Chapter VI

Candlemass' most famous singer left the band, so that must mean their next release can't be as good, right? Well, if your mind is that closed, you're going to miss out on quite the experience. Candlemass' fifth album, titled "Chapter VI," is absolutely one of their best. Now, to be fair, this album is a little bit less doom-y than anything that came before it. The addition of new singer Thomas Vikstrom adds immediately more of that subtle power metal influence that I alluded to just a touch on "Tales of Creation." Vikstrom is a phenomenal singer, though. In fact, I absolutely think he has more depth and variety in his voice than Messiah. Do I think he would have been a perfect long-term singer that fits their older doom-y songs? No. But he's able to use his voice and cut through a new style on this record. That's also not to say he can't put the doom in his voice either, though.

"Where the Runes Still Speak" is a more traditional sounding Candlemass epic on "Chapter VI." For the eerie intro, keyboards, guitar, and bass are all playing the melody, and Vikstrom comes in to give the song the freezing cold feeling they lay the foundation for. You can almost close your eyes and picture yourself standing outside as icy cold rain hits you for this song. The main guitar part is a slow paced bone chiller of a riff, and Vikstrom is shutting up any naysayer with his vocals here. He has the perfect variation in emotion and epic singing on the song. Every powerful high note he adds is done so specifically to enhance exactly what needs to be. His high notes on the chorus are a work of art. And during the final few loops of the chorus at the end, he kicks it up to eleven, and delivers notes that any singer could learn a lesson from. In my opinion, this album is the best collection of Johansson's solos. His solo on this track is a staggeringly good one. "Where the Runes Still Speak" is an absolute journey. "Julie Laughs No More" is very creative in the way the song's story basically takes fairy tales and flips them on their head. It makes all of these happy nursery rhymes suddenly seem sinister and hopeless. Once again, Vikstrom uses his high notes as an amplifier on the chorus. Those notes are deliberately saved to further bolster the chorus. The main riff of the song is a quick and punchy one, and I find it incredibly unique in the way that both lead and rhythm guitars harmonize the very last few end notes each time. It's a subtly cool sound that I think deserves attention, because it's very easy to gloss over.

"Temple of the Dead" has some absolutely supreme riff work. Every single riff that is introduced is incredible. A short keyboard intro sets the tone for the song, and then matches the following riff for a little before the main riff comes in. Once again, the harmonization between both guitars makes the riff feel really special. The riff itself is also just an immediately powerful and catchy one. It's dark and dreary in an almost alarming way. It gives a panicked and frenzied energy to it. The keyboards sporadically return here and there on the track to give the mood a bit of weight, too. After the second chorus, the song's main riff takes a total tonal shift. It suddenly progresses into a more groove based head-banger of a riff. It's another absolutely beautiful part that rivals the ones prior. Johansson gives another stunning solo too, and the little acoustic section that follows it gives a bit of life and breathing room for the song. In general, "Temple of the Dead" really does no wrong. The album's opener "The Dying Illusion" is a bone-crushing track that kicks both this album and the new lineup off right. The main riff is a bit of a simple one for Candlemass, but it accomplishes its mission of injecting energy into the album for Vikstrom to surge forward on. Vikstrom's vocal melodies on "The Dying Illusion" really are what makes the whole song. The subtle keyboard work supports him, and gives him an eerie mood to lay his foundation upon. The chorus riff and vocals combined exude an extremely melancholic mood that shows the roots of the band still there despite the slight direction change on this record. The section that follows the solo does a great job of kicking the energy up again with a different feel than the main riff has. "The Dying Illusion" is Candlemass putting a bit more flame into their music instead of the bone chilling cold they normally go for.

