After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but reunited three years later. After breaking up again in 2002, Candlemass reformed in 2004 and have continued to record and perform since then.
Formation and early career (1984–1990)
After the breakup of his first band Nemesis, bassist Leif Edling started his own band under the name Candlemass with (session) vocalist Johan Längqvist, drummer Matz Ekström, guitarist Mats "Mappe" Bjorkman and Klas Bergwall. Their first release, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986), immediately secured their standing, positioning the band within metal circles, setting a milestone in the doom metal scene. Following the band's debut album Längqvist was replaced by Messiah Marcolin. By the time the band entered the studio to record their second effort, Nightfall, in 1987, Bergwall and Ekström had left the band. Jan Lindh joined the band on drums, and Lars Johansson joined the band on guitars following the completion of the album.
Candlemass's next two albums were Ancient Dreams (1988) and Tales of Creation (1989). In 1990, the band released a live album Live. Shortly afterward, a dispute between the band members resulted in Messiah Marcolin's departure in 1991.
New singer-era, hiatus and first reunion (1991–2003)
After Marcolin left, Candlemass recruited vocalist Thomas Vikström and recorded Chapter VI (1992). The band then toured in support of that album. By 1994, Candlemass had called it quits, partly because Chapter VI was unsuccessful, and partially because Edling had formed another project under the name of Abstrakt Algebra. With Abstrakt Algebra not doing well, Leif suddenly recruited a new line-up under the name of Candlemass and recorded the album Dactylis Glomerata, which was a combination of songs for a new Abstrakt Algebra CD and some new material. A year later the album From the 13th Sun was released. Both albums featured singer Bjorn Flodqvist.
In 2002, the members of a past Candlemass line-up reunited. They performed some well-received live shows and released another live album. Other albums released by the reformed band were remastered versions of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Nightfall, Ancient Dreams, and Tales of Creation. A DVD called Documents of Doom was released as well. The band was working on a new album and recorded some new songs while searching for a record label when differences arose again, resulting in Candlemass disbanding a second time. In the meantime, Leif Edling started a new project, Krux, with former Abstrakt Algebra singer Mats Levén and two members of Entombed.
Second reunion (2004–2006)
In November 2004, the band announced that they had re-united for the second time. They had recorded a new album, named simply Candlemass, with the same line-up. It was released in May 2005. They won a Swedish Grammy for it in 2005.
In 2006 the band announced that a new album was in preparation, to be released sometime in 2007. In October 2006, after much uncertainty regarding Messiah Marcolin's participation, it was settled that Messiah was out for good.
Robert Lowe era (2007–2012)
Candlemass found a new vocalist, Robert Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus), who recorded with the band's ninth album King of the Grey Islands, which was released on 22 June 2007. The album is self-produced except for four songs produced by Andy Sneap. On 31 March 2007, Candlemass celebrated a slightly delayed twentieth anniversary. To commemorate the celebration, original singer Johan Längqvist appeared live with the band for the first time. The event was recorded and later released as a DVD.
Mats "Mappe" Björkman was sentenced to serve two years behind bars for grand theft in March 2008. He has been convicted of stealing over 35,000 CDs and DVDs priced at around 3 million Sek (Around $500,000). Candlemass worked on a tenth studio album in 2008. It was intended to be titled Hammer of Doom, but they renamed it to Death Magic Doom because the name coincided with a German festival. The album was scheduled to be released on 27 March 2009, but it was delayed until 3 April 2009.
In 2009, bassist Leif Edling told Soundshock that work on the next Candlemass album would likely begin before 2011. However, this plan fell through, and Leif had stated that the album's release date was pushed back to 2012, in order for the band to concentrate on the 25th anniversary of their 1986 debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus.
On 14 October 2011, it was announced that Candlemass were signed to the Austrian label Napalm Records, who released their eleventh studio album Psalms for the Dead in June 2012. Despite this, bassist Leif Edling stated that the band would not split up, but wanted to stop before they "get too old and start putting out half-lame albums."
Mats Levén as new singer (2012–2018)
On 2 June 2012, Candlemass announced via their website that Robert Lowe had left the band as vocalist, mainly due to the quality of the live performances and explained to be "a very difficult decision for the band", and was replaced for the band's upcoming shows by longtime friend and collaborator of Candlemass, Mats Levén (of Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Treat, and At Vance fame, among others). Levén had earlier worked with Leif Edling in Abstrakt Algebra and Krux and sang on demos from the Candlemass and King of the Grey Islands sessions, found on the box set Doomology. In addition, keyboardist Per Wiberg (ex-Opeth, Spiritual Beggars) also joined the band on stage for these live shows.
In January 2013, Candlemass was voted the greatest Swedish hard rock/metal band of all time by the writers of Sweden Rock Magazine, Scandinavia's biggest hard rock magazine as well as Sweden's biggest music magazine by circulation. They were featured in a list of the 100 greatest Swedish hard rock/metal bands of all time in a special jubilee edition, to celebrate the magazine's 100th issue. In connection with this, it was also revealed that Candlemass, along with death metal band Entombed (No. 2 on the list), were to perform jointly at a special jubilee concert in Stockholm arranged by the magazine. In July 2014, Candlemass headlined the Väsby Rock Festival in their hometown Upplands Väsby.
