(Leif Edling) We recorded a Abstrakt Algebra album in the winter of 96/97 failed and were forced to rerecord everthing again. During the time half of the band dissapeared and I had nothing. Recieved a contract as Candlemass with Music for nations and recorded it again, but with new songs, new arrangements on old tracks and with new people.

To begin this interview I would like to go way back in your musical career, you started out as a leadsinger in the band Trilogy in the early 1980s before forming Nemesis, for the hardcore fans of Candlemass is it any recordings available during your stint with Trilogy?

There is a couple of rehearsals that are fortuneatly saved and locked in.

After the period with Trilogy you formed the band Nemesis and released the incredible ep The day of retribution on Fingerprint records a label also known for the Mercy albums, the ep was at the time the heaviest album ever released by a Swedish band, was that the aim that you have had for a long time to record such a incredible heavy album?

Nemesis started out as a trio, struggled with both heavy stuff and double bassdrums tracks. Things turned out that the heavier things turned up on the album but Nemesis were a very divided band in terms of the bandmembers.

After the ep you formed one of the best acts ever to come out of Sweden Candlemass. You recorded the now famous Witchcraft demo in 1985 a demo that lead to a following in the underground scene, did it suprise you that the demo was going to be such well recieved as it turned out to be?

As said we were very young and naive and had no clue. Black Dragon was the only label that we heard from. Of course we were very happy on that + the response from the fans, that was the first response we ever recieved because all local people in our hometown Upplands Vasby(outside of Stockholm) thought that we sucked.

With the demo Witchcraft you got a deal with the french label Black Dragon records and recorded one of the greatest albums that has ever been recorded in history of metal Epicus Doomicus Metallicus 1986 an album that gave the birth of a new term in metal Doom metal, looking back on that album today what is your opinion about the incredible following that album had and still is now 12 years later?

Its possible that later Candlemass albums were more matured but Epicus..I still like most. Its great to hear that people still hail that album 12 years later, even Kerrang! had Epicus..on a top5 list over useful doom albums with the first Sabbath album and Trouble.

There is a lot of elements on the album first of all the cover of the album, along with the vocals from Johan Langqvist of the band Jonah Quizz and the incredible lyrics to the record looking back on the recordings of that album made in the famous Thunderload studios in Stockholm, how long did it take to record and how do you feel about the album today?

We spent 2 weeks in Thunderload with Ragne Wahlkvist(of Heavy Loadfame) for the price of 13 000 Swedish krone in the middle of winter in a bunker that was placed in a underground subway. We played in Helly Hansen, mixed and checked the sound in a friends carstereo and down to mix again. Matte (Matz Ekström) were very serious that the bassdrums was sounding loud enough.

Later in the same year you recruited the singer from Mercy Messiah Marcolin. A lot of Candlemass fans has heard the famous story when he called you in the middle of the night begging to become a singer in the band, before the Messiah subject I do wonder what happened with Johan after the release of Epicus..?

Johan were brought in cause I didnt want to sing on the album. We thought that he would carry on singing for us but he wanted to concentrate on his own thing, straight off popmusic.

After the Epicus..Lp a lot of things happened in the Candlemass camp, 3 new members came beside Messiah leadguitarist Lars Johansson and drummer Jan Lindh, you changed from Black Dragon to the new formed Axis records, at the time did you felt this was a right move for Candlemass?

Black dragon dropped us because Epicus.. didnt sell well, shortly after that we got in touch with Dave Constable( Candlemass Manager) on the new formed Axis, the only offer we recieved. Easy choice and enough at the current time. Perfect!

A new Candlemass lineup was presented to the fans on the album Nightfall 1987, an album still today rated very high along with Epicus to a lot of fans. You also changed studio to Stockholm recording studios with Mats Lindfors at the production helm. To a lot of Candlemass fans today this album was the starting point for your incredible following worldwide, do you agree?

Hard to not do it. We recieved a huge breakthrough everyone loved the album and it sold loads of copies.

With the album Nightfall you succeded to play at the Dynamo open air festival in Holland 1987 looking back on that period did the show at this particular festival open more doors for you all over europe in terms of fans and following?

We did a killergig at the Dynamo and I guess that people realized that this was for real. We had a band and we wanted to tour. This is important to show yourself if you want to sell records. After Dynamo Candlemass career took a big step forward.

