CANDLEMASS “Ancient Dreams” /CD/

Remastered re-rlease of the third full-length studio album by legendary Swedish Epic Doom Metal band.
Massively influential album from the pioneers of Epic Doom Metal. "Ancient Dreams" featured a natural progression of slow-mid tempo epic arrangements from their previous release, "Nightfall" (perhaps even more distinction between slow and faster parts) with the unique tones & unmistakable voice of Messiah Marcolin, still dominating proceedings on this pure Doom Metal classic. Outstanding tracks like "Mirror Mirror", "Darkness in Paradise", "The Bells of Acheron", and "Bearer of Pain" combine sluggish, staccato riffs with surprisingly memorable choruses delivered by Messiah Marcolin, with his trademark vibrato overload.
Majestic and sorrowful, melodic and powerful, Sweden’s finest export! Eight songs, eight anthems, eight wonderful expressions of gloom with stunning riffs and vocals from the throat of an angel from heaven, come down to warn us mere mortals of the error of our ways. Never has a singer’s name been so appropriate as Messiah Marcolin’s, here on just his second full-length with the band, but already a vital part of the line-up. He’s one of Doom’s greatest voices, the perfect vocal accompaniment to what the genre says with its music, and you’re caught in his vocal grasps with each utterance, unable to tear your attention away.
We have to praise the rest of the band too, of course, especially guitarists Lars Johansson and Mats Björkman, whose pounding riffage takes the almost celestial opening to first track, "Mirror Mirror", and gives it a Heavy Metal drive. The almost stoner stomp of "The Bells of Acheron" is just as wonderful, complete with tolling bells. As those with past knowledge of Master Edling’s skills will know, however, the songwriting is typically beyond solid here. The slow trudge of "A Cry From The Crypt" providing a perfect post-Sabbathian pounding with seemingly minutes of lovely soloing. The glorious gloom of "Darkness In Paradise", the operatic invocations of "Incarnation Of Evil", the chilling misery of "Bearer Of Pain"... few bands can manage to write such consistently excellent music on adjacent albums, let alone creating such a solid run as Candlemass do here. With a perfect balance between melody and sheer heaviness, it is still debatable whether this is the ultimate Candlemass and therefore greatest Doom Metal album of all time... some giving this particular title preference over the seminal "Nightfall" album.
"Epistle 81" (Märk hur vår skugga) was written by Swedish poet/musician Carl Michael Bellman (1740 – 1795). "Incarnation of Evil" is actually a reworked version of the old Nemesis track "Black Messiah". * The cover art of the album is a painting made by Thomas Cole, second in his series, "The Voyage of Life", entitled "Youth". * Ancient Dreams was the first Candlemass album to chart in the US, debuting at No. 174 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The ultimate compliment you could give Candlemass, is that they are a worthy successor to Black Sabbath, taking the legends’ crown and becoming Gods of Doom in their own right. They’re certainly a band that demand more respect than they receive, and "Ancient Dreams" is an excellent slice of Doom that all gloombahs need to own and love!!
Peaceville Records Ltd., 1998/2018 (CDVILED727). Made in UK. Pressed in Austria. Re-press.


Tracklist:
1. Mirror Mirror 6:16
2. A Cry From The Crypt 7:25
3. Darkness In Paradise 6:47
4. Incarnation Of Evil 7:19
5. Bearer Of Pain 7:23
6. Ancient Dreams 7:04
7. The Bells Of Acheron 5:21
8. Epistle No. 81 (Carl Michael Bellman cover) 4:37
Bonus Track:
9. Black Sabbath Medley (Black Sabbath cover) 6:17
Total playing time: 58:29 min.


Samples: https://peaceville.bandcamp.com