King of the Grey Islands is the ninth studio album by Swedish doom metal band Candlemass, released on 22 June 2007. It is the first album recorded following the departure of vocalist Messiah Marcolin, who left the band during the pre-production phase of the album. He was replaced by Robert Lowe, who would stay with the band until his departure in June 2012.
| King of the Grey Islands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 June 2007 | |||
| Recorded | May and August 2006 March 2007 (vocals) | |||
| Studio | Polar Studios, Stockholm Nomad Studios, Dallas, Texas (vocals) | |||
| Genre | Epic doom metal | |||
| Length | 53:55 (original) 65:15 (digipak version) | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Leif Edling and Candlemass | |||
| Candlemass chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 7.5/10[2] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9/10[3] |
| Exclaim! | (favourable)[4] |
| Rock Hard | 9/10[5] |
A digipak version contains two bonus studio session tracks with Robert Lowe. The album was also released as a double vinyl LP with the bonus track "Edgar Grey". A tin box set edition (limited to 500 copies) was also released, which included a bonus 3" CD with two bonus tracks: "Black Dwarf" and "Demonia 6 (early version)".[citation needed] "Black Dwarf" is a re-recording with Lowe on vocals. These songs also appear on the "Black Dwarf" 7".[citation needed]
Upon its release, the album was met with widespread acclaim from both critics and fans.
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Leif Edling
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue" | 0:56 |
| 2. | "Emperor of the Void" | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Devil Seed" | 5:44 |
| 4. | "Of Stars and Smoke" | 5:38 |
| 5. | "Demonia 6" | 6:23 |
| 6. | "Destroyer" | 7:52 |
| 7. | "Man of Shadows" | 6:17 |
| 8. | "Clearsight" | 6:52 |
| 9. | "The Opal City" | 1:13 |
| 10. | "Embracing the Styx" | 8:19 |
| 11. | "Solitude" (bonus track on digipak edition) | 5:58 |
| 12. | "At the Gallows End" (bonus track on digipak edition) | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 53:55 | |
Personnel edit
- Candlemass
- Robert Lowe – vocals
- Mats Björkman – rhythm guitar
- Lars Johansson – lead guitar
- Leif Edling – bass, producer
- Jan Lindh – drums
- Additional musicians
- Carl Westholm – keyboards
- Production
- Chris Laney – engineer, post-production fixes
- Andreas Osslund – engineering on track 4
- Peter Tägtgren – mixing at The Abyss in March 2007
- Sören von Malmborg – mastering
- Tomas Arfert – cover design and illustration
Charts edit
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Swedish Albums Chart[6] | 32 |
| German Albums Chart[7] | 83 |
References edit
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Candlemass – King of the Grey Islands review". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Bergman, Keith (25 July 2007). "Candlemass – King of the Grey Islands". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Ulrey, Jeremy (7 October 2007). "Solitude Aeturnus / Candlemass – Alone / King of the Grey Islands". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Ayers, Chris (18 July 2007). "Candlemass – King of the Grey Islands". Exclaim!. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Stappert, Andreas (2007). "Review Album Des Monats: Candlemass – King of the Grey Islands". Rock Hard (in German). No. 242. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Candlemass – King of the Grey Island (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Album – Candlemass, King of the Grey Islands". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 27 October 2017.