Without a doubt, my favorite track on the record is "Black Eyes," though. The main riff of the song has a stellar groove and punchy energy to it. Vikstrom gives great variance in his performance here. His vocal lines have an impressive mixture of sinister, desperate, and terrified natures that weave a brilliant story. I think the song is very unique due to the story of the song seeming like it could be about a real life woman at first glance, but as the song goes on, it's clear that there is something far more unearthly about the entity. The prechorus riff is a superb one. It really builds up to the chorus in an almost roller coaster-like way before the chorus is the drop. The riff is an insanely catchy one. The chorus itself is Vikstrom putting on another clinic. His vocals are chilled to the bone, and his high notes are gorgeous. After another great solo at the end of the song, it ends rather abruptly, leaving you catching your breath. Conversely to "Black Eyes," "Aftermath" is the only song on the album that I dislike. Again, it's certainly not a horrible song, but it's mediocre enough to drag the album down a bit. The chorus is honestly the biggest reason for this, as the song opens with an acoustic intro that is quick enough to not get dull, and also nice enough to be a great burst of new life to the album. The song's main riff is actually a pretty strong one that mixes beauty and doom, and Vikstrom is absolutely as powerful as ever. The verse melodies are just a little bit on the standard side for Candlemass, and then the chorus hits. It's insanely whiny, and just falls flat in every regard after the verses. It doesn't really get built upon, and isn't strong when it makes itself known. It feels like a chorus a hair band would come up with, not Candlemass. The track also ends on a pretty nice fade out to another acoustic part. In general, "Aftermatch" isn't a terrible track, but it seems pretty clear to me that this one was an absolute filler track.

"Chapter VI" is an incredibly strong record no matter how you look at it. There are few records in all of metal that are such a victim of circumstance as much as this one is. I definitely admit that it's not quite as dark and full-on doom-y as Candlemass prior, so if that's ALL you listen to Candlemass for, I guess this one might be a bit disappointing, but as an album standing on its own, it measures up to the rest of their career easily. I'm not sure this is a direction I'd have wanted Candlemass to stay performing for the rest of their career, but I wish we could have seen another 2-3 albums from this lineup. Hell, even if they did a sideproject together with Vikstrom, I'd have been extremely happy. Unfortunately, due to "Chapter VI's" poor reception, Candlemass would take a decent hiatus, and when they did return, it'd be with a TOTALLY different lineup, and an even bigger departure in terms of style.

"Chapter VI" was the first and simultaneously last regular album of Candlemass with Tomas Vikström on vocals. The successor of the figurehead Messiah Marcolin delivered a good performance while offering a wide spectrum. His clear voice and his classic style give the album its own character. But it is not only the charismatic, accurate voice of Vikström. The elegant, not very heavy yet somehow fitting sound also lends the album a special colouring. It's a pretty unusual sound, not sticky, although the keyboards play a remarkable role, but very atmospheric. Stylish pictures in the booklet to each and every song complement the production in a suitable manner. No doubt, "Chapter VI" profits from a holistic approach.

The entire output uncovers the melodic side of the Swedish kings of doom. Well, doom? I do not think that real maniacs of this sub genre would call this album a typical doom metal output. Bone-dry riffs and a constantly slow pace do not play a role here. Candlemass prefer a mid-tempo approach and the songs have a smooth flow. No doubt, usually I like to listen to more extreme music, but the relative harmonic presentation is perfectly tailor-made for Vikström's style of singing. But do not confuse "harmonic" with "commercial". The fifth studio work with the slightly irritating title (live albums don't count!) is free from mainstream influences.

For example, the song have an average length of nearly six minutes and their patterns are comprehensible, but not primitive. The album also does not spread mass-compatible vibes, because it evokes a very melancholic, more or less dramatic aura. This sometimes even depressive atmosphere is definitely not the sound the missionaries of the event generation want to hear. Quite the opposite, titles like "Julie Laughs No More" reveal an authentic sadness. Even I am depressed, because old, grumpy and lame dudes like me should be the ones who have nothing to laugh about. But pretty girls like Julie should have a good life, at least the one I know... but I digress. "Julie..." is one of two tracks which have been co-written by Lars Johansson. (I am surprised, because I always thought that Leif Edling is a despot who does not allow his band members to contribute to the compositions.) In addition, it is among the best tracks of the album in view of its comparatively heavy verses and chorus. However, the output is filled to the brim with very good titles. The bombastic and profound "Where the Runes Still Speak" grows constantly. It might be that it has a slightly repetitive configuration, but I like its melody very much and the same applies for some details like the blowing wind in the background. Even its keyboard solo with the seventies vibes pleases me and I forget for a short time that I usually neither like this instrument nor this decade.

