As of June 2012, Rob Lowe is no longer a member of Candlemas.
Formed in the spring of 1987, the lineup began as John Perez; quit his former seminal thrash metal band Rotting Corpse in early 1987. Perez, already a veteran of the metal scene, had begun to tire of the limitations of thrash and sought a new sound. Already a long time follower of the early 1980s classic doom groups like Witchfinder General, St. Vitus, Black Hole, Nemesis and the like, Perez decided to adopt a doom metal sound. Perez assembled a group of musicians over the next year namely; Brad Kane - Drums (another member of the early 1980s thrash scene), Kris Gebhardt - vocals (previously with over the top Satanic death metal band Death Tripper), Tom Martinez - guitar and Chris Hardin - bass. After writing songs and rehearsing up until December 1987, the band entered the studio in Jan 1988 to record their legendary 5-song demo entitled “Justice for all.” It should be noted that this title and demo preceded the Metallica album of the same name by some 7 months. Also of interest is that the band's name at this time was Solitude. It would not be until two years later that the band would be forced to change the name to Solitude Aeturnus.
After the release of the demo, various gigs around the local area followed. The response was lukewarm at best since no one around the area knew what to think of the band. In late '88 changes started to occur within the band and without going into too many details the members of the band all changed finally settling on a lineup that consisted of Perez - guitars, Edgar Rivera - guitars, Robert Lowe - vocals, Lyle Steadham - bass and John "Wolf" Covington on drums. This lineup would last for the next 7 years taking the band all the way to 1996. Of special interest is that Lyle Steadham actually joined the band on drums while Chris Hardin was still on bass. This particular line-up recorded the second official demo of the band containing two classic tracks, "Mirror of Sorrow" and "Opaque Divinity.” Lyle would shortly move over to bass duties as Hardin left the band and Covington joined.
This two-song tape caught the attention of the independent label King Classic. The band entered the prestigious Dallas Sound Lab in January 1990 to record their classic debut album, "Into the Depths of Sorrow.” After a disastrous first mix, the band went back to Sound Logic Studios (where the two demos were done) for a remix. It was a nightmare to try to fix but the band managed to capture a great, albeit raw sound nonetheless. The whole album was recorded for a paltry sum of $3000 and done in 7 days including the remix. Shortly after the album was delivered, the album suffered a delay due to King Classic not having the money to put it out. After some shopping around the album eventually caught the attention of Roadrunner Records and a licensed deal followed by Solitude Aeturnus signing directly to Roadrunner followed, after numerous other delays, the album finally saw the light of day in July 1991 a full year and a half after the album was recorded. No tours followed although by this time the band had already written enough songs for a second album. In March 1992, the band entered Sound Logic recording studios to begin the sessions for the second album, "Beyond the Crimson Horizon"
The budget for "Beyond" was much greater and as a result, the sound was improved, the album was released in July 1992 and eventually a US tour was set up in late November with Paul Di'Anno's Killers. The tour lasted six weeks and was a great success for the band. Shortly after in February 1993 the band was dropped from Roadrunner. This came as a sigh of relief for the band as the proper support from Roadrunner never came their way. It would not be until December that the band would finally sign a new recording contract with up and coming label, Pavement Records.
The band decided to get away from their familiar surroundings and took off for England to record their third album, Through the Darkest Hour. Recorded in late March 1994 at Rhythm Studios, this was to be among the band's best work to date, showing a simpler and heavier direction. The production was also at its best and the band was moving their way up the metal ladder.
"Darkest Hour" received critical acclaim all across the globe upon its release in August 1994. After a few months of negotiating, the band went on the road with metal legends Mercyful Fate for an extensive US tour. The tour lasted six weeks and shortly after the band embarked on their first tour of Europe with fellow doom band Revelation. After this tour, the band went through a long break that would last until the April of 1996 when recording for the next album commenced. During this time, Perez started his own Brainticket Records label as well as recording a solo album under the name of The Liquid Sound Company. The next album, "Downfall" was recorded in Dallas TX and despite receiving praise once again for their efforts, the band was extremely dissatisfied with the product. The songs were top notch but the production quality of the album was poor. After years of hard knocks and never-ending struggles, the band underwent their first (and only) major lineup change.
