Candlemass impress with their 20th anniversary Stockholm show
It's getting close to Christmas, the punters' pounds are ready to spend and you have a live recording ready to unleash, what do you do? Package it up quickly and hope to cash in nicely. Or so you would expect. Luckily Candlemass have managed to avoid the cash-in trend with this, their 20th anniversary DVD, and are offering top notch metal value for money.
Filmed in Stockholm in 2003 the live set, although not actually the best part of the DVD, certainly offers up alot of entertainment. Featuring songs sampled throughout their entire career including "Demons Gate", "Witches" and "At The Gallows End" this is enjoyable enough for a non-fan such as I to find accessible and will of course obviously find a much dearer place in the hearts of any long-term fans of the band. The performance and sound quality of the show cannot be faulted and the entire first DVD shows a slickness and quality of production, which one would come to expect from such a stable Doom Metal act as Candlemass.
Now, a live performance of that nature is fair enough and standing alone that would have earnt the DVD a solid respectable mark, but it is the second disc and the extras that really elevate this package and make it essential viewing for any fan of Candlemass. The main portion of this disc is taken up with the 55 minute exclusive interview which provides information on the formation of the band, their ever-shifting line up throughout the years, the Stockholm gig itself and the band's status as the founders and masters of the Doom Metal genre. Managing to provide a comprehensive overview of their work from the past 20 years whilst still entertaining those who aren't the most ardent of fans, the interview is a very worthwhile part of this package. In addition to this the second disc provides a handful of rare live recordings from the band in various European venues in the late 80's, whilst of course it is hard for a relative newcomer like I to appreciate these extras, it is more than a surety that a fan of the band will find these to be very enticing parts of the second disc.
Overall this is a very enticing prospect to both current fans of Candlemass and to those who like their Metal epic and doomy. Coming with both a highly enjoyable and representative set and many special extras for the real rarities collecter inside you to enjoy this is an entirely appropriate and worthwhile marking of the bands 20th anniversary. 'The Curse of Candlemass' ironically is a blessing in DVD form for any fan of live performances.