Despite earlier claims that Psalms for the Dead would be their final album, bassist Leif Edling had stated that he was open to recording new music with Candlemass again. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Candlemass released the EP Death Thy Lover on 3 June 2016. Additionally, on 29 April 2016, the band released a career-spanning coffee-table book. The book also featured two CDs containing the top picks by Leif Edling and Messiah Marcolin respectively, a CD with rare tracks from their early career (including the Witchcraft demo), and two DVDs with three live performances.
Return of Johan Langquist (2018–present)
On 3 September 2018, Candlemass announced the return of Johan Langquist to the band after a 32-year hiatus. The band stated, "We wanted to find our way back to the roots of Candlemass, back to the soul and essence of the band. Johan Langquist is back and we hope this will give us some new energy and kickstart the heart of doom again. We don't know if it will last 10 more years or even 5, but if it will give us just another year of having fun and playing the music that we love so much, it will be a blast! The circle is closed, Johan is back!" The band also announced that they were recording a new album for a 2019 release, making it not only the first Candlemass studio album since 2012's Psalms for the Dead, but their first with Langquist since 1986's Epicus Doomicus Metallicus.
On 6 December 2018, Candlemass announced that their twelfth album was titled The Door to Doom and would be released on 22 February 2019. It was also revealed that the album would include a guest appearance by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, who contributes to a guitar solo to one of the album's tracks "Astorolus - The Great Octopus". The band released an EP The Pendulum on 27 March 2020. According to bassist Leif Edling, Candlemass will likely not release their new studio album until 2022 or 2023.
On 18 August 2022, the band announced their thirteenth studio album, Sweet Evil Sun, would be released on 18 November.
Influences
Candlemass' musical style is markedly influenced by early Black Sabbath. Edling, the band's main songwriter and sole constant member, has been influenced by Black Sabbath, as well as bands like Blue Öyster Cult, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Rush, Nazareth, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Judas Priest, Motörhead and Venom.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlemass_(band)
Studio albums
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)
Nightfall (1987)
Ancient Dreams (1988)
Tales of Creation (1989)
Chapter VI (1992)
Dactylis Glomerata (1998)
From the 13th Sun (1999)
Candlemass (2005)
King of the Grey Islands (2007)
Death Magic Doom (2009)
Psalms for the Dead (2012)
The Door to Doom (2019)
Sweet Evil Sun (2022)
Tears
Candlemass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sad stream of silver is a mournin' man's gold
And where the seeds of sorrow soon were found
A flower of light, the omen saw the world
[Chorus]
Step into the dreams of wonder
Stare into the face of wonder
Free yourself from the spell you're under now!!!
I blessed the sign yes my prayers were heard
I laughed as I watched that tiny thing grow
Over the rainbow and up to the stars
A tower of dreams, waiting to come true
[Chorus]
I saw this divine gate between the worlds
Waiting for me to take away my soul
I was no longer what I was before
A chosen one that opened up the door
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Candlemass's Tears describe a moment of transformation, where the singer's sadness turns into hope and a newfound sense of purpose. The metaphorical tears are compared to a "sad stream of silver," precious and valuable, and where they fall, a "flower of light" grows as a symbol of the potential for growth and change. This idea is reinforced in the chorus, where the singer encourages the listener to step into the world of wonder, to free themselves from whatever troubles them.
As the song progresses, the mood becomes more triumphant. The singer feels that their prayers have been answered, and they watch as a tiny thing grows into a "tower of dreams, waiting to come true." The imagery of the rainbow and the stars adds to the grandeur and otherworldliness of the song, as if the transformation is taking place across different planes of existence.
Towards the end of the song, the singer describes a "divine gate between the worlds" that is waiting for them. They feel that they have been chosen to pass through this gate and to become something new, no longer what they were before. The final chorus encourages the listener to do the same, to open themselves up to the possibility of change and to embrace wonder.
Overall, Tears is a powerful and uplifting song that encourages introspection and transformation. It uses vivid imagery and metaphor to convey a sense of the sublime and to inspire the listener to take control of their own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
My tears were flowing down to the ground
I was crying and my tears fell on the ground
A sad stream of silver is a mournin' man's gold
A grieving person values sadness as they would value gold
And where the seeds of sorrow soon were found
Where there was sadness, happiness grew
A flower of light, the omen saw the world
The happiness that grew was seen as a sign of hope for the world
[Chorus]
Invitation to experience wonder and freedom
I blessed the sign yes my prayers were heard
I gave thanks for my prayers being answered through a sign
I laughed as I watched that tiny thing grow
I was filled with joy as I watched a small thing grow into something amazing
Over the rainbow and up to the stars
The thing I saw grew beyond my wildest dreams
A tower of dreams, waiting to come true
It became a symbol of hope, waiting to be fulfilled
[Chorus]
Invitation to experience wonder and freedom
I saw this divine gate between the worlds
I saw a gate that connected different worlds
Waiting for me to take away my soul
It was waiting for me to pass through it and transform me
I was no longer what I was before
Passing through the gate changed me completely
A chosen one that opened up the door
I was chosen to pass through the gate and was able to open it for others
[Chorus]
Invitation to experience wonder and freedom
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LEIF ERIK EDLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind