Description

Double album on red vinyls with gatefold cover. Limited 300 copies

Leif Edling doesn’t even know how to spell the words ‘writer’s block’, so Candlemass’s uncertain future as a recording entity has nothing to do with any lack of material but more an overall fatigue of having carried the weight of such a legendary name, with all the expectations that come with it. Hence his regular use of side roads. But Avatarium aside, whose more progressive and classic rock leanings put them in a category on their own, The Doomsday Kingdom is a direct continuation of what Leif initially tried to achieve with Krux before their increasingly difficult logistics prevented them from carrying on. On closer inspection, TDK may also have some links with his one-off 2008 solo project, especially since they both started as a one-man army before slowly turning into an actual band. But in the end, this debut album actually feels like a means for Leif to finally indulge his love of classic heavy metal. The choice of Niklas Stålvind from Wolf as a frontman is quite revealing. His menacing, high-pitched shrieks on the more straightforward material such as the opening salvo, Silent Kingdom, and Hand Of Hell are pure Judas Priest-worship, and there are more than a few nods to Dio, Mob Rules-era Sabbath and Accept on the record. Leif’s signature bass lines are plentiful here, and while a big label grabbed the band by the balls, the production and mixing are very much like when he launched his EP independently: raw, organic and highly atmospheric. The songwriting wasn’t harmed in the process either, and despite not being top-notch at times, is highly satisfactory. Curiously enough – and understandable, giving the fact that Leif Edling is a master of atmospheric songwriting – the instrumental track “See You Tomorrow” is by far the most interesting of the bunch. This here is why Leif calls himself “The Doomfather”: the instrumental performance is grandiose and spot-on, with piano and other atmospheric elements intertwining perfectly with the unorthodox construction to form a warm yet haunting aura. All in all, The Doomsday Kingdom’s self-titled album, much like the EP that preceded it, is a personal journey into the catacombs of Leif’s mind. Leif continues to give lessons on how to make quality doom metal and, by the look of it, will continue to do so for a long time.

Track list:
1. Silent Kingdom
2. The Never Machine
3. A Spoonful Of Darkness
4. See You Tomorrow
5. The Sceptre
6. Hand Of Hell
7. The Silence
8. The God Particle