases the highest pitches in Messiah’s public repertoire. Maybe it would’ve blown the album’s doom trance off-course, but I sincerely doubt it.

“…sleep well my friend 'cause this tale's now to end, don't believe our world is as safe's we pretend…”

The magnetism of Nightfall has yet to subside. It’s still cemented on the ‘must have’ lists of doom enthusiasts, and rightfully so. Still, many are unaware of the band’s existence, and it’s proven each time “At the Gallows End” spins at the bar at top volume (hail the DJ) to a confused face or two. Even with my minor complaint, my Nightfall disc remains a heavily played one. With “Battlecry”, Nightfall probably would’ve garnered around a 95.

Fun fact 98d.3: In “The Well of Souls”, the verse ‘twelve strokes to Candlemass, darkness descends’ unwittingly sparked a playful, tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement from the guys in Dark Angel, who rebutted with ‘as darkness descends I behold the Candlemass’ in their song “The Promise of Agony” from their Leave Scars lp. Nice.

Ring brother.

"...it's no fun to burn in hell's fire but I sure have enjoyed my life..."

Candlemass second release called "Nightfall" is one of their best albums ever! 4 of the 10 songs on this album is short intros/interludes who sounds very cool if you're listening to the whole album at once. It starts off with "Gothic Stone" which is a short intro that leads us right on to "The Well Of Souls". This is a epic song with excellent lyrics and outstanding vocalperformance by Messiah Marcolin. I will just concentrate on the "real" songs and goes directly to "At The Gallows End" who has a acoustic intro with some solo-leads from Johansson, the first verse is slow and beautiful and the song raises tempo with a heavy and pretty fast (for being Candlemass) riff. Great chorus and great lyrics.

Next is the best song on the album called "Samarithan" , the song is slow and heavy with cool verses and a very beautiful chorus. Tempochange during the excellent solo and then the verse again and the chorus again with different lyrics, needless to say - the lyrics on this album is among the best ever written! Side two starts with "Marche Funebre", it's a pretty good choir intro with guitarleads. And then comes "Dark Are The Veils Of Death". The song starts with a drum intro and then comes the Sabbath-like riff, reminds about something from Vol 4. Then another riff that leads on to the fast verses with the double bass drum, awesome!

Next song is "Mourners Lament", another slow song with great vocals and lyrics about the loss of your child. The chorus is backed up by great drumming by Lindh.

"Bewitched" is next, this song is not bad, not at all, but it just does'nt appeal to me as the others do. Although it has some good heavy riffs, good lyrics and a long brilliant solo. Finally the album ends with a, i have to say, great outro called "Black Candles".

This album is just really kickass, if you're into to doom metal and never heard this, but then you probably have, but anyway... do yourself a favour and pick it up!

I've heard a lot of metal in my day, and a fair chunk of that has been Doom Metal. And out of all the doom bands that I've heard, a large chunk has been really shitty. Don't ask me why, but Doom Metal is one of those genres that seems to attract a lot of really shitty bands. It's not as bad as Black Metal (you wouldn't believe how many turd black bands are out there), but it's enough to give one a jaded impression of the genre. It's not that I don't like Doom Metal--I do. It's just that there is a real art to playing Doom Metal, and many bands miss the nuances that make the music really good.

Not Candlemass. They've got it right. The band has the solid combination of absolutely killer riffs and great vocals, and it all comes out on Nightfall. Everything is solid, and while it's not extraordinary, it's really worth the time to enjoy.

The riffage is supremely powerful here. The Well of Souls immediately nails you to the wall with a steady onslaught of riffs over a slow, steady drumbeat. It has a very morbid sound, and yet Codex Gigas, the next song, has some positively evil riffage. This ability to manipulate sounds to create different impressions upon the listener is one of the aformentioned Doom Metal Nuances that Candlemass has down cold. Other songs with noticeably cool riffage include At the Gallows End, Dark are the Veils of Death and the absolutely haunting Black Candles.

Candlemass's other strong point is its vocalist, who has a really great sound. He sings with clean vocals (as opposed to the undead-sounding harsh vocals of the doom variety), but that's not why they're strong--the fact is that his vocals are dark and brooding and really create the impression that if you tickle him he will not laugh. The two vocal styles you can pick up here are displayed in two seperate songs: Well of Souls, which has his darker, brooding sound, and At the Gallows End, which has the more midpaced, yet still quite doom-ish vocal style.

Bottom line here is that this is good Doom Metal, and that's not something you see every day. Doom fans would do well to pick up a copy of this, and those attempting to get more into the scene might enjoy this album, as the clean vocals are easier to get adjusted to than the harsh doom vocals of, say, Galadriel.

I didn't think I'd dig on Candlemass much... from my earlier experience (mp3s) they were all doom'n'gloom. Nightfall contains plenty of said doom'n'gloom, but enough solid metal riffs to get any head bangin'. Seriously a great disc, and, along with Trouble, these guys are the archetype for doom.

Opening track Well of Souls is just fucking killer... a mid paced thrash riff interpersed with moans of lament and sludge. Check out the Haunted's cover for some more metalness. There aren't any abysmal tunings, and the guitars focus more on single note riffs rather than chordage. Singer Messiah Marcolin (the ugliest fucker on the planet) has a great voice and the production is very pleasant... for it's 1987 release date this is pure gold.

My favorite song has to be To the Gallows End... well placed acoustic guitar alongside badass riff = \m/. These guys obviously aren't big fans of clowns or dance music... "doom" metal is an honestly. appropriate term since everything is played at a dirge, and death seems to be their preoccupation. Somebody get them a hug and a trip to disney world.