Doom Will Make You Happy - Candlemass At SRF 2005

Written by David, June 2005

wedish doom metal legends Candlemass has once again reunited. If you can say that they even fulfilled the threat to break up this time, that is… Of course they should play at Sweden Rock Festival then, where they reunited in 2002. I bench myself in a hot press tent to meet the heavy fellows. Compared to when Yngwie Malmsteen met the press earlier the same day, the crowd of journalists are much smaller and the questions fewer. That does not seem to bother Brother Messiah (singer Eddie Marcolin), who speaks anyway about a little of everything. He has a new monk cape today, he tells us, because the one he used on the last gig almost strangled him.

he whole band seems happy and harmonic together. So happy that I have to ask how they do to get in the right doom mood before the concert. Messiah explains quite narrowly that one should not take doom too serious. They have fun on stage and they hope that the crowd will have fun as well. They do music that they like and what can make you more pleased than that? What is really sad is mass-produced mainstream music. In other words, when you leave a Candlemass-concert you should be happy.

eif Edling tells us that he considers this to be the real Candlemass and that the records that he released under the same name but with other fellow musicians were more of side projects, in retrospect. For those who like the songs from those records there is hope to hear them live with his other band, Krux.

Talking about the new (self-titled) album, Messiah explains how he tried to get a more live feeling in his singing. A mix of not thinking too much of details and a stomach sickness gave the great result, he tells.

How do they choose which songs to play then?
- "Well, you can say that we are the Barcelona of metal, we have a very good bench", Leif and Messiah concludes together.

Leif wonders if it is possible to top the gig at Sweden Rock in 2002, which kind of settled the reunion of the band (though there have been some twists and turns after that). Messiah replies that it will be a piece of cake and laughs.

"Can somebody please tell Yngwie to turn down, fucking Paganini!" (Messiah thinks the sound from Festival Stage is disturbing when Leif talks…)

Do you want another song about death?

Hungry as a monk I grab a pasta with ham and cheese on my way to see Candlemass on Festival Stage. The day to honor they have some nice new shining crosses on stage. They go for the knock straight away with Black Dwarf, from the new album, and follow up with another of my favorites, Mirror Mirror. The pasta is going down quickly so that I will be able to focus on more serious stuff, like headbanging. I have always had the greatest respect for Candlemass, but in a whole set I could think it was too much of the slow, long doom songs for my personal taste. With the new, somewhat faster metal material the blend gets perfect. Messiah surely is born to be a front man for this band. His solid body almost flies around on stage, waving, banging and stomping. "Vill ni höra en låt om dööööööööden?" ("Do you want a song about death?") The crowd shouts of joy and Messiah laughs: "We play about death and everybody gets happy…" Of course we get our piece of doom dance and a row of classic songs like Solitude, At The Gallows End and my new favorite Seven Silver Keys. This is just as good, or better, as 2002 I think, so Messiah got his cake. And yes, I am happy! (Candlemass 10/10)

Setlist:

1. Black Dwarf
2. Mirror Mirror
3. Under The Oak
4. Assasin Of The Light
5. Copernicus
6. Dark Reflections
7. Solitude
8. At The Gallows End
9. Seven Silver Keys
10. Bearer Of Pain
11. Ancient Dreams
12. A Sorcerser's Pledge
13. Marche Funebre (intro)
14. The Well Of Souls
15. Dark Are The Veils Of Death

David - June 2005