4:05PM – Before the show

It’s kind of a shame that when this trip is over and I go home, I probably won’t keep the image in my head of sitting here at this table and watching the December wind pushing along the top of the water of the Liljeholmsviken out the window of Bar Brooklyn. In the big room next door, Debaser, Truckfighters are soundchecking, then Firestone, Enigma Experience getting set here. I’m here earlier than yesterday, and I was plenty early yesterday too, anxious to get everything sorted see what the evening held in store for photos and whatnot, but today I mostly just got tired of sitting around, being headachy and jetlagged without the distraction of anything else on which to focus. Here I’ve got bass coming through the wall. Probably won’t cure the headache, but going nuclear with xanax, Advil and coffee should help things balance out, stop me from grinding my teeth, etc.

At some point last night, it occurred to me that as of today, it’s been a decade since the last time I took a drink of alcohol, and no, getting beer spilled on you doesn’t count — I packed a spare pair of pants for tonight, since it seems reasonable to expect that will again. Swedes going hard this weekend. But yeah, 10 years. I still don’t really call myself ‘sober,’ though it’s handy shorthand for ‘no I don’t drink because I used to drink too much,’ plus my relatively recent (re-)dive into various THC consumables doesn’t exactly speak to a drive for lucidity, but as far as being something, it’s not nothing. Given the shape my body is in more generally and the trajectory of deeper middle age to come, not downing a case of beer and/or a bottle of wine every night is probably the right call. I’m rarely tempted to drink, so that’s fortunate.

I’m also wearing a warmer hoodie tonight, since among Debaser’s amenities is a massive coat-check — it could basically be a third stage; has to account for both rooms — of which I plan to avail myself when it opens. Until then, things are pretty quiet here. I met last night an entire American contingent, including members of Texas’ Mr. Plow and long-tenured folks from shows more local to me. Hell, Ron (you know Ron) was in Richmond last weekend too, so no lack of continuity there.

The days are shorter here than at home. I don’t know what time the sun came up, as much as it did, with yesterday’s grim and grey weather carrying over, but it’s been full nighttime for over an hour now. Stockholm was out partying last night though, dance clubs going off near here, and one here after the show was done, welp-dressed people waiting in line to get in as the rock crowd made its way out. Would expect more of that tonight as well.

But it’s a cool city and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it tomorrow before flying out Monday morning, and I’m incredibly grateful to be here, thank you to Steve and the guys from Kings Destroy for having me along, intruding on their band-time, and to Truckfighters for putting this whole thing together and allowing me to access and cover it. And thank you as always for reading, because if you didn’t, none of this shit would ever happen. This trip wraps the busiest stretch of travel in my life; since June, I’ve been to Germany, flew to Las Vegas in August, did Oslo in October, Mexico (not music-related but still travel) in November, drove to Virginia last weekend and now I’m here. Please don’t think I don’t understand how lucky I am.

Okay, enough sappy stuff, time for rock and roll. Thanks again and here we go.

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Truckfighters Fuzz Festival #3 – Night Two

Firestone

Was not sure what to expect from a Firestone reunion. Among Swedish heavy rock bands, they came about right as other stuff was kind of tailing off, but their Stonebeliever EP and their Fuzzsplit of the Century with Truckfighters — for whom Firestone guitarist Oskar Cedermalm already doubled on bass and vocals — remain choice these two decades later, and sure enough, they got on stage and delivered that sound, that fuzz for Fuzz Festival. I’ll admit I’m curious as to their plans, if they’re going to keep going, make another go of it now that there’s a different generational fanbase that’s proven ready and willing to dig back into older bands and material so long as it doesn’t suck and is available, and after seeing them play, it doesn’t seem over the top to think they might keep it going, but of course you never know watching a band on stage what else they might have going on in their lives. All the more with reunions. Still, they were vital in energy and classic in form, easy to dig for sure, and with the infrastructure of Fuzzorama Records behind them, it at least doesn’t feel crazy to think they could make something of it, even if that’s just more fest appearances every now and then.

