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2005 may very well be the year of doom. The fathers of doom metal have made their way back to demonstrate who the big boys are and bulldoze everyone else aside. All hype notwithstanding, as hard as I try to ignore the fact that this CD bears the name "Candlemass" on it and take it for what it is, it is exceedingly difficult as this self-titled album features the return of the classic line-up with Messiah Marcolin on vocals after a decade and a half! That is more than a little tough to ignore.

We get "Black Dwarf" as the album opener – a high-octane hard knocker that floors the pedal to the metal right off the start and right here Candlemass had already surpassed all my expectations with this up-beat song. With a main riff like that, you wouldn't need much else in the song to enjoy it, but Marcolin's vocals just take it over the top and deliver as if he had never left. It's just a killer opener for a killer album. The next track slows things down and that is where the doom takes over – classic Candlemass! The Sabbath influences are still very dominant here, but with songs like "Witches" for example, Candlemass pretty much make Black Sabbath look like little fairies at their own game (but then again, I always preferred Candlemass over Sabbath, so that may not mean much coming from me).

Also worth noting is the sheer amount of riffs presented to us on this record. Who do they think they are? Dark Angel? Killer grooves and tempo changes, each with big fat low-riding riffs that leave you hungry for more. I could go on forever picking things to mention about this album, but I will stop here. This is by no means another "Nightfall" but for an album of this caliber so late in their careers, "Candlemass" deserves nothing short of a big 5/5. Most of the big names in metal have promised to release new material this year, so 2005 is going to be tough year to predict. We will just have to wait and see if anyone can overshadow Candlemass.