Lyle Steadham left the band shortly after the recording of Downfall. Primary because he was tired of the group's sound and eventually formed the punk band the Kill keeps. The band continued on enlisting the services of Teri Pritchard in as temporary bassist. This line-up toured Europe in April 1996 with Swedish power metal band Morgana Lafey. Another unintentional break followed and a split from Pavement Records eventually occurred. During this time new bass player, Steve Mosley was added to the band. A long time friend and fan of the band, Steve was the perfect replacement for Lyle. The band then signed on to German label Massacre Records in December 1997 and recorded what was to become their masterpiece, "Adagio.” This time going back to Rhythm Studios in England the album was recorded in March 1998 and released in June of the same year. The band toured Europe in September 1998 with Savior Machine in support of the record. Adagio finally saw a U.S. release in January 1999 through Olympic Records. Being distributed through PolyGram, the Olympic deal gave the band even greater exposure in the native country.
Black Castle
Solitude Aeturnus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deceit that burns
The dragon's lair
The blackened air
The face is now upturned
Deceiving mask
Your silent sword
The lion's den
Blasphemy unto your lord
The Black Castle of Rome
Midnight's shallow home
Monument of lies
Blinding faithful eyes
Cathedral bells your faithful tears
The divine right
The fearless might
Play upon men's fears
Burning the wise in fires of gold
The dogs of doom
The empty tomb
Millions of faltering souls
Our destiny turned
Never to learn
The saving grace
The endless faith
Has condemned us all to burn
The lyrics of "Black Castle" by Solitude Aeturnus paint a dark, ominous picture of deceit, blasphemy, and burning. The song describes a castle where torches light the halls and a dragon lurks in the blackened air. The face of the singer is upturned, suggesting a realization of their fate. They are surrounded by deception, with a silent sword and a tithe of sin. The castle is a monument of lies, blinding the faithful eyes of those who see it.
As the song continues, the lyrics describe the toll of this deception on the faithful. Cathedral bells ring, commemorating their tears, and the might of the church plays on their fears. The "dogs of doom" and empty tombs paint a picture of a devastated landscape littered with faltering souls. The lyrics suggest that despite all their efforts, the faithful have been condemned to burn. The final lines suggest that, in the face of this bleak destiny, there is no salvation to be found; the endless faith has turned them all toward a fiery end.
Line by Line Meaning
Torch lit halls
The halls are illuminated with torches
Deceit that burns
Deception that carries a painful sting
The dragon's lair
Refers to the location of the deceitful person
The blackened air
The air is dark and murky
The face is now upturned
The one who was deceived is now looking up
Deceiving mask
The deceitful person wears a mask hiding their true identity
Your silent sword
The deceitful person is ready to strike with a deadly weapon
The tithe of sin
The payment for the wrongdoing that has been committed
The lion's den
A place of great danger and possible harm
Blasphemy unto your lord
The deceitful actions go against the teachings of the faith
The Black Castle of Rome
A metaphor for the corrupt nature of the powerful
Midnight's shallow home
The darkness hides the truth of the situation
Monument of lies
A representation of the falsehoods and deceit that are being propagated
Blinding faithful eyes
The faithful are being led astray by the deception
Cathedral bells your faithful tears
The bells tolling represent sorrow and despair felt by the faithful
The divine right
The authority granted by God
The fearless might
The seemingly unstoppable power of those in control
Play upon men's fears
Used as a tool for manipulation
Burning the wise in fires of gold
Even the wise are being destroyed by the corrupt forces
The dogs of doom
An ominous representation of the impending danger
The empty tomb
A sign of the loss of hope, and the end of something
Millions of faltering souls
Those who are struggling to maintain their faith and dignity
Our destiny turned
Our fate has changed
Never to learn
We continue making the same mistakes, never gaining wisdom
The saving grace
The chance to be redeemed or saved from damnation
The endless faith
The never-ending commitment to one's religious beliefs
Has condemned us all to burn
We are all doomed to suffer for our shortcomings and sins
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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