The Summary Judgment Review:

	Title: Candlemass Artist: Candlemass Label: Nuclear Blast Records Release Date: 5/3/05 Rating: 4 Skulls
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Reviewed by Abyss (7/20/05):
It is interesting how many times musical groups who are staging a 'comeback' release a self-titled record. In a way, I guess it could symbolize a new beginning, but it could also come across as overly arrogant, especially if the newer material doesn't invoke the same awe as their classics. For these reasons I was very intrigued by the new Candlemass album, a band far removed from their glory days of the late 80s and early 90s, but one that continued to produce quality records throughout their later years.
It would be foolish to label this new album as anything less than a resounding success. Indeed, one could hardly expect something this good. Their sound is definitely a throwback to their raw and stripped down beginnings, but at the same time it is updated for the new millennium. In an age of an endless string of cookie-cutter metalcore bands, this new Candlemass album is a shiny lead anvil of heft. It reminds all of those spiky haired Abercrombie & Fitch rejects what truly heavy music is all about. After all, that's the main purpose of doom...heaviness. And while this album sometimes drifts into over-repetitive territory (always a threat in a doom release), all is forgiven when listening to the album as a whole.
Candlemass isn't afraid to throw in some faster paced stuff such as "Black Dwarf" and "Mars And Volcanos," but the real meat of the album is a return of the Candlemass we all knew and loved. "Seven Silver Keys," "Witches," "Spellbreaker," and personal fave "Copernicus" are textbook examples of Sabbath-inspired bombast, utilizing immense, sludgy riffs and braying, soulful vocals. The songwriting is indicative of a young band in their prime rather than some has-beens reforming for a quick buck. I almost feel that the band knows this, as the generic album cover might imply. This album is all about the music.
This is probably the best doom album I've heard since the last Cathedral album (possibly even since Endtyme). This album not only serves as a blessing for faithful Candlemass fans, it can serve as a catalyst to those who are less acquainted with a classic band. One word review: Oppressive.

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