Candles and Wraiths - Candelabia (2019)

The first impression upon seeing this album, and perhaps the best case scenario, is that it's going to sound somewhere like a cross between King Diamond and Cradle of Filth. You've got the period piece séance, the graceful but haunting specter possessing several of the attendants, all the staples for some good Gothic or Victorian horror writ unto metal. In fact, it's definitely a lot more in the latter's direction, an Austrian CoF with only a few subtle differences, largely the ramping up of the pomp and symphonic components to a near constant, a little less of the death and thrash metal that the Brits often verve off into as complement to their black metal core, and vocals that aren't as over the top as Dani Filth, though they definitely cover the same alternation between the black rasps and death grunts, or a combination of both, with some ethereal female/choir in there and that decrepit, whispered narrative on a few of the verses.

I guess this actually comes across as if Cradle of Filth extracted about 75% of their fundamentals and then spun them into an even more Wagnerian direction. The symphonics and riffs are on full thrust for a good portion of the record, more majestic than creepy, and I'm not sure that it's the best fit for an album that is ostensibly about haunted castles and classic horror. That said, it's pretty competent and enjoyable, from the sweeping orchestrations implemented by Hannes Sandrini who has also contributed similar to some of the Obsidian Chamber albums, to the slick guitar theatrics of Jürgen Klier (also doubling in that same band), there is nary a moment here to ever grow bored, because they are piling on some agile exercise in symphonic black metal over the blasting beats. Although this album is mostly on 'attack' mode, don't be fooled, there are plenty of intricacies in the guitar work, there is zero monotony as they like to rile up the songwriting with these epic breaks where either the symph synths will blaze off or some percussive, choppy riffing and drumming.

There are loads of melodies across these 40 minutes, with a huge neo-classical leaning layered into them rather than an excess of masturbatory noodling. Occasionally, it takes on a bit of a carnival vibe as in "Wartorn Lovelorn" which has a bit of an aesthetic fit to the period horror influences, and is one of the more memorable pieces on Candelabia. But it's all tight, tidily produced as obviously a great deal of effort went into the performance and balance of the instruments. The bass isn't a strong point, there aren't a lot of highly catchy moments throughout; you won't find that amazing, diabolical poeticism in the lyrics that is the unsung hero of Cradle of Filth's discography, but this Austrian trio's execution is undeniable. The symphonic instrumentals make for a nice backdrop to accent the adventurism of the heavier elements, nothing overstays its welcome, and if you're looking for another, comparable disc to fill in time between Cradle of Filth or Carach Angren marathons, you've found it.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://candlesandwraithsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/candelabia