In 2005 when news broke that Candlemass were to reform, and with Messiah Marcolin taking charge once more of the vocal duties, a collective cheer sounded amongst the Doom Metal fraternity. Soon to be followed by the release of their self titled reunion album, their first to feature Messiah in some fifteen years. The future seemed bright and the sky was the limit, when as quickly as they had come together the band appeared to be on the verge of once again slipping away.

Ha! Not one bit of it. With Rob Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus) onboard, Leif and the crew are back stronger than ever. There will be those out there who claim to be the diehards who will spawn the eternal debate as to the pros and cons of Lowe vs. Messiah until the cows come home. A futile debate as both have their unquestionable merits along with their undoubted shortcomings. It has to be said however that Lowe's aforementioned shortcomings are indeed few and far between based upon "King Of The Grey Islands". His vocal prowess is undeniable based upon his Solitude Aeturnus work alone, but "King Of The Grey Islands" is sure to elevate his standing within the Doom Metal circles even further; if it is at all possible to rise any higher.

"King Of The Grey Islands" has the feel of early Candlemass, dark and foreboding, and the riffing is all you could want. Dripping in Doom heritage, you can almost feel the somberness oozing from the speakers, with "Emperor Of The Void" is a majestic opener but is equally followed by pure class, "Of Stars And Smoke" and "Man Of Shadows" being two of the stand out tracks. Which all in all will make Candlemass's live set selection a little more difficult.....if it wasn't already.

There should be no fans of either Candlemass or Doom in general that "King Of The Grey Island" should not appeal too. With the level of expectation that surrounds Candlemass and with any of their releases it is easy to expect greatness, but forget to marvel at the consistent brilliance the band have achieved, and continue to achieve. "King Of The Grey Island" is indeed a new chapter in the annuals of the band, but no less magnificent. So for all the soothsayers out there; well you'll need to find a new band wagon to jump onto as this ain't the end, not by a long way.