REVIEW: Candlemass - Black Star

Oh CANDLEMASS, how beloved are thee. And how far you have come. Once, they were perched high on the mountaintop in their native Sweden beside Metallica, robed in smoke and reverb, lords of the slow-motion apocalypse. When original vocalist Johan Längqvist returned in 2018, it appeared time for Candlemass to return to delivering their signature brand of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. And now, for their 40th anniversary, they are nonetheless back for more.

From their last release, 2022’s Sweet Evil Sun, the band returns with an EP entitled Black Star. It is a small morsel, only four songs that do not breach seven minutes in any of their runtimes. It begins with the title track, as Johan emerges out of a smoking trench, voice hoarse and rough around the edges. He appears to struggle through the performance, with a vocal melody oddly reminiscent of Barbara Streisand’s 'Woman In Love' mixed with their earlier song 'The Omega Circle'. And yet - and yet! - there's still that moment. That unmistakable Candlemass moment where the riff lumbers in, majestic and deliberate like an elephant in a leather trench coat. It continues with little variation before fizzling out into obscurity, with no catharsis or climax to speak of. 'Corridors Of Chaos' is an instrumental that opens like it’s got something to say and then says, “never mind.” Johansson’s guitar sounds like a reheated Nightfall riff played in a broom closet rather than a grand cathedral. Feeling like part of a song that doesn’t exist rather than a standalone number, it trudges along like a vagabond with nowhere to go. It drags its feet, moans a little, and keels over.

Then the covers roll in, starting with 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'. It’s less of a cover than a pastiche, with barely anything notable changed from the original arrangement. Poor Johan appears to be struggling to secure some of those peak-Ozzy notes, although he does an admirable job. Sadly the result is a Xerox of the original with some weak doom sauce slathered on. A far cry from their haunting, legitimately impressive take on 'Don’t Fear The Reaper', which managed to reinterpret a classic rather than just repeat it louder. And then, blink and you’ll miss it, 'Forever My Queen', a Pentagram homage played with the urgency of someone needing to catch the last train home. It rips, it respects, and it abruptly ends before the ritual circle’s even been drawn.

Unless you have not got it by now, alas, it is an underwhelming listen. Candlemass, who once spoke in thunderclaps, barely manages a wheeze here. A band with their tenure should not have “echoes of greatness” in their records, for in recent years they have put out music that honours their legacy as the most hallowed and eminent of all doom metal acts. It’s not a comeback. It’s not a flame reignited. It’s a vestige from a dusty drawer, one that requires a significant amount of polish to become a relic. So now it just sounds like doom in a dentist’s waiting room. Maybe this EP was just them stretching the ol’ bones, doing a few reps before the next real push. Fine. Maybe. But for now, Candlemass isn’t roaring down the road to the demon’s gate, rather they’ve just stumbled along the road. Here's hoping they put another album out soon. Godspeed, boys. Just remember where you buried that thunder.

Score: 4/10

Black Star was released on May 9th 2025.

Words: Kiarash Golshani

Photos: Candlemass