REVIEW: DOOMSDAY KINGDOM – NEVER MACHINE (2016)

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….wherein Leif Edling  rediscovers his love for NWOBHM 

Most of us, it’s fair to say, if we were diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, wouldn’t take the opportunity to start another band.

Most of us aren’t Leif Edling.

For the roots of Doomsday Kingdom we need to go back a couple of years when that happened to the man who formed Candlemass. By his own admission, he was a “vegetable sitting on the bloody couch” (we assume this is statement and he doesn’t have a settee made of blood-  surely even Edling isn’t that metal….?) whereupon he decided there was nothing else for it, picked up his acoustic guitar and wrote some NWOBHM inspired songs that were to eventually become this four tracker.

Where most might have ended up with Candlemass Mk II, Leif is too savvy for that, and the quartet of tracks that make up “Never Machine” sound both as fresh as a daisy and as classic as you like.

Part of the reason for that is the vocalist he’s using for this endeavour, Niklas Stålvind (of Wolf) really extends himself here and manages to come from the Ronnie James Dio school of delivering drama.

He is brilliant throughout, but really excels on the disturbing imagery of “The Sceptre” – a real highlight here.

Beginning with the title track, the Sabbathy riff is broken by Stålvind, and it is immediately obvious that this is compelling and classy work, one with a sense of theatrics and foreboding, it seems as though there something monstrous lurking just underneath its veneer of respectability at all times.

“Zodiac City” is very deliberately something that could be on the soundtrack to a horror film, and its crushing riff comes out of nowhere, while the acoustically “The Whispering” is almost worthy of the best prog rock albums, but still manages to come with a genuine and palpable sense of unease.

A magnificent opening to what you hope will become a full length album (time and health permitting of course) and whilst you wouldn’t wish what happened to Edling on anyone “Never Machine” is proof perhaps, that the best music often comes out of – as well as living in – the darkness.

Rating 9/10

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