CANDLEMASS To Celebrate 40th Anniversary With 'Black Star' EP
Swedish godfathers of epic doom CANDLEMASS will celebrate their 40th anniversary of pioneering the genre with a four-track EP, "Black Star". Packed with craterous riffs, this celebration of doom metal mastery is set for release on May 9 via Napalm Records.
With "Black Star", the genre-defying band unveils two brand-new songs alongside two cover versions of timeless classics. The EP will be available in various formats, including a strictly limited vinyl edition featuring a 12-page vinyl booklet, an A3 poster, and a tote bag.
CANDLEMASS mastermind Leif Edling comments: "Not all bands get to see their 40th birthday and it certainly hasn't been an easy ride. But many ups and downs later, we stand here as survivors, veterans even… a bit scarred perhaps? Still ready though to unleash another piece of doom-laden metal upon an unsuspecting world. You have to do something when you turn 40, right? Anyway, as always, it's been fun recording some new stuff as well as covering a couple of old favorites."
Title track "Black Star" blends haunting melodies with deeply introspective lyrics, brought to life by the dark, romantic voice of vocalist Johan Länquist. Songwriter Leif Edling's lyrics delve into themes of existential struggle, temptation, and the allure of darkness — creating an intense atmosphere imbued with CANDLEMASS's signature sound. The second new track, "Corridors Of Chaos", marks a true old-school instrumental containing both classic metal riffing and stunning guitar playing by Lars Johansson, showcasing the band's mastery of dynamics. Adding to this tribute, CANDLEMASS delivers a cover of BLACK SABBATH's iconic "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", taking listeners back to 1973. This is followed by their rendition of PENTAGRAM's classic "Forever My Queen", further cementing CANDLEMASS's remarkable contribution to shaping the genre into what it is today.
"Black Star" track listing:
01. Black Star (new song)
02. Corridors Of Chaos (new song)
03. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (BLACK SABBATH cover)
04. Forever My Queen (PENTAGRAM cover)
As previously reported, a one-off world-exclusive performance of CANDLEMASS featuring the band's former vocalist Messiah Marcolin will take place at this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece, slated for September 12-13, 2025 in Athens, Greece.
Back in October 2022, Messiah and longtime CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman joined Canadian metallers ANVIL on stage at the Slaktkyrkan venue in Stockholm, Sweden to perform the classic ANVIL song "Metal On Metal". The event marked the first time in 16 years that the two musicians performed together.
Marcolin exited CANDLEMASS for the presumably final time in 2006, one year after the release of the band's self-titled album. He was later replaced by Robert Lowe (SOLITUDE AETURNUS),who sang on the band's "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007),"Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012) LPs. CANDLEMASS's frontman between 2012 and 2018 was Mats Levén, who previously recorded and toured with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and THERION. Seven years ago, CANDLEMASS fired Levén and rehired Johan Längqvist. Längqvist sang on CANDLEMASS's debut album, 1986's "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", before exiting the group and being replaced by Marcolin.
Photo credit: Linda Åkerberg
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