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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is one of those albums which helped define my adolescence. It was the first time I'd heard doom. It was the first time songs had actually scared me! This might sound quaint in these days of sicko extremity and blacker-than-thou blackness in blackest of black metal (!) but back in the late 80s, only a handful of bands had the ability to give you the heebie-jeebies in their music. But there was a genuinely eerie quality to Candlemass's songwriting and performances on this album which set the band apart from other purveyors of supposedly evil/Satanic metal. Candlemass eschewed the gore and deliberate attempts to offend that characterized Slayer. They were also less fixated on horror movie theatricality than King Diamond. Candlemass, to me, can be mentioned in the same breath as Celtic Frost in terms of their scariness. But CF were much more radical, leftfield, experimental, avant garde. Candlemass were simpler; more obvious, perhaps.
On Ancient Dreams, they deal with fairly stereotypical lyrical themes of dark fantasy and demons and devils and etc on the whole. But the songs are delivered with such panache, such skill, such emotion and such a fantastic ear for melody that you'll forgive them that. And, anyway, Epistle No 81 is a completely unexpected and unusual song. It's a mourner's lament, a heart-rending ode to mortality which has its origins in the imagination of 18th century Swedish poet Carl Michael Bellman. It's an oft-overlooked doom metal classic. But then, I'd say every single song on the album is a classic in its own right. You'll weep at the crushing, monumental beauty of the riffs the band come up with on song after song. Rifftastic highlights include Darkness in Paradise, Incarnation of Evil, Ancient Dreams and Mirror, Mirror.
Sacrilege though it might be to say it, I actually prefer the Black Sabbath Medley that closes Ancient Dreams to the originals it distils so perfectly! And I haven't even mentioned Messiah Marcolin's phenomenal voice yet! He was truly one of the greatest frontmen metal has ever seen with a highly distinctive sound that is simultaneously so pleasing to the ears and powerful. Wonderful as his performances on the other Candlemass albums might be, Ancient Dreams represents the pinnacle of his career. It is also the band's best work to date.
On Ancient Dreams, they deal with fairly stereotypical lyrical themes of dark fantasy and demons and devils and etc on the whole. But the songs are delivered with such panache, such skill, such emotion and such a fantastic ear for melody that you'll forgive them that. And, anyway, Epistle No 81 is a completely unexpected and unusual song. It's a mourner's lament, a heart-rending ode to mortality which has its origins in the imagination of 18th century Swedish poet Carl Michael Bellman. It's an oft-overlooked doom metal classic. But then, I'd say every single song on the album is a classic in its own right. You'll weep at the crushing, monumental beauty of the riffs the band come up with on song after song. Rifftastic highlights include Darkness in Paradise, Incarnation of Evil, Ancient Dreams and Mirror, Mirror.
Sacrilege though it might be to say it, I actually prefer the Black Sabbath Medley that closes Ancient Dreams to the originals it distils so perfectly! And I haven't even mentioned Messiah Marcolin's phenomenal voice yet! He was truly one of the greatest frontmen metal has ever seen with a highly distinctive sound that is simultaneously so pleasing to the ears and powerful. Wonderful as his performances on the other Candlemass albums might be, Ancient Dreams represents the pinnacle of his career. It is also the band's best work to date.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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13 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
A Doom Metal classic in every respect
6 Sep 2003
Format:Audio CD
Candlemass are without a doubt one of the most important doom metal bands in the world. Ever since their incredible debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus they've gone a long way paving the way for other bands. They're among the founders of modern doom metal and while I enjoy each and every Candlemass record I consider the first 4 absolutely essential.
Ancient Dreams is the second album with doom metal vocal god Messiah Marcolin and the third Candlemass album. It picks up where the classic Nightfall left off. Leif Edling's songwriting and bass playing is at its best and Marcolin's voice is simply incredible. The guitar solos are brilliant. It is hard to believe this was released back in 1988 when almost everyone was into glam, hard rock or thrash metal. I appreciate and respect Candlemass for their courage to stand up for themselves and make the music they believed in even though they knew it would never sell millions. That is why they have lasted all these years and are considered fathers of doom. They always remained true to their roots be it with Marcolin, Vikstrom or Flodkvist. My personal favourites off this record are "Cry from the Crypt", "Darkness In Paradise", the title song, and "Bells of Acheron". There's not a single filler on Ancient Dreams though.
You might also want to check out Memory Garden, Solitude Aeturnus, Abstrakt Algebra and some other bands.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Masterful Doom Metal
20 Jun 2001
Format:Audio CD
On this third release by Candlemass the band had already effectively carved their own niche as a respected metal band. Not as impressive as their previous album "Nightfall", this is still a strong album. Vocalist Messiah Marcolin has vocal power rivaling opera singers with incredible range and vibrato. "Epistle No. 81" is a shining example of his versatile style. Bassist and chief song writer Leif Edlin wields his pen like a surgeon crafting songs of sorrow, fear, pain and mourning. "Darkness In Paradise" is a song of woeful despair and darkness delivered with gothic melodies. The guitar work is a combination of sludging Sabbath riffs and dark melodies delivered with less low end and more melody than the metal masters. Lead guitarist Lars Johansson is a blitering soloists employing a variety of techniques in his solos. "Mirror Mirror", "Bearer of Pain", and "A Cry From The Crypt" are energetic thrashers while songs like "Incarnation of Evil" are more plodding and slowed down. "Ancient Dreams" is an album higlighted by memorable choruses, dark melodies, and epic compositions all in the seven minute range. Fans of "Nightfall" will enjoy this album. New fans should start with "Nightfall". If you don't like that one you won't like this one. If you are looking for doom and depression look no further.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Bittersweet Dreams
18 April 2003
Format:Audio CD
Aaahhhhh... the bittersweet smell of death. This album introduced me to those guys, IMHO, the best swedish band ever, back in '91. I can clearly recall my first impressions when I first heard Mirror Mirror, Epistle No.81, and the really spooky Darkness in Paradise, IMO, the greatest highlight in this gothic masterpiece. They had a lot of trouble during the making of this album, which included the loss of their former producer, which didn't prevent them from producing a classic, however.
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