Band:	Candlemass
Album:	The Door To Doom
Style:	Epic doom metal
Release date:	February 22, 2019
A review by:	RaduP

01. Splendor Demon Majesty
02. Under The Ocean
03. Astorolus - The Great Octopus [feat. Tony Iommi]
04. Bridge Of The Blind
05. Death's Wheel
06. Black Trinity
07. House Of Doom
08. The Omega Circle

Reunion albums always have a lot of pressure on them. Whether they sound like the original or not, it will never be the same. So now that Candlemass have reunited with the Epicus Doomicus Metallicus vocalist, all eyes are on them.

So, stating the obvious here, Candlemass is a massive band, probably the biggest doom metal band behind the OGs, Black Sabbath, and Epicus Doomicus Metalicus is a certified classic. Candlemass have had, like their idols Black Sabbath, a long career with a lot of albums with a lot of vocalists and reunions and albums that had to be released under the band's name due to label pressure. With Johan Längquist back behind the mic, just like 13, The Door To Doom has a lot to live up to. If it sounds like Epicus Doomicus Metalicus, it's "a worthless rehash"; if it doesn't, "it's just not the same". How, then, does it fare?

To be honest, when I first heard "The Omega Circle", the first single released from this album, I was a bit let down, which is somewhat understandable, considering I haven't been this hyped for an album in ages. I expect the same will happen once we finally get our first taste of the upcoming Tool album, but this should be a lesson in how to handle hype. Gigantic hype will always bring disappointment. So now, after some time has passed and I've gotten to properly digest the album, I can safely say that this is my favorite Candlemass album since their first "reunion" record.

A lot of The Door To Doom is rather mid-paced and faster than one would expect from a doom album, all in all maintaining the (overused adjective but that's the name of the subgenre so I'm perfectly justified in overusing it) epic atmosphere through the massive riffs and Johan's voice. Obviously his voice would be the main focus of the album, it being a reunion album and all, and I'm definitely surprised by how great a shape it's in, though one can tell that there's a slight strain of age on it - which doesn't detract from the music much, but rather contextualizes it as a later-career album. There's a lot of dynamic force in these riffs and the solos and the epic vocal melodies that stem from this revitalized lineup. And you can feel it, especially if you compare the re-recording of "House Of Doom" to its original, with there being a noticeable difference in energy.

The music does indeed feel a lot more doomy in its slower moments, usually when the band slows down for a guitar solo (and there's one by the granddaddy of all doom, Tony Iommi, as well, proving once again that we so indeed live in the best timeline) but also through the album's surprisingly high amount of more acoustic sections. Sure, a lot of times when I zoned out a bit, I found myself thinking that I was actually listening to Black Sabbath, but then again that's something you can say about most doom bands anyway. One should not expect Candlemass to be original or experimental more than 30 years into their prolific career, but after all that, my expectations, having been toned down from the massive hype, have actually been slightly overcome. First I was expecting to be blown away and then I expected to be disappointed. I am neither, but I am glad that this exists and that we get to enjoy it.

I'm not gonna give this some bullshit "old man showing younger bands how its done" ending, because doom is in pretty good hands, so I'd rather say "old band showing old bands how to do a reunion album". Now that we've had a really solid comeback album, there comes another challenge: following it up. And it is then that I'd like to see them do more than a rehash.

That being said, I'm genuinely curious why Johan looks so unenthusiastic in every band pic since the reunion.