BravePicks 2019 - CANDLEMASS' The Door To Doom #14

December 18, 2019, 4 years ago

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BravePicks 2019 - CANDLEMASS' The Door To Doom #14

As Dark Angel famously said, “Time Does Not Heal”, but it certainly moves fast and here we are again, staring at our annual BravePicks countdown where the devout scribes at BraveWords get to stand up and shout! 2019, yet another banner year for extreme music, whether you call it heavy metal or not. We do, cuz we wear it on our sleeves! So the votes are in and the compiling is complete! It's time to crown the winners and put the noose around the bands that truly let us down. 

So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2019 each day in December! 

Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), Top 3 Concerts, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2019? and Metal Predictions For 2020. All will be showcased come the New Year!

So let’s commence the good, bad and ugly of 2019! First up, the Top 30 releases of 2019!

BravePicks 2019

14) CANDLEMASS – The Door To Doom (Napalm)

In order to attain a new future, one must go back to the past. This is the oath Swedish doom masters Candlemass followed with the return of vocalist Johan Längquist, who’s shrilling notes were heard on the masterful debut, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. While 2012’s Psalms Of The Dead seemed like the hurrah, 2019 brings back an invigorated group with something to prove. And if that’s not reason enough, Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi lends his notes to “Astorolus – The Great Octopus”. The Door To Doom is a magnificent comeback album and deservedly takes its place at the #14 position!

Scribe Mark Gromen stated in his review: “While there are plenty of low, distorted and crushing riffs (which we'll examine in a moment), Edling also paints on an expanded canvas, including minimalist, acoustic tones seemingly borrowed from the female fronted Avatarium experience, most notably to begin ‘Under The Ocean’ (think Black Sabbath's ‘Planet Caravan’). Fear not, a Langquist scream breaks the calm, (and apart from another mellow reprise) sends the creation on its remaining five minute journey. Elsewhere, there's still the fast/begrudgingly slow dichotomy of classic C-mass throughout the eight song running order. ‘Listen to that sustain,’ as Nigel Tufnel would say, on ‘Splendor Demon Majesty’. An atypical opening, for a band steeped in doom metal lore. Not long before the rumbling bottom end kicks in, but with plenty of space for a short exchange of lead guitars, courtesy of lefty Lars Johansson and six-string partner Mats Björkman. Most of the compositions last well past six minutes, besides a 3:43 electrified acoustic laden ‘Bridge Of The Blind’, which serves as something of an intermezzo (bridge?) between the more ‘experimental’ initial half and final four, traditional sounding cuts.”  

 

BravePicks 2019 Top 30

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14) CANDLEMASS - The Door To Doom (Napalm)
15) MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST - Revelation (Nuclear Blast)
16) QUEENSRŸCHE - The Verdict (Century Media)
17) SABATON - The Great War (Nuclear Blast)
18) WHITESNAKE - Flesh & Blood (Frontiers)
19) GATECREEPER - Deserted (Relapse)
20) GRAND MAGUS - Wolf God (Nuclear Blast)
21) DESTRUCTION - Born To Perish (Nuclear Blast)
22) TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION - High In The Saddle (eOne)
23) EXHUMED - Horror (Relapse)
24) DEATH ANGEL - Humanicide (Nuclear Blast)
25) BEAST IN BLACK - From Hell With Love (Nuclear Blast)
26) D-A-D - A Prayer For The Loud (AFM)
27) IDLE HANDS - Mana (Eisenwald)
28) HELL FIRE - Mania (Riding Easy)
29) SOILWORK - Verkligheten (Nuclear Blast)
30) MEMORIAM – Requiem For Mankind (Nuclear Blast)



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