"Temple of the Dead" with its rather jagged opening riff marks another milestone. It's a great track with a lot of substance, a slight oriental touch and warm yet unpretentious melodies. However, all songs have some interesting elements, even the bonus track deserves this label. I like it that the material expresses wistfulness without neglecting the necessary degree of crispness. Maturity shimmers through every note, but it does not asphyxiate the vitality of the songs. The whole album avoids boring sequences and this is, as we all know, no matter of course. Nevertheless, be aware of the fact that "Chapter VI" is very different to the first studio works of the band. This is the "guilt" of the production, the less heavy material and the new voice. But I confess that I never had a love affair with the solid records that Candlemass released during their early years - and this might be a reason why I like the modified approach of "Chapter VI", despite or precisely because of the style of Tomas Vikström.

Many people cite the (first) departure of notorious diva Messiah Marcolin as the end of "classic" Candlemass, perhaps not realizing that the band released 3 albums in the 1990's, all of which are worth tracking down. This album still featured all of the classic lineup, minus Marcolin of course, but the sound is a somewhat drastic shift from what previous albums sounded like. Some would say that Candlemass departed from their strong Black Sabbath influences, but these people have obviously not listened to Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath. In fact, I would go as far to say that this album is a response to Sabbath's "Headless Cross." The sounds are indeed very similar, and the result is not as bad as one might think.

New vocalist Thomas Vikström is also reminiscent of Tony Martin, perhaps a bit more operatic. He hits some very high notes and overall does an excellent job. Plus he doesn't ruin any of the songs by overusing vibrato like Marcolin did. Lars Johansson really steps it up in the lead guitar department. He fills every song with an extended neo-classical solo and isn't afraid to shred it up either. This is probably his best performance on any Candlemass album.

The guitar riffs are not as heavy or crushing as they were in the past, but they are still excellent. The heaviness is replaced with a catchy quality that make the songs quite memorable, especially in "The Dying Illusion" and "Temple of the Dead." There is also a drastic increase in the presence of keyboards, but thankfully they do not detract from the music for the most part; a notable exception being the keyboards in the intro to "The Ebony Throne" which sound like they come from an episode of Scooby Doo. The epic atmosphere of previous Candlemass albums is still present, culminating in the excellent "Where the Runes Still Speak."

It's hard to find anything wrong with this album. The quality of the songs dips a bit near the end but there is no outright filler. The keyboards are a bit much from time to time, but generally are acceptable. On some versions, there is something called the Sjunger Sigge Furst EP added to the end of the album, which is of no interest to anyone reading this review unless you like hearing covers of Swedish folk songs of the 1950's (trust me you don't). Some versions also include a live DVD on a separate disc and, while hardly essential, still is fun to watch every once in a while. I enjoy listening to Vikström sing the Marcolin songs; he's not half bad, dare I say even surpassing Marcolin at times?

Despite the change in sound, this is still an album that is worth owning. There are some very enjoyable songs on this album and Lars Johansson's outstanding soloing is icing on the cake. Unfortunately, at least in the United States, this album is a bit harder to track down, but it is definitely worth the money. Sadly, the band would break up shortly after this album, and after an Abstrakt Algebra album, Leif Edling would reform Candlemass with a bunch of unknowns before the classic album reunited in the early 2000's.

