Candlemass

来自瑞典的CANDLEMASS依靠乐队出众的才华重现了昔日BLACK SABBATH所特有的沉缓如巨磨般的音乐氛围，并在英国新浪潮重金属运动的后期对当时几乎所有的重金属乐队都产生了相当显著的影响。可以说，正是这支乐队开创了现代厄运金属乐的一个新时代，在整个Doom Metal乐坛里，他们和起到了承前启后的作用，联系了70年代末到80年代初的Doom乐队诸如PENTAGRAM、SAINT VITUS和80年代末的Doom乐队诸如CATHEDRAL、VITAL REMAINS等。
1985年，贝司手Leif Edling所在的NEMESIS乐队解散以后，他和主唱Johan Lanquist、吉他手Mats Bjorkman以及鼓手Matz Ekstrom一起组建了CANDLEMASS。组队仅仅一年，乐队的处女作Epicus Doomicus Metallicus（史诗、厄运、金属）便宣告问世，而且一经推出就得到了当时重金属圈内人士的首肯。这张经典的Doom Metal专辑中已经包含了日后诸多此类乐队频繁使用的大量音乐元素，诸如磨盘般沉重缓慢的吉他riff、飘渺美妙的歌特女声、旋律优美的键盘段落和复杂多变的曲式。虽然这张专辑在多年之后的今天已经被奉为经典，但在当时却并没有引起多少关注，或许只有当年的CATHEDRAL、VITAL REMAINS的乐队成员对他们表示了兴趣。
乐队直到1987年发行专辑Nightfall（夜幕降临）以后才真正确立了自己在乐坛独一无二的地位。此时的乐队阵容已经发生了很大的变化——Jan Lindh成为了乐队的新任鼓手，此外增加了一名主音吉他手Lars Johansson，而最重要的变化莫过于主唱Messiah Marcolin的加入，他的歌剧般的唱腔加上沉重的riff和黑暗意味的旋律与富于文学底蕴的歌词相得益彰，而乐队在现场演出时更是装扮成类似僧侣的模样，这一切使得CANDLEMASS与当时的那些Thrash Metal乐队从外形到音乐以及气质上均有着明显的分别。
此后，乐队又先后发行了专辑Ancient Dreams（上古之梦）（1988）和Tales of Creation（创造的神话）（1989），这两张专辑同样获得了成功，而乐队在专辑中的表现也日臻完美，此时的CANDLEMASS正处于职业生涯的黄金时期。然而，随着主唱Messiah Marcolin离队去组建自己的乐队MOMENTO MORI（签约于Blackmark公司），乐队也一下子陷入了困境。CANDLEMASS随后发行了一张现场专辑，其中收录了Maarcolin时期的一些现场录音。
随后，Tomas Vikstrom成为了CANDLEMASS的新主唱，乐队在1992年发行了专辑Chapter VI（第六章），仍然延续了以往的风格，但此时的摇滚乐坛已不再是重金属音乐的天下，因此这张专辑成绩平平，不久以后乐队宣告解散。
CANDLEMASS 解散后，乐队的创始人Leif Edling在1994年的时候组建了一支名为Abstrakt Algebra的乐队，风格偏向传统的欧洲式重金属。但是在这支乐队仅发行了两张专辑后，Edling又决定重组CANDLEMASS。他找来了主唱 Bjorn Fklodkvist、吉他手Michael Amott（他是伟大的瑞典金属吉他手，曾加入过CARNAGE、CARCASS、ARCH ENEMY等乐队）、键盘手Carl Westholm和鼓手Jejo Perkovic。新乐队在1998年录制并发行了专辑Dactylis Glomerata，这是一张先锋派的前卫金属乐专辑，与乐队以往的厄运金属风格有比较明显的差异。随后，乐队的吉他手换成了Mats Stahl并在1999年发行了新专辑From The 13th Sun（从第13个太阳）。
虽然CANDLEMASS依然存在并且做着不错的金属音乐，但是已经不可能超越当初经典的Doom Metal风格了，不管怎么样，CANDLEMASS最早的四张专辑都是Doom Metal音乐历史上不可不提的重要作品，它们对现在大量以旋律和编排取胜的Doom/Gothic Metal乐队有着无法估量的影响，实际上，如果你喜欢THEATER OF TRAGEDY、ON THORNS I LAY、LAKE OF TEARS或者CREMETARY这类乐队的话，那么你不妨直接去听CANDLEMASS的前四张专辑，因为那里面已经包括了一切。
One of the fastest (hehe) and busiest bands in the whole Doom Metal and Metal scene, CANDLEMASS didn`t hesitate to deliver a full-length studio album as a follow-up to last year`s massive “Lucifer rising” EP. And it is as sensational and striking as its title! “Death magic doom” breaks the chains of genre restrictions and serves the listener an album of monumental, breathtaking (Doom) Metal formed to perfection.
Many listeners might be unaware that on CANDLEMASS` groundbreaking debut album “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” (which gave a name to a whole subgenera) the vocal duties were not covered by Messiah, but by a certain Johan Langquist. Messiah joined Black Sabbath enthusiast Leif Edling and the rest of the crew in time for their second effort, the immortal and epic “Nightfall”. The density of all-time favourites such as “Dark Are The Veils Of Death”, “Bewitched” or “The Well Of Souls” on the 1987 album was, and still remains, breathtaking. After the release of 1989`s concept album “Tales Of Creation”, Messiah left the band for the first time. The two “comeback” albums “Dactylis Glomerata” and “From The 13th Sun” were recorded with different vocalists and saw the band experimenting with new moods and styles. The reunion with Messiah, who rejoined the band in 2002 for a legendary tour and more memorable shows, didn`t last long: shock and dismay hit the scene once again in 2004 as the next split occurred. Marcolin returned for the self-titled, massive “Candlemass” album which marked the band`s debut with Nuclear Blast. This opus embraced both a heavy, modern sound and the timeless CANDLEMASS trademarks that has won legions of fans since the bands early days in the mid eighties. After the monk had left for good during the recording sessions for “King Of The Grey Islands”, Robert Lowe (SOLITUDE AETURNUS) picked up the microphone in 2007 and delivered a hauntingly great job on this sombre concept album. The CANDLEMASS fans gave Robert a warm welcome on their following European tour – just listen to the live cuts on the “Lucifer rising” EP (2008)!
Now the Swedish/Texan fivepiece has returned with an album that deserves the title “classic” right from the start – because “Death Magic Doom” has it all! Uptempo Metal madness (’If I ever die’), grinding Doom (’Hammer of Doom’, which the record was initially supposed to be called) and – most of all – those immortal hymns with achingly addictive and beautiful melody lines (just check out ‘Dead angel’ or ‘The bleeding baroness’)! Recorded once more at the famous Swedish Polar Studios, “Death Magic Doom” captures CANDLEMASS at their personal best: immortal songwriting, incredible guitar solos and Robert`s brilliant vocals…Colossal, epic, heavy, doomy, you gotta love this one!!!