Enigma Experience

They were actually one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing, and I know that sounds funny given some of the acts on this bill over the two nights, but Enigma Experience released their debut album, Question Mark (review here), in 2020, and I feel like I’ve been trying ever since I heard it to get a handle on where exactly their sound is coming from. Seeing them live, as one would hope, gave more of a sense. Because it’s Niklas Källgren on guitar, at least some portion of the tone is going to be recognizable from his work in Truckfighters — yes, he and Oskar are both pulling double duty, triple if you count running the fest — but the context is legitimately different, and yeah, you might liken it to, well, he’s still jumping around on stage, but he’s doing so performing more vocals, switching from acoustic to electric, and complementing the stage presence of Maurice Adams while donning ladies’ eveningwear. The songs, still definitely rock and straight ahead, are also atmospheric in a way that makes me think they’ll continue to grow along those lines, and what’s nascent in their sound now will play an increasing role going forward as they grow together as a unit and gain the inherent confidence from that. They, very clearly, are on their way.

Astroqueen

Not that I speak the language or anything, because I most definitely don’t, tack så mycket, but I’m pretty sure I heard Astroqueen announce from the stage they’ve got a new record coming. That would be their first in over 20 years — working on the Lowrider promotional model; funny that it works — and it would only be welcome if it’s got a fraction of the force I heard come off the stage. Playing more or less in the dark, they were no less vibrant for it, and where one might expect that two decades down the line the crowd might not be as immediately on board, but indeed, they had the room held rapturous. Again, it’s that same scene that produced Dozer, Firestone, Truckfighters, Demon Cleaner, The Awesome Machine, Astroqueen, all those bands who used to haunt the message boards and word of whom now spreads through social media. They are just not a band I ever expected to see, though I’ve had Into Submission since it was current, but it only really underlines for me how lucky I am to be here, to do this. The sound was bass-heavy and that’s just fine. They’ve been doing very select shows up to this point, but I can’t help but wonder how much they’ll get out with a new album to support. I look forward to potentially finding out, provided my inner translation matrix wasn’t way off and I’m excited about what was actually banter about doughnuts backstage or something. I guess you never really know until the press release, but here’s hoping.

Kings Destroy

Look at me, punching me ‘seen ’em in multiple countries’ card with Kings Destroy. They’ve toured Europe before, not to mention Australia and New Zealand, and I saw them in August, but to be honest, they used to play all the time, they don’t anymore, and I’m glad to catch a set whenever the opportunity might present itself. They were packed onto the Bar Brooklyn stage, the second five-piece there on the fest behind Gaupa last night, and they owned the room. The lights, the sound, the crowd were all in their favor, and that made being there for it that much better, but they’re the reason I got to come here in the first place, so watching them play is automatically a positive association in my mind, even when they complain about the set afterwards, which I have a hard time thinking they will tonight. You never know when it’s going to be the last time, so make the most of it. That was what I was trying to do in the front of the stage. My back’s sore, my head’s sore, and I don’t care. I know that most people don’t really get where this band is coming from — I’ll readily admit their second record was a head-scratcher for me for years until I got the vinyl — but I don’t care about that either. Call it sentimental if you want, it doesn’t matter. I feel fortunate every time I watch Kings Destroy play, and tonight they lived up to the occasion as well as their spot on the bill.

Greenleaf

Words like “powerhouse” were invented for Greenleaf. I’ve seen the band that was once a classic rock side-project of Dozer’s Tommi Holappa before, but not since Arvid Hällagård joined on vocals, and he, Holappa, bassist Hans Frölich and drummer Sebastian Olsson just absolutely laid waste. I mean it. With Hällagård tapping full-on blues vocally with melody and confidence that reminds in the rawer live setting of some of what Dirty Streets touch on, from the opening notes, they took command of that room and made it move. Sound as physical presence. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write about them objectively again, as much as I ever could, because there was such a sense of revelry, still drawn from that classic style that was the core of their beginning, but made into something compellingly their own over time. And in the year since Echoes From a Mass (review here) came out, my affection for it has only deepened. I don’t know if it’s timeless, their sound, but it’s dug through time to become something that is in and out of it simultaneously, and watching them play live, it was like watching dances being invented. What. A. Fucking. Band. The kind of band who make you wonder how it building still has doors. I’ll say this now, any opportunity I get to see Greenleaf, I’m going to take it for as long as I am able. They were superlative.

