CANDLEMASS - Sweet Evil Sun
Napalm Records
OK so bias alert I'm a CANDLEMASS fan. In that I mean yeah I have all of their releases aka: full lengths, EPs and live stuff. But I'm honest enough to say yeah they've got some epic releases, so decent ones and a few that I don't listen to much if at all anymore.
So here we are with the band's thirteenth album. This one marks the second in a row with Johan Langquist on vocals. Johan Langquist was the original vocalist the band had on their amazing debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus from 1986. Langquist was brought in for 2019's The Door to Doom after the band decided that Mats Leven, who replaced Robert Lowe, was not going to work out for some reason.
Now as much as I liked The Door to Doom, it was not Epicus Doomicus Two as some well wishers had judged it to be. And to those who are not real CANDLEMASS fans you don't know the band's curse. That is their second album with a new singer curse. Messiah's second album with the band was good but not great and the same falls in with Robert Lowe's shot. I see Langquist's second shot here the same way.
Sweet Evil Sun doesn't have a lot to shine for it. Basically it's CANDLEMASS 101 with familiar riff packages, there's great solos by Lars Johansson and those occasional backing keyboards. There are some cuts on here that seem more geared for Lowe or Leven to sing. But Langquist trys his best. Opener "Wizard of the Vortex" is decent as well as is the epic touch of "Devil Voodoo". Add to that I think "Crucified" might be Langquist's best vocal performance on here.
So that leaves us with another OK album by CANDLEMASS. After so many plays I was left wondering how tough would it be for the band to get Messiah back for an album.
https://napalmrecords.com/deutsch/
LISTEN HERE:
https://candlemass.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-evil-sun
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