Candlemass Live

Candlemass are so tight on this concert, I almost prefer to listen to this album than any of their studio albums. Messiah Marcolin displays his enormous vocal powers again and again, giving a near (see the next paragraph) perfect performance that at times gives me goosebumps. His operatic wailing combined with the enormous weight of the riffs leaves no doubt in ones mind that not only are Candlemass the greatest doom metal band that has ever existed, they are also one of the better bands I've ever heard (and seen, actually) live.
They don't just play some great songs flawlessly, the enhance the music for the occasion so it will be even better to experience live. For example, when they play At The Gallows End they slow it down in the beginning and then when the chorus starts they speed it up to create the illusion that the song rocks more than it usually does (since the studio recording rocks beyond anything that has ever rocked before, it has to be an illusion).
Solitude performed by Messiah and the bands post-Nightfall sound is great to experience as well. Johan Lanquist from Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is a decent vocalist but he definitely is not of the same caliber as the Messiah.

Even though I pretty much kiss Marcolins feet in this review, one of the slight shortcomings of the album lies on his shoulders. I get the feeling that he doesn't give everything he has to offer at times and just drones out parts of the songs (which could be because of the somewhat cool reception I sense from the audience), which is a shame and lowers the overall score of the album.

The tracklist of the album is a pretty safe selection of great songs that are widely and generally accepted as their greatest tunes. Which is good, but I'd still liked to have heard some of the less known songs that I personally appreciate more than the ones that are the most popular. But I realize that it is an unealistic thing to wish for, since they obviously want to please the crowd in general and not just me.

All in all, this is a great live performance that I would have loved to see personally.