Candlemass - King Of The Grey Islands
Nuclear Blast Records - 2007
By Adam McAuley
This is another solid platter for the doom veterans in the wake of the excellent s/t album. It features many of the trademark doom characteristics of the band's music, but now lacks the vocals of Messiah Marcolin who is replaced with
Solitude Aeturnus'frontman Rob Lowe. His performance may not be as legendary as some of Messiah's, but he's a reasonably good replacement. Regardless, the music remains a rollicking take on the doom metal genre, except this platter seems to have more variety than their last.
King Of The Grey Islands cruises along as somewhat more like a journey rather than a collection of individually exciting songs. Crunchy riffs and rousing chorus' are very characteristic of this album and the band's music in general and they certainly make their presence felt. The slight lack of standout songs like At the Gallow's End from their
Nightfall work makes this album slightly less stellar than some of their classic material. However, most of this is still relatively strong doom to the bone and worth repeated playings for certain.
Candlemass have always been known as one of the more exciting traditional doom outfits and this album carries on their legacy well. Solid musicianship and meaty riffs help keep you captivated and you'll drown in their mire of excellence. It may not be the best the band has produced, but
King Of The Grey Islands is another great addition to their discography. The removal of Messiah is definately a slight disappointment however.
Official Candlemass Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