At this time Candlemass liveshow was really spectacular with the candles around the drumkit and Messiahs incredible energetic performance, looking back on the liveperformances you did between 1987-1991 I have heard that you hardly rehearsed before a show was it to maintain the spontaneous attitude as a liveact?

A wonderful understatement. Some members in the band was too lazy to rehearse, thats why the livevideo from Hammersmith Odeon sounds the way it does. A bit in the tours we crushed though. The only show we really rehearsed for was the liveperformance we did at Fryshuset (livealbum) we rehearsed like crazy and you can hear that too. 2 overdubs one bassplayfault and one guitarthing it took a hour to fix.

To move back to the Nightfall album, the frontcover is one of the best covers I have ever seen on an album with the Angel leading the way for this man in the golden boat, where did you find the painting and did you felt that the artwork was going hand in hand with the title Nightfall?

We had the title before the artwork. Messiah had a friend in the states that sent him Journey of life by Thomas Cole. 4 pictures that cover the cycle of life. The birth youth(Ancient dreams), midage and olderness(Nightfall) it suited perfectly. We thought first to use all four of them as Candlemass albumcovers but all of them isnt good enough.

From that point on 1987 to 1991 you toured with several acts Motörhead, King Diamond,Savatage and loads of others you did a number of tours in the states and a number of tours in europe you were hailed by many as one of the most exciting liveacts all over Europe, looking back on that period what is your opinion about the massive following you had as a liveact and to be such versatile by touring with so many different genres of metal?

We did great tours and shows with all these bands. Popular and raw bands that attracted big audiences. Bands with energy does always go down well. We dropped the Sabbath tour 1990 just because of that. Sabbath thought that we were too similar for the enjoyment of the crowd + that it could attract the same kind of people. You want to attract all kinds of fans to the concerts, two slow bands is one too many, it could be some truth in that.

Now to the next album Ancient dreams that came out in 1988 recorded in Nacka recording house outside of Stockholm, with the success you had both with epicus and Nightfall both in the reviews and the fanbase got even stronger. You also changed from Axis to Active records, was it any pressure at all both from the media and the fans in the songwriting of that album?

There were some pressure, but nothing we cared about. The songs were there and we recorded them, sadly Mats Lindfors was unable to do it that time and the recordcomapny refused to wait. We hated the mix and Active refused to remix it because of a UK tour they had booked. That is the only thing I regret in my career that I didnt fight back more. With a good mix I think the album could have been very good, even my own rawmixes does sound better.

In 1989 you did your final album with Messiah Marcolin on vocals The incredible Tales of Creation album, I have read earlier that you wasnt so happy with the production of Ancient dreams so did you felt at this time that Tales.. had taken off where the Nightfall has ended?

In my opinion I think Tales of creation was a bit slick in the sound, but hell of a lot better than Ancient dreams, we resettled our reputation sort of and had this album been released after Nightfall it had been perfect. I cant think if not if it had been. Things happen and you have to deal with it. Still we sold a lot of albums and did great tours, so what the hell.

In 1990 you released one of the greatest livealbums ever Candlemass live, an album that is rated with the classic livealbums of all time Rush All the worlds a stage UFO Strangers in the night and so on, you did the album in one take at Fryshuset in Stockholm. Did you felt with the album that this was going to be the perfect gift to your loyal following of fans and for people that had not heard Candlemass before a pefect introduction?

A suberb presentation of the band for new listeners. One of our best performances ever. At first we wanted to record it at the Marquee, but we thought that what the hell, great fun to do it in Stockholm instead. The complete show is filmed with super quality, maybe one day....

Now to the subject of Messiah Marcolin, he did nearly 6 years in the band. How much did his stage personality and vocalperformance meant for the band in terms of the following and success that you had?

A whole lot, a incredible frontman at the shows we did. People liked his vocals and as eye catching attraction were Messiah totally unbeatable. Sadly he can be a little tough to work with and when it increases the whole band and the chemistry in it you cant work with each other in the long run.

When Messiah left, I have heard that Johan was brought back in again in the band before Thomas Wikström came in the lineup, am I right?

Johan tested a few songs, it didnt work out so we recruited Thomas Wikström. I think Johan tested Ebony throne and Dying Illusion.

