CANDLEMASS faced an aggressive hit as a band when Messiah Marcolin decided to leave, and they had to stand in front of the huge gap he left behind as an excellent vocalist and a major part of CANDLEMASS. The replacement was found in the voice of Robert Lowe from SOLITUDE AETURNUS and, fingers crossed, they waited for at least a decent outcome. And so did we...
With King Of The Grey Islands, CANDLEMASS delivered a huge shock to all of us who waited and to all who were in doubt. Rob Lowe has done an excellent job, his vocal performance is truly a gem and Doom Metal has transcended into a new dimension. The CANDLEMASS mark is there, surrounding the album, yet there are new ideas, dark and rotten pieces, all under the CANDLEMASS trademark sound and atmosphere.
It's been around two decades since the masterpiece Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, yet in year 2007 King Of The Grey Islands can rightfully earn a position next to all CANDLEMASS memorable releases. Leif Endling seems to be once again in great shape with a fantastic job and the progress of the band is now obvious, having tracks like Devil Seed, Of Stars And Smoke, Demonia 6 and Embracing The Styx that will definitely draw your attention. A solid sound, classic Doom Metal, but still very heavy and top class vocal performance are the main things that characterize King Of The Grey Islands.
This album proves - on one hand - the excellent choice of CANDLEMASS to have Robert Lowe on their team while - on the other hand - it totally satisfies fans of the genre.