Candlemass – Ashes To Ashes

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So far the only live material from the Robert Lowe-fronted line-up of Candlemass, a four-year collaboration that has to date brought two studio albums and a lot of touring, were the nine bonus tracks on the Lucifer’s Rising EP, so a full live CD/DVD could be considered somewhat overdue. Those nine tracks were recorded in Athens, Greece in 2007 and the video recording of that show appears on the DVD part of this release as the bonus concert to their huge appearance on the main stage at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2009, which takes pride of place as the main concert on the DVD, and on the CD. The audio for the Sweden Rock show is as good as any that have come from the festival with a perfect mix and excellent balance between he band and the audience. The setlist is an excellent mix of old and new, predictably overlooking the albums between the classic first four and Messiah Marcolin’s return in 2003, and lining up three from new album Death Magic Doom and one from previous album King of The Grey Island alongside five popular cuts from the first four albums and an encore cover of Rainbow‘s Kill The King. The video footage comes from the cameras driving the screens at the festival, which are always well-handled. The editing is spot on, not lingering too long, and not cutting too quickly. All in the Sweden Rock show is the perfect combination of video quality, sound clarity and editing. The bonus Athens 2007 footage on top of this is a welcome bonus. For Candlemass and all doom fans, this is essential.

Written by Andy Lye
More: Doom Metal, Live Albums, Live DVDs, Quick.Play Reviews, Candlemass