From Bandcamp, "Clocking in almost four decades, it's no stretch to say that Grammy-nominated Swedish Epic Doom legends CANDLEMASS are still one of the heaviest Metal bands on earth. After working on this massive piece of art for 18 months in total, CANDLEMASS brings back all the grandness of their early years, exploring themes of ambition and strife, hope and failure." The album has ten songs, and this should be a completely objective review, because this old Metalhead has never delved into this band before. Of course, I know all about them. But it's just not a style of music I go to. So, let's see what all the fuss is about.

"Wizard of the Vortex" is the first. It doesn't start too great, with a bit of a thin and re-hashed riff. The vocals don't really help their case either. Johan has an old school sound reminiscent of the 1980s, which it really is if you think about how long the band has been around. The title track is a bit more lively, although again, the riffs are simple. I suppose it is a lot to ask of a band to change their sound this far into their career. It's like BLACK SABBATH came back to life again. "Angel Battle" is another overly simple sound. It picks up a bit a minute or so in, but these thin riffs can't sustain anything other than a thin sound, although the lead guitar work is pretty solid. "Black Butterfly" is a bit stronger, with a bossy and powerful riff. Still, the landscape it pretty barren, although the backing vocals fill in some of the holes. This is fairly painful for me so far, but I will keep listening.

"Scandinavian Gods" is another powerful statement with supporting backing vocals. But again, the riff is very elementary. The vocals are a bit better however. "Crucified" has some nice acoustic guitars to fill in the gaps from the riff. There are also some psychedelic elements, mostly in the wah-wah tinged leads. The depressive tones at the end are also magnified. "Goddess" is more of the same. At this point in the album, I at least am sold on what to expect. Most Doom aficionados know that Doom Metal is all about the riffs. But these riffs are thin, and the band made little attempts to thicken them up. Maybe it's good that a well-known staple in the genre isn't changing their sound to fit the modern scene. At least long-time fans are happy then and know what to expect. On the other hand, they aren't winning over any new fans with this dated sound. Are they the AC/DC of Doom Metal? Asking for a friend.