With Thomas Wikström you did 1 album Chapter VI and the Sigge Furst ep, before the split, looking back on that period did you felt with Thomas that the chemistry was back in the band?

We had great fun together and for the first time we played a whole lot of shows in Sweden, it was packed all over the place from Malmo to Umea. In terms of playing this was the best time for me in Candlemass, maybe beside the early years when everything was fun. Chapter VI wasnt a good album and you can hear that we splitted the band right before that. Due to a tough overspeak campaign we did one album more, but there wasnt any musical inspiration in there mainly due to a lot of dissagreements.

In 1995 you came back to the scene with the incredible album Abstrakt Algebra, with the breathtaking vocals of the now Yngwie Malmsteen singer Mats Leven. A highly recommended album with every track as a winner. In my opinion you are really one of the greatest songwriters ever to come out of Sweden, what was the inspiration for you in the musical direction with the Abstrakt..album?

To be free from Candlemass and to find new exciting people to play with. Avoid all the traps and able to do exactly what I wanted to do. A bit more tripped out and damned good played of all involved. Deep inside I wanted to do a progressive Rush album a la A farewell to kings, but I had to please myself with with Who what where then the last track hysterical excesses. There are unreleased Abstrakt.. things that are quite cool, hopefully something will be released a bit later on this fall on my own label Froghouse Records, only extremely cool vinyl 10´. The first four will be released in late april( already released) and that will be Candlemass, Spiritual Beggars, Brick and Ornskoldsviks(Swe) Boozemans simplex, very cool unreleased stuff is promised.

Now lets move back to Candlemass, a compilation came out in 1994 called As it is as it was, when you pieced together that compilation did you felt this compilation were going to be the most representative for Candlemass?

If you look to the material yes. But as musical highlight is the livealbum better. But what the hell, every band does have compilation album sort of, so I guess this album is Ok.

I touched this subject in a earlier question, over the years since the Nemesis ep you are one of the greatest songwriters in the metal scene of Europe in my opinion, I wonder how do you manage to keep this high standard both in music and lyrics year after year, what is the motivation for you?

Not to repeat yourself and be stuck in the same corner and pathetic. If you dont have things to write about then you should not do it. If you dont have music in your head you shouldnt do albums(Chapter VI for example) Its about having a vision, how crazy in one way or another, and then to follow it. You always bring people that maybe not have that or share that vision, but feels that someone anyway have a plan. People whitout visions turns out to nobodys. My concept is create! from your wiev . Give a damn what other people says and does, do what you want! Are you only a realist you can do what the fuck you want. At this time its plenty of musicplaying in my poor head so I guess you dont get rid of me yet for some time ahead.

Finally now to the comeback album of Candlemass Dactylis Glomerata, a very strange title I must say what does the title mean and could you please inform us who is in the lineup and what sort of album its going to be I have heard that the album includes Hammond organ am I right, please give us the story?

Dactylis Glomerata is a giant pterodactyl from Jurzperiodox almost same age as me! Beside that the album is a mix between Abstrakt and Candlemass. Abstrakt doom sort of speak of natural reasons. A lot of old Candlemass fans will notice the good old sound in tracks like Wiz I still see the black and Karthago etc. then we have the Uriah Heep similar Dustflow and the epic Abstrakt sun. Pretty much varied material Doom for the 90s type no metal and no Messiah, only new blood and inspiration. No dungeons and dragons only small inwiews of a frustrating world that are around us. The less dignity complex and the struggle to win in the track Abstrakt sun. The view of televison magic and boringness in Wiz the ordinary day apathy in Apathy relationproblems in Karthago and Dustflow , Heaven or hell ? I still see the black is about the general blackwiev you can get if you are in the greyzone of living single. everthing added with screaming hammond organ disted wurlitzer and complete desperation.

The last question I have is this, since the first album Epicus you have influenced a lot of bands in the metal scene in terms of musical direction, what is your opinion about the major impact you have had on these younger bands of today?

Great fun that people still remember us, if you go out to the pub or to some show is it always people that come forward to talk Candlemass, everywhere you go in the world there is fans, and it still arrives letters and cards from Greece, Japan, Australia,United states etc. etc. If you read about Metal,Death,Doom,Black Metal the name Candlemass pops up at times and this is a incredible feeling to have contributed with something that people still remember that is really damn good.

By Gabriel Lilliehook

Candlemass info at www.candlemass.net