### Candlemass / Entombed: Candlemass vs. Entombed

#### 30/01/13 || Sokaris

Now this is a weird one.

This split came about as a celebration of Sweden Rock Magazine’s 100th issue. As far as Sweden’s most influential bands go, we’re a Quorthon resurrection away from the unholy trinity but the assemblage present is pretty damn impressive regardless. It’s a novelty item but the concept is pretty damn novel indeed. The doomsters from ‘mass put their drab spin on an Entombed track and Entombed return the favor.

Since there’s only one song on each side I would have personally preferred a more iconic approach in the song selection. I’m not necessarily saying “Solitude” and “Left hand path” because that might just be a bit TOO obvious. But, damn, can you imagine Candlemass taking the tubular bell-laden ending to Entombed’s signature cut and just making it fucken drag (in an awesome way of course)? Well, keep on imagining because both bands kind of cheated. Entombed picked a song that’s pretty much superspeed for their fellow countrymen, while Candlemass picked a more midpaced number to take on. Really, both of these bands made the safer, smart move despite my “what if?” approach to the concept. Entombed really set fire to “Black dwarf”, taking a heavy-as-hell guitar sound and giving it some extra roughness. Vocally, LG still sounds great and probably devours younger vocalists on the streets of Stockholm the way whales drift through the ocean, mouths agape, vacuuming up plankton and other unfortunate lifeforms. The Candlemass performance isn’t quite as strong, though definitely a cool listen, doing a slightly starker take on “To ride, shoot straight and speak the truth.” It’s unfortunate that this may end up being singer Matt Levén’s only studio recording with the band.

Anyway, it’s a curiosity and definitely a cool freebie to come with a magazine but it’s not exactly mandatory. Hell, most of us won’t get a chance to own it and I doubt it’ll be worth the eBay prices.

6/10: Take a listen if you see it surface.