┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Dec-23-2013 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │ │║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........2003 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........cd1: 6 cd2: 7 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.candlemass.se ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Candlemass Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : Epicus Doomicus Metallicus Label : Powerline ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ From the opening strains to the final fading ║ │ │║ echoes of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Candlemass ║ │ │║ present six immersive songs of misery, fantasy ║ │ │║ and revelation. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ After a somber introduction with acoustic ║ │ │║ guitar, synth and vocals, ôSolitudeö lurches to ║ │ │║ life like a waking giant and plods along at a ║ │ │║ meditative pace, almost literally setting the ║ │ │║ tempo for the rest of the album. Mats ║ │ │║ BjoerkmanÆs rhythm guitar tone is reminiscent of ║ │ │║ Trouble, but the riffs are much slower while ║ │ │║ Klas BergwallÆs lead tone is like tiny points of ║ │ │║ starlight briefly illuminating an otherwise cold ║ │ │║ dungeon. He gave his all in every solo like it ║ │ │║ was his last time appearing on a metal album or ║ │ │║ something. The solos on display here are still ║ │ │║ my favorite of all the Candlemass albums. ║ │ │║ Starlight then fades into the black hole called ║ │ │║ ôDemonÆs Gate,ö at which point IÆve known some ║ │ │║ people to stop the CD and say itÆs just not for ║ │ │║ them. ôToo slow,ô they almost always say. ║ │ │║ However, if slow and crushing melodic riffs, ║ │ │║ epic lyrics and a subterranean atmosphere are ║ │ │║ just some of the things that draw you to metal ║ │ │║ then you have to go into the demonÆs gate. You ║ │ │║ just gotta do it. The nine-minute-plus trip into ║ │ │║ the bleeding infernal regions of Leif EdlingÆs ║ │ │║ imagination will be worth it. YouÆll be hooked ║ │ │║ with every rise, fall and sinister twist of the ║ │ │║ riff that first appears at 1:11 and youæll know ║ │ │║ youære on the right path. At least, thatÆs the ║ │ │║ riff I most wanted to learn to play after my ║ │ │║ first time hearing this album. The double bass ║ │ │║ drums later in the track act more as atmosphere ║ │ │║ than as percussion like the bubbling of black ║ │ │║ dragon's blood in a massive cauldron. The ║ │ │║ bassline at 4:22 isn't even pretending to show ║ │ │║ off as its methodical pulse further enforces the ║ │ │║ desolation of the lyrics and prepares you to ║ │ │║ explore even deeper caves illuminated only ║ │ │║ briefly by those magnificent solos. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ôBlack Stone Wielderö could be a play on the ║ │ │║ title of the Stephen Donaldson book, White Gold ║ │ │║ Wielder which, given his love of fantasy themes, ║ │ │║ IÆd bet Edling had at least heard of if not ║ │ │║ read. The lyrics, however, always reminded me of ║ │ │║ a dark interpretation of Christ's birth. You can ║ │ │║ see the Magi trudging through a cold desert at ║ │ │║ night as Johan Lanquist expertly draws you into ║ │ │║ the tale with his dramatic vocal style that ║ │ │║ feels like heÆs acting out the lyrics, but not ║ │ │║ hamming it up. Even his whisper sounds melodic ║ │ │║ when he says the black stone wielders were never ║ │ │║ seen again. The slow-motion crush at 3:22 begins ║ │ │║ another highlight of this album like the ║ │ │║ travellers struggling to continue despite being ║ │ │║ nearly exhausted by their journey. Like ║ │ │║ dinosaurs waltzing or planets rotating while ║ │ │║ revolving around a central star, itÆs a strange ║ │ │║ kind of beautiful melody that stands apart from ║ │ │║ the rest of the album like youæve just stepped ║ │ │║ into a realm that even the band themselves ║ │ │║ didnæt realize they could create. A solo tries ║ │ │║ to offer the travellers some relief, but its ║ │ │║ deliberate cadence could be either a dirge or an ║ │ │║ exhortation depending on how you hear it. One of ║ │ │║ the best moments of the album is when this ║ │ │║ section segues into the songÆs signature ║ │ │║ bouncing riff as the solo picks up the pace and ║ │ │║ the song rolls on to its destination. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ôA Sorceror's Pledgeö is still my favorite ║ │ │║ Candlemass song. The atmosphere from beginning ║ │ │║ to end is remarkable. The tone of every ║ │ │║ instrument and effect works together to create ║ │ │║ an apocalyptic vision similar to what the ║ │ │║ sorceror may have seen in his thousand-year ║ │ │║ dream. It begins with LanquistÆs vocals filling ║ │ │║ the whistling wind with lamentations that will ║ │ │║ be further elaborated in the main body of the ║ │ │║ song. The transition to a heavier tone after the ║ │ │║ last strum of the acoustic guitar is the part ║ │ │║ where I start increasing the volume, daring the ║ │ │║ limits of my speakers because I want to feel as ║ │ │║ if IÆm hearing titans perform this song on ║ │ │║ guitars the size of oak trees through amps the ║ │ │║ size of glaciers. ItÆs epic doom, dude. How else ║ │ │║ is it supposed to be heard? After the monumental ║ │ │║ heaviness, the song comes down again to build ║ │ │║ toward the ending as the synth takes over with a ║ │ │║ new melody like starlight trying to return and ║ │ │║ shine through the darkness to see if the ║ │ │║ sorceror will keep his pledge or if the dream ║ │ │║ quest was too much for him to endure. You can't ║ │ │║ tell if the angelic vocals of the finale ║ │ │║ symbolize the sorceror's promised return or if ║ │ │║ it's the sound of a heavenly host welcoming him ║ │ │║ to a divine realm, but their tone give the album ║ │ │║ an all too brief moment of utter joy. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Overall, I describe Epicus Doomicus Metallicus ║ │ │║ as somewhere between a melodic approach to Black ║ │ │║ Sabbath and a heavy approach to LegendÆs From ║ │ │║ the Fjords. Imaginative and powerful while ║ │ │║ retaining that arcane touch that separates it ║ │ │║ from subsequent Candlmass albums. Doom certainly ║ │ │║ wasnÆt a new concept upon this albumæs release, ║ │ │║ but the fact that Candlemass had the audacity to ║ │ │║ brand themselves in such a way as the title was ║ │ │║ not only an obvious mission statement, but it ║ │ │║ helped give the genre a new idea of what it ║ │ │║ could be to the point where now itÆs not ║ │ │║ uncommon for bands to refer to themselves as ║ │ │║ epic doom metal or for listeners to describe a ║ │ │║ band as epic doom metal. Just a fantastic album ║ │ │║ from beginning to end. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ - CD1 [ ] │ │ - [ ] │ │ 01 - Solitude [05:37] │ │ 02 - Demons Gate [09:12] │ │ 03 - Crystal Ball [05:23] │ │ 04 - Black Stone Wielder [07:37] │ │ 05 - Under The Oak [06:55] │ │ 06 - A Sorcerer's Pledge [08:11] │ │ - [ ] │ │ - CD2 [ ] │ │ - [ ] │ │ 01 - The Well Of Souls (Live) [07:26] │ │ 02 - Demons Gate (Live) [09:03] │ │ 03 - Crystal Ball (Live) [05:18] │ │ 04 - Solitude (Live) [06:26] │ │ 05 - Bewitched (Live) [06:24] │ │ 06 - A Sorcerer's Pledge (Live) [10:53] │ │ 07 - Black Sabbath Medley (Live) [06:12] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [94:37 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