CANDLEMASS: "Nightfall"       candlemass             Active                  

Thanks to a powerful new album, the simply named Candlemass, our Swedish veterans are back under the spotlights and it’s a good occasion to go back in time and talk about their 1987 masterpiece, the mighty Nightfall.

With the best line-up the band ever had, CANDLEMASS created a major album which influenced a myriad of bands. Indeed with this 2^nd album (after the great Epicus Doomicus Metallicus) and the 1^st with the charismatic Messiah Marcolin on vocals, CANDLEMASS delivered an all time classic which belongs, in my opinion, to the legendary Reign in blood, Ride the lightning, Powerslave or even Paranoid!

However CANDLEMASS never reached higher than a big outsider status though their music deserved a major attention. At that time, in ’87, the music played by the band was totally different from the average…just remember all the hype about hair-metal with bands like WHITESNAKE, BON JOVI or EUROPE, and the period of big success for speed-metal   (HELLOWEEN…) and the invasion of guitar wizards like Satriani, Vai or Malmsteen.

So, the kind of heavy-doom-metal played by CANDLEMASS, full of dark moods and lyrical emphasis was quite different from all the million sellers bands above.

However, this Nightfall entirely composed by bassist Leif Edling came to illuminate our metal world : 1 intro, 1 outro, 3 interludes and most of all 6 legendary tracks which are now all considered as pure classics of heavy metal. At the gallows end and Samarithan for example are almost perfect and illustrate the maestria of the band in creating dark and melancholic atmospheres with outstanding vocal melodies. It’s important to mention the great impact of Messiah’s voice. Indeed his vocals are always on a high technical level with a lot of vibrato, but in every track he sings with a lot of feeling and gives a “solemn touch” to the lyrics dealing with different themes like darkness, death, the Holy, the Devil… and other funny subjects!

All these trademarks are present in each other track of the album. For sure Leif Edling had been touched by grace in this year of 1987!

All the compositions are pure and definitive, every riff, every melody or atmosphere is incredibly inspired and all the songs are still very powerful in 2005. Moreover the wonderful artwork ( a painting by Thomas Cole) is in the same majestic vein and sublimates the music.

After Nightfall, the band never surpassed or even equaled that fantastic album, though Ancient Dreams (1988) and Tales of Creation (1989) were strong productions. According to me, only BLACK SABBATH with albums like Heaven&Hell (1980) or Mob Rules (1981) can stand the comparison with this gem. Notice that the trademarks were the same: great vocals (R.J.Dio…), pachydermal  guitar riffs, epic choruses, dark and mystical lyrics…

For sure, if you don’t already have this album, go and get it! It’s an absolute must have! 

Favourite tracks:  All!

rating: 9.9/10

Ellnas

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