Candlemass – Live At Green Valley CD/DVD Review

I know I’ve waxed lyrical about the label before, but Peaceville really are awesome. The stunning roster (Mayhem, Paradise Lost, Candlemass, Darkthrone etc.) notwithstanding, it’s the way Peaceville is one of the few labels still prioritising the physical experience for fans. This new release from Candlemass is a perfect case in point. Packaged in a simple jewel case, the first sign of Peaceville’s enduring attention to detail is the card slip that sits across the spine, featuring promo blurb, brief product notes and a track listing. Then there’s the booklet, which contains both liner notes (from Leif Edling) and pictures. It all adds to the feeling that you’ve purchased something into which real care has gone.

Green Valley Live is a CD/DVD set (it’s also available on vinyl, if you’re so inclined) featuring the band’s live stream show from 3^rd July 2020. An eleven-track set (with Demon’s gate tacked on as a soundcheck bonus), it showcases material from across the band’s career, even finding space for the epic Astorulus – The Great Octopus from 2019’s The Door To Doom. Shot in the close confines of the studio, the band put a huge amount of effort into making the space look the part, with lighting, set dressing and a large screen projecting the band’s familiar logo.

A brief flutter of nerves greets Johan Langquist’s slightly gravelly tones as he leads the band into Well Of Souls, but these prove to be unfounded as the band unleash a ferocious take on the track and he settles in, delivering a performance that is powerful, passionate and impressively raw. It also has to be said that the mix, handled by David Castillo, is pristine, with admirable separation between the instruments and plenty of power in the band’s arcing riffs. It makes for an impressive start to a live stream that both looks and sounds immense, and fans will need this set in their collection, that much is certain from the outset. Dark Reflections (from Tales Of Creation) is up next, the band ploughing straight through (nary a word is spoken throughout the set), and it’s remarkable how energised they sound on material that is some thirty years old. The gnarled riff of Mirror Mirror (Ancient Dreams) still sounds like Sabbath on steroids, Johan absolutely nailing the challenging vocal, his charismatic performance really selling the gig to the home audience. In the liner notes Leif acknowledges the challenges of playing without an audience, but if the band suffered any sense of discomfort, he should be comforted by the fact that it does not show. The band stick with Ancient Dreams, segueing directly into a brief, instrumental take on the title track. It seems to catch Johan on the hop, as the camera briefly catches him looking confused, but it makes for a compelling finale to Mirror Mirror. Next up, the band’s blistering take on Astorolus is delivered with such unholy vigour, it threatens to eclipse the set, only for Bewitched (Epicus Doomicus Metallicus) to maintain the pace.

With the band on a roll, they barely pause for breath before charging into an epic Dark Are The Veils Of Death. Johan seems to be having the time of his life, whilst the occasional cut away to Leif shows him singing along as he pounds his bass into so much dust. Johan’s on safe ground with the crunchy Under The Oak, a track that showcases a particularly obsidian strain of doom, sounding as lethally dark today as it did in 1986. The short Doom Jam (which sees the organ taking a serious hammering) is really only a palette cleanser before the ten-minute behemoth that is A Sorcerer’s Pledge brings us back to Epicus Doomicus Metallicus for the home stretch. Funereal and elegant, A Sorcerer’s Pledge is something of a highlight, and it leaves only the undimmed sorrow Solitude to bring the show to a suitably epic close that will leave you standing on your sofa cheering.  For those still wanting more, the band have thrown in a rehearsal take of Demon’s Gate which, although nowhere near as epic as the final product, is a worthy addition to the package.

Live At Green Valley is an essential purchase for doom fans. While it is debatable as to how often you’ll want to watch the DVD, as there are only so many ways you can make a band look interesting in the absence of an audience, Candlemass put in a commendable effort and, despite admitting to a touch of nerves, sound utterly invigorated over the course of the eleven tracks on offer. Moreover, it’s clear from the interaction in the room that they’re enjoying themselves and, with the band in general, and Johan in particular, turning in a monumental performance, Live At Green Valley is epic, doom-laden and as metal as f***. All hail Candlemass, Kings of doom! 9.5/10