After the departure of Messiah nobody wanted to pay attention to Candlemass anymore. The fan-base had always in mind that without the "fat-guy" Candlemass could not exist. They were wrong! I can't refuse that Messiah is the best singer they had ever had, but this doesn't mean that Thomas Vikstrom had no value. He is really a very good singer with a rather power metal/heavy (not operatic) voice which is different to that of Messiah, but it is still great and technically perfect. He has also a lot of passion and emotion to support the difficult task to wear Messiah's shoes.

Apart from the new singer, another new element is the addition of few keyboards that wisely serve the band's purpose to create atmosphere. The rest of the players (the classic line-up of musicians, with only Messiah out) are well-known for their good chemistry, so they didn't disappoint me. The group's direction remains epic doom, but with a bit more emphasis to the word "epic", than "doom". The lyrics are about mythology (mostly pagan, not only christian!) or romantic metal themes with nostalgia about the thrills of the past, or insecurity for humanity's future.

There are times that you can find some power metal influences, without sacrificing the band's gloomy, dark and doom image. It is not only about songwriting (this record had first been written for Messiah's voice), but mostly about the singer's vocal style.

If it hadn't been for the band's past with Messiah, this album would have been considered a classic. It has everything: killer riffs, strong songwriting, a nice singer who suffered the Messiah-syndrome of both fans and critics and a very good production that offers us the possibility to enjoy all players giving the 100% of their efforts.

The band was also willing to step forward. And suprisingly they did it! They nearly abandoned the christian themes, embracing pagan romanticism, they became more atmospheric, the whole concept makes you feel that you are part of an epic story of the past travelling in time (especially in tracks such as "Where the runes still speak", or "Temple of the dead"), being at the same time darker than ever (though less dynamic), they added keyboards...

The similarities between this album and the previous stuff are not so many, but suprisingly it remains Candlemass, thanks to the musicians who remain the same and in good shape. Only after Lars' and Mappe's departure the Candlemass sound becomes unrecognisable, until their return.

Conclusion: Be open-minded and you will realise that it's a KILLER!

Let’s be serious here, folks – by 1992 Candlemass, with the defection of two tremendously talented singers, had changed drastically. Sure, Leif was still there as he’s always been, but this was a different Candlemass. In strictly “Candlemass terms” Chapter VI is a strange disappointment. However, if you forget about what Candlemass is supposed to sound like you’ll find an all-too-neglected little slice of solid power doom.

Brought in for the unenviable job of following a legend was Mr. Thomas Vikstrom, a rather unknown back then. As it turns out, Vikstrom has a great voice and is technically rock-solid. The only problem is, the man is much more geared towards power metal than doom (check out his great work on the latest Stowmwind disc), something Leif apparently understood since some of the material on Chapter VI leans heavily toward the power side of “power doom”. Regardless, Vikstrom will always be known as the guy who replaced Messiah for one album, and he actually did a damn fine job.

I’ll skip a track-by-track analysis since ErikG already has that covered below, but I do have to mention a couple of numbers. The second track, titled “Julie Laughs No More”, is the best example of the “not Candlemass” material. Speed it up a bit more and you’d have something that could slide right into a Stratovarius album. Again, not traditional Candlemass, but it’s still a good song. The real winner, though, is “Where the Runes Still Speak”. Seriously, this thing just crushes everything in its path like an out-of-control cement truck. Easily a candidate for the best thing Candlemass ever recorded, the song contains a mindblowing performance from Vikstrom. Even if you’ve heard some of the other songs on here and hated them, give this one a try. It’s that good, just about worth the price of the CD by itself.

Otherwise things are ship-shape, really. Production’s in line with their past works, and Edling still has it in terms of writing and riff playing. The bass and drums are about as expected, meaning solid but unspectacular. Candlemass have quite a history, and their post-1989 stuff often times is wholly dismissed as not being worthy of the band’s name. That may be so for some of the later albums, but give Chapter VI a try before forgetting it. It’s not Nightfall by any stretch, but for what it is – that being old Candlemass fused with some power metal – it’s very good.