Nightfall

by

Candlemass

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Leif Edling, undisputed father of DOOM, takes his funereal elegies of torment and despair to another level with this sophomore release from Candlemass. This album could not have topped its predecessor no matter what. Instead, Leif evolves his musical creation and adds some faster tempos to the mix, thereby expanding the boundaries of DOOM.

The song titles should paint this album's feel quite well. Gothic Stone is just some weird sound effect which only lasts a few seconds before "Well of Souls" kicks in and launches this musical hearse into the abyss. "Well" is a little faster than what we're used to hearing from them at this point, but no less doomy, and really sets the whole tone of the album: heavier and faster. The guitar tone is more refined, unbelievably heavier than before, and ear splitting. New singer Messiah Marcolin hits the notes as he should and has a great voice, but seems a little overwrought in places. New lead guitarist Lars Johanson adds a shred factor which the band had not had before, and is more than welcome.

Leif's lyrics really shine on this release, specifically on the demands-your-attention tales on "At the Gallow's End" and "Samarithan", and "Mourner's Lament" tragically defines the feelings of loss upon the death of a loved one.

"Bewitched" I believe to be the strongest song among this batch of classics--no easy feat--with its undeniably classic driving doom riffs and catchy chorus.

The Bonus Disc also holds a rare gem: "Battlecry". How this did not progress beyond demo form I cannot guess. Fortunately for us, Leif's demos are always of such good quality that they could easily pass as properly produced recordings. This song is the definition of "lost classic", and again fast paced doom weaving a tale of Crusaders in battle.

I can completely understand how this recording can be widely acknowledged as the band's best. While I don't agree with that assessment entirely, I fully recommend it as a companion piece to Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Those two albums show the Master Leif Edling as he creates and redefines his own musical genre.

I have been aware of Candlemass for many years, but did not have any music from them. Recently, I decided to make the step and procure this second album from them--Nightfall--that was originally released in 1987. Nightfall marks the debut of vocalist Messiah Marcolin. What makes this Swedish band unique is Marcolin; this one-of-a-kind singer vocalizes in an operatic style--also, I like how he uses vibrato. Candlemass sounds to me like a combination of hard rock and metal. They are a heavy band, but the songs are mostly slow in tempo. The group reminds me of Black Sabbath. In addition, I like how Nightfall emanates a gothic-sounding atmosphere. This remastered album sports ten compositions--four of these are instrumentals: "Gothic Stone," "Codex Gigas," "Marche Funebre," and "Black Candles." All of the material on this album is satisfying. When it comes to the guitar playing, guitarists Lars Johansson and Mats Bjorkman provide memorable and entertaining rhythm guitar work. My favorite cuts are "Gothic Stone," "The Well of Souls," and "Bewitched." The disc is just over 46 minutes. There is also a second bonus disc that comes with this album. It consists of demos, live tunes, studio outtakes, an audio interview, and a video of "Bewitched." I like the CD booklet. Bass guitarist Leif Edling furnishes commentary on all of the material of Nightfall and on the bonus disc. In addition, the song lyrics to Nightfall are included along with color and black-and-white photos of the band. Nightfall is a recommendable piece of work.