Limited to just 2000 copies, this reissue of the 2008 EP from doom legends Candlemass is now available once again from the folks at Metal Mind Productions under license from Nuclear Blast Records. Back when it was originally released, just a year had passed since vocalist Robert Lowe (Solitude Aeternus) joined the band for their album King of the Grey Islands. The EP featured two new original songs in "Lucifer Rising" and "White God", plus a re-recording of the classic "Demons Gate" with Lowe on vocals. On top of that, 9 live tracks recorded in Athen from the 2007 tour are also included. Not a huge fan of the speedy title track, though it chugs along unmercifully for its 4-minute length, but "White God" is trademark slow, ponderous Candlemass styled doom, with Lowe showing why he was such a great choice to replace Messiah Marcolin. He also fits in perfectly on the menacing, crushing "Demons Gate", in all its 9-minute glory. The live tracks? Well, they are pretty spectacular, proof that Candlemass were always an underrated live act. Highlights include the melancholy "At the Gallows End", complete with some thunderous riffage from Mats Björkman & Lars Johansson, the Black Sabbath inspired "Emperor of the Void", the monolithic doom of "Devil Seed", a galloping "Mirror Mirror", and my personal favorite, an epic take on "Under the Oak", featuring some wild lead guitar and riffs that just don't quit.
So, as an EP this one is near 70-minutes, so I guess it doesn't really qualify, but as a stop gap between the King of Grey Islands and Death Magic Doom albums, it worked out just fine. Metal Mind's digipack is pretty bare bones, but in the end it's all about the music, and what we have here is damn good.
Track Listing
1. Lucifer Rising
2. White God
3. Demons Gate
4. At the Gallows End (live)
5. Solitude (live)
6. Emperor of the Void (live)
7. Devil Seed (live)
8. Mirror Mirror (live)
9. Under the Oak (live)
10. Of Stars and Smoke (live)
11. Black Dwarf (live)
12. Samarithan (live)
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