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)
Witches
Candlemass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weak without the magic you lay passed out in the sand
With controls set for night flights when witches ruled the world
In a twinkling moment you see cockroaches and crows
Go behind the great clouds if you want to stay the same
In nothing land you'll perish when they whisper aloud your name
A window full of trauma stares you in the face
So drunk and misled, face down in the mindless gutter
You puked and you bled, the lifeblood of the holy mother
Lame and astray, bloated in the crimson river
Needless to say, we are here to burn and wither
Come with me, walk with me
The voice of doom and new adventures
Love with me, love with you
The endless trip is what you're after
Blinding light, burning light
From excess to bitter laughter
Happiness, loneliness
Kneel before the disaster master
The night is almost over and still there you are
Half dead, numb and shipwrecked like a shooting star
Surrounded by black witches, you don't know what to do
Weak without the magic, the madness is killing you
The lyrics to Candlemass's song Witches seem to depict a story of a person who is suffering and struggling in a world ruled by witches. The song begins with someone stealing the "Starlight" from the back of the person's hand which seems to indicate taking away their magical ability or power. The person then finds themselves lying on the sand, unable to do anything as they are weak without their magical abilities. The controls are set for night flights when the witches ruled the world, creating a sense of danger and fear for the person. They see cockroaches and crows in a twinkling moment, which can be seen as a bad omen.
The person is advised to go behind the great clouds to stay the same, but they will perish in "nothing land" when their name is whispered aloud, creating a sense of danger and inevitable harm. They are faced with a window full of trauma which is inevitable and ever-present. They know it's time to scream and leave this world, which can be interpreted as a desire to escape from this dangerous world. The person finds themself drunk and misled, in a mindless gutter, puking, and bleeding the lifeblood of the holy mother. They are astray, bloated in the crimson river and are here to burn and wither.
The song seems to depict a world where witches rule over the weak without mercy, creating a sense of blindness, madness, and despair. The person seems to have lost their magical ability and is in danger of being destroyed. The lyrics invoke a sense of helplessness and fear, where everything seems destined to go wrong. The only way to survive is to escape this world, where the madness is killing you.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone stole the starlight from the backside of your hand
You feel lost and without guidance because someone has taken away the things that gave you direction in your life
Weak without the magic you lay passed out in the sand
Your weakness and vulnerability makes you unable to defend yourself, leaving you helpless and lying on the ground
With controls set for night flights when witches ruled the world
The world used to be a different place where magic was powerful and witches were in charge, but now things have changed and you feel lost in this new, unfamiliar world
In a twinkling moment you see cockroaches and crows
You start to see things that aren't really there, indicating that you are losing touch with reality
Go behind the great clouds if you want to stay the same
If you want to remain in your comfort zone, you must avoid exploring new and challenging situations
In nothing land you'll perish when they whisper aloud your name
If you don't find a purpose and direction in life, you will fade away and be forgotten
A window full of trauma stares you in the face
You are confronted with a difficult and traumatic situation that you cannot ignore or escape from
You know it's time to scream now and leave this fucking place
You realize that you cannot stay in this terrible situation any longer and you need to take action to get out
So drunk and misled, face down in the mindless gutter
You feel lost and directionless, wandering aimlessly and intoxicated in a dark and dangerous alley
You puked and you bled, the lifeblood of the holy mother
You have succumbed to your own destructive behavior and are now suffering from the consequences
Lame and astray, bloated in the crimson river
Your movements are clumsy and uncoordinated, and you are trapped in a situation that is draining your life energy away
Needless to say, we are here to burn and wither
You are in a place of destruction where everything is slowly being consumed and destroyed
Come with me, walk with me
Join me on a journey of exploration and discovery
The voice of doom and new adventures
We will face challenges and difficulties, but also discover new and exciting opportunities
Love with me, love with you
Through our journey together, we will develop a deep and meaningful connection
The endless trip is what you're after
You crave adventure and excitement that lasts without end
Blinding light, burning light
The journey will be intense and transformative
From excess to bitter laughter
We will go from experiences of abundance and happiness to facing bitter and painful truths
Happiness, loneliness
We will experience a range of emotions, from joy to isolation and despair
Kneel before the disaster master
We must confront the challenges that lay before us and prepare ourselves for the worst outcome
The night is almost over and still there you are
Time is running out and yet you are still stuck in the same difficult situation
Half dead, numb and shipwrecked like a shooting star
You feel lost, drained of life energy, and adrift without direction or guidance
Surrounded by black witches, you don't know what to do
You are lost in a dark and unpredictable environment, surrounded by dangerous individuals that you cannot trust
Weak without the magic, the madness is killing you
Your powerlessness and vulnerability is causing you to lose touch with reality and become consumed by insanity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEIF EDLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind