RSS Feed


CANDLE
The Keeper’s Curse

Fighter (2018)
Rating: 9.5/10

Swedish quintet Candle is the brainchild of guitarists Markus Janis and Christian Kanto who formed the gang in 2015, and which also features the talents of Erik Nordkvist (vocals), Juhani Pihlajainen (bass) and Jorma Pihlajainen (drums).

The Keeper’s Curse is a debut record I’ve been looking forward to for some time, and just one look at the cover art and I’m already drawn into this mesmerising slab of metal that wouldn’t seem out of place tucked somewhere between the years 1984 and 1987.

This is indeed a glorious lump of powerful, Gothic metal combining the epic strands of power metal with traditional heavy metal, as well as steely, thrashy edges; imagine a wondrous marrying of Helloween, Mercyful Fate, Artch, and one of my favourite bunch of metal masters Savatage.

So what you basically get here are nine slabs of thinking man’s metal served up on the foundation of that tantalising twin guitar attack; fresh, progressive solos toying with denser, doom-edged trudges which enable the drums and bass to weave their own webs of metal magic.

Candle certainly don’t sacrifice heaviness for the sake of technicality. Indeed, this is a very heavy and dark record which so effortlessly tells its story, leading the listener into a magical maze of energetic gallops and Erik Nordkvist’s classy, classic wails.

For me picking out a standout track is nigh on impossible because there are some absolute gems on offer here, and if this had come out in the 80s we’d still be salivating about it now alongside some of the best work by the bands I’ve already mentioned. But hell, just dive in people to the metallic haste of ‘Light At The End’, a Gothic trad-metal romp of glossy percussion and storytelling vocals.

‘Frozen With Fear’ begins with fantastic complexity hinting at Fates Warning, while the percussion jolts, flicks and tumbles with ease. “Creeping out to the rusty gate I force it open, tombs surround me, I must be at some ancient graveyard”… wow! It’s like I’ve been transported into some epic, Gothic tome aided by a soundtrack of those jerking riffs.

‘Dancing Lights’ begins with suspense before lurching into a power metal rush of energy as Nordkvist asks “Is this real or am I in a dream?”, and I’m suddenly transported back to my teenage years, back in that dark bedroom of flickering candles and the dancing lights of the stereo. Yet ‘Dancing Lights’, and the other tracks on offer, are not dated in the slightest, but what these tunes do achieve is the ability to engage, engross and tell a tale that only the likes of, say, Savatage, Cirith Ungol and King Diamond have previously. And hearing Erik Nordkvist take on character form at times just adds to the wonderful, crackling atmosphere and intensity that this platter offers time and time again.

The slow build of ‘Betrayal’ gets the hairs on the neck tingling before it ups the pace, while ‘Embraced By Darkness’ features devastating percussion and thrashing power metal electricity before surprising with a nice mid-tempo groove.

‘No Peace For My Soul’ also offers up that cauldron of complexity, marrying varying unexpected tempos that flirt with doomier nuances. Nordkvist soars above the dark, gathering clouds to scream “Spare me, spare me, I want to die… speak, tell me what to do”, and at once filling my soul with dread and excitement before the combo resorts to a speed-fest of twiddling soloing and hammering drums.

But there’s still another joy to behold in closer ‘Vengeance’, a near seven-minute trudge where the singer bellows, “Here I stand at the graves”. And I’m there with him, as we glare down at the misty holes and wait to be swallowed by this mid-tempo composition which wraps up this record perfectly, but not before it shifts into a darker mood whereby Nordkvist’s vocals now become a snarlier expression as the band rumbles behind him with menace.

Oh boy, what a record this is; a classic of its time built upon suspense, vibrancy and masterful execution and all encased within that fine artwork courtesy of Juanjo Castellano. This is metal.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share