Sweet Evil Sun

Album review

Candlemass has always been rightly considered the creator of epic doom metal ever since the release of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986). However, there’s no doubt that for the last twenty years, they’ve been stirring some outside influences into the mix. The return of the band’s original singer, Johan Längquist, in 2018 stirred up hope that the band would return to the desperate, impervious sound of their early years. However, the band has continued mixing doom with lighter sounds (though Candlemass’ riffs prove they’re still the custodians of Black Sabbath’s omnipresent legacy).

Sweet Evil Sun blows hot and cold, with the majority of tracks honouring the band’s reputation. Whilst there are some songs which make less of an impression, it’s the production that takes some time to get used to. The bass line is less prominent than usual, which is certainly a surprise at first. Will Candlemass somehow manage to create a heavy album despite this lighter sound? The answer, thankfully, is yes. This is the case for two reasons: your ear adjusts to the sound pretty quickly, and the album as a whole sounds full. Although he might not have the presence or dramatic effect of Messiah Marcolin (the band’s singer on several of its major albums, including Nightfall in 1987), Länquist’s screams often have an almost Ronnie James Dio air about them (‘Black Butterfly’), and he isn’t afraid to take risks either. The “Lommi-esque” riffs written by bassist Leif Edling are also superb.

Essentially, Sweet Evil Sun is a really good record; there’s nothing to worry about there. Its only issue is that it has to compete with a ridiculously successful discography full of incredible albums. If a newcomer to the doom metal scene had released Sweet Evil Sun, it would have raised a lot of eyebrows. But we’re talking about Candlemass here, the band who gave the genre some of its core credentials. Everyone has come to expect something shocking when they release new music. Such a shock won’t be found here, though certain tracks (‘Sweet Evil Sun’, ‘When Death Sighs’, ‘Crucified’, ‘Goddess’) wouldn’t be out of place on a throwback album exploring the band’s older stuff. That’s more than enough to consider the contract fulfilled. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz