Leif Edling’s new boys give us their full length
Late last year there was a first glimpse into the world of The Doomsday Kingdom. The “Never Machine” four track EP was a brilliant affair and was mainly notable for a couple of things.
First, it was the new band of Candlemass’ Leif Edling (he’d wrote the songs while recovering from a debilitating stress related illness) and second, the astonishing vocal display of Niklas Stålvind. The former Wolf man (who hadn’t been well himself) managed to channel something from deep within and added whole new levels of intrigue to the NWOBHM influenced sounds it contained.
Now back with their debut full length affair and with just two songs from that EP, “The Never Machine” and “The Spectre” – both highlights then and remaining so now – The Doomsday Kingdom are a band that clearly brims with ideas.
Oddly (although given his health issues, maybe deliberately?) Edling plays a low-key role here as Stålvind is magnificent again, but also guitarist Marcus Jidell (who produced the record and was Edling’s confidante throughout) is in incredible form.
All of which makes for a thrilling record. One which lays its cards down on the table early on. “The Silent Kingdom” has elements of the doom which Edling is famous for, but is far more akin to metal at its purest.
Like on that debut, though, there is a dollop of the occult about it all. “A Spoonful Of Darkness” has a hint of the macabre about it, and when Stålvind sneers that he “spits the poison in your soup” you’d best believe it sounds like he means it.
“See You Tomorrow” a gentle, ethereal instrumental, with pianos and acoustic guitars, turns up halfway through as a kind of palate cleanser, but that only serves to make work like the chugging gallop “Hand Of Hell” even more fun.
Epic in length and feel, although never overbearing, there is no let-up in class throughout. “The Silence” rumbles and mixes its natural instincts to crush, with some Led Zep flourish’s.
The album even finds the time to end on perhaps its most ambitious note. The nine-minute journey, “The God Particle”, if nothing else, shines a light on the mighty talents on show here. Winding its way to a wonderful crescendo, it shows why it is not too much of a leap to say that The Doomsday Kingdom are already one of the finest new heavy metal bands we have.
The EP hinted at it. The album confirms it. Doomsday is coming and resistance is futile.
Rating 9/10
