Candlemass – Psalms for the Dead

Releasedate: 08-06-2012; Label: Napalm Records
By: Martine Goffard

Candlemass is a classic of doom metal. In 32 years, the Swedes have released eleven albums, including the last little one, Psalms For The Dead. Unfortunately for the fans, this album tolls the bell for the band. The singer Robert Lowe has recently been fired, being replaced by Mat Leven for the upcoming live performances and the band has announced that they have reached the end of their career.

Let’s come back on Psalms For The Dead. The rhythm is slow and oppressive. The powerful voice of Lowe alternates between a clear range and darker notes. The solos are brilliant, catchy, entertaining and the chord progression flows in a very melodious way. The keyboard, which is more of an organ here, remains strongly present in the background on the whole album.
For the first song, we follow the Prophet for the opening of the mass. The damnation weighs heavily on our shoulders. The inferno is close at hand. Even with the changing of rhythm in the middle for something faster, this is pure enjoyable doom. The Sound Of Dying Demons is a logical continuation and you can hear the screams and the whips resound in your ears. Dancing In The Temple creates a complete change. It leads you in the Swedish forests for a feast of fools where you will dance with magical creatures until you lose your mind. It sounds so power metal that I thought I had slipped in a Finntroll universe. We stay in the woods and drown in the witch’s deep, gloomy pond with Waterwitch. The doom is back with this poetic and creepy song. From The Lights of Thebe, the album changes of direction for a strict heavy metal way. This Black Sabbath’s sound spoils completely the atmosphere installed until now and the lack of continuity and harmony in the following themes is really perturbing. Psalms For The Dead and The Killing Of The Sun, though correct heavy songs, are uninspired critic of life and society. Now the worst stays the last one, Black As Time. It starts with an extravagantly long, patronizing and pretentious spoken speech, just with the noise of an old clock in the back. As I start to think of skipping it, the music starts, heavy and a little bit psychedelic. The annoying speech pops up again, then more music before the album ends on the cold tic tac of the clock of fate.

Line up:
Lars “Lasse” Johansson – Guitar
Robert Lowe – Lyrics
Mats “Mappe” Björkman – Guitar
Jan Lindh – Drums
Leif Edling – Bass

Tracklist: 01. Prophet 02. The Sound of Dying Demons 03. Dancing in the Temple (of the Mad Queen Bee) 04. Waterwitch 05. The Lights of Thebes 06. Psalms for the Dead 07. The Killing of the Sun 08. Siren Song 09. Black as Time

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