LEEDS RIOS 11/09/07
Ok, so getting pissed up before going to see some of my favourite doom bands may have been a slightly tactical error. To be honest with you, I didn't expect Centurions Ghost to be the openers, so in my defence and the defence of my companion, we thought we'd miss Battered rather than CG, but as it turned out we did just the opposite. Bugger.
Which was a shame, for more than one reason. I love the Centurions Ghost back catalogue, and I still haven't managed to see them live (what with me not living in that there London village, and all). Still, it was with interest that I waited to see Battered, the Norwegian metalists. I'd heard a couple of things about them from various mates, which varied from the non-plussed to the hyperbolic, so when they appeared on the tiny Leeds stage, I was really looking forward to hearing what they had on offer. It would appear that they're at least partially constructed around the ashes of the dearly departed Einherjer, though on this occasion it wasn't so much Odin Owns Ye All rather than The Haunted Want Their Songs Back. Not bad for this kind of thing, on first listen in a live setting, the songs were all fairly heavy but also not particularly dynamic. They also seemed a strange choice for a band to support the most epic band of all time. Still, they seemed to be having a good time on a windswept Tuesday night in a northern city, so who am I to argue?
...but when the lights dimmed, and the dry ice began to sweep across the stage, my heart really started to flutter. The mere mention of Candlemass is enough to make my head start to nod in an involuntary manner, and true to form, they delivered. I've seen about a million doom bands in my time, including most of the bigger names in the genre, and this was easily the best that I've ever seen. Now, I know that many of you will be either in the “Candlemass is Messiah” or “Candlemass died with Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” camps, but you're idiots. Really. This wasn't so much a live outing for me, more of a religious experience. Messiah may have had the big hair, the habit and the biiiiiiiIIIiiiiIIIIiig voice, but Lowe really has become the one, true voice of the 'mass. When the first few bars of Well of Souls came forth from his lips, I was truly transported to another dimension. His voice adds such gravity and power to their tracks that they become even more epic than before. We all know by now, I think, that Candlemass are always impeccable in a live setting in terms of the musicianship, but occasionally the vocals have been slightly flat, or not quite on a par with the studio output. Not so with our man Rob; whether belting out the bombastic Mirror Mirror or the new classic Of Stars and Smoke, his voice never missed a note. With a dry sense of humour, he baited the crowd with his non-rock star demeanor, while he looks completely at ease and in place within the well oiled-doom wrecking machine. As the last ringing chimes of their set come to a close, I know that I have truly been to a communion. Eat of me, drink of me, for doom is the way...
Scott Free