Kal-El

Rippers. I had a feeling the Stavenger, Norway-based five-piece would be bringing it hard to Fuzz Fest, and yes, they delivered on that expectation. Nothing to argue with when a band comes out of the gate width that much of a sense of who they are and what they do. Last year, they released Dark Majesty (review here) and only built on the momentum they’d amassed over the few years prior, and if the crowd response they got at Bar Brooklyn is the result of that work they’ve put in, then yeah, they earned it. “Witches of Mars,” “Dark Majesty” itself, and their closing cover of Kyuss’ quintessential “Green Machine” found them well in charge of that space, and for not the first time here I felt like this festival could have had two rooms of equal size. As was, Kal-El brought volume and depth in kind, and handed it out with due aplomb. They’re a newer band, having put out their first release in 2015, but they’re zeroed right in on that Scandinavian ideal, having taken the lessons of California desert rock and turned influence into new creation. Kal-El made their case — “I plead the riff,” to make probably a too-American reference — and brought down Brooklyn Bar as only a headliner could and invariably must.

Truckfighters

They weren’t the first Swedish fuzz band, which is something they’ve plainly acknowledged in booking this fest, but I don’t think you can really have a conversation about fuzz from here or otherwise without respecting what Truckfighters have brought to the style. With an inimitable stage presence and nigh-on aerobic delivery, they’ve become one of the most influential heavy rock bands of their generation, at home and abroad, and their years of steady touring and the expansion of their own sound over the course of their studio material isn’t to be understated. I’m telling you this to emphasize the point that this is a group — Niklas Källgren and Oskar Cedermalm, both founding members, with a succession of drummers rounding out the trio — whose efforts have directly contributed to the way one thinks of heavy rock today. Following Greenleaf is no easy task, I don’t care who you are, and Truckfighters earn extra kudos by not making it easy on themselves in terms of where they are on the bill — don’t forget, they’re running the show and they’ve both played sets with other bands already today — but did they deliver? I wonder, could there be any doubt? Nah. They came out — on time, mind you — and tore the place a new one, that bassy sound that had given Astroqueen so much wub pushing Truckfighters heavier even as they operated true to form. It was an occasion because they made it one, literally and figuratively, and up front I could feel the full press of the crowd behind me, swaying, shoving, moving to the music. These guys tried to do the indefinite hiatus thing a few years ago, already not owing anyone anything, and that only seemed to bring into relief how crucial they are. Yeah, they go nuts on stage — mostly Källgren at this point, but he’s enough for everybody, and Cedermalm is by no means standing any more still than he has to in order to sing, but they’ve become a more dynamic band with time. Their legacy will invariably be tied to “Desert Cruiser, the Gravity X album, which was their first, but their reach is broader than they generally get credit for, and they continue to uphold a standard that most bands daydream about. All-in, every second. That’s who they are.

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When it’s over, you try to drink in as many little details as possible to preserve it. The pulsing bass of the drag-friendly dance party after the show. The spiced-berry taste of that sip of (non-alcoholic) glögg from Peder sitting with his family in a cozy, low-ceiling bakery. The smell of candied nuts in the winter market so exactly the same as New York. A crane lit in green neon in Old Town, who knows why. A spiral staircase outside a three-story house seen out the window of the train on the way to the airport. I am lucky to have been here.

More pics after the jump. Thanks again for reading, and special thanks to Justin Waggoner for letting me step in front to take pictures of Greenleaf and Mat Hause for doing the same before Truckfighters on the Debaser stage. Thank you to Steve Murphy, The Patient Mrs., my mother and Peder Bergstrand. I am fortunate to have such love in my life. Thanks to everyone who came up and said hi at the show. It was humbling.

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4:17PM – Before the show

The pilot described it as beautiful weather in Stockholm, and then I think actually checked what the weather was and was like, “uh, winter conditions,” which meant lazily snowing and cold, both of which it is. That flight arrived this morning. I’d managed to sleep on the plane with an open seat next to me in a row of two — in fits and starts as I tried to squeeze my post-surgery knee into various positions, hoping one of them would magically pass for comfort — and then took the train to the hostel where I’m crashing with the guys in Kings Destroy. They’d been invited to play Truckfighters Fuzz Festival in 2020, and you’ll never guess how that went.

This is my first time at Debaser and Bar Brooklyn, my first time in Stockholm and my first time in Sweden. The festival is set to take place in the two conjoined venues, one bigger, one smaller, and as I sit and write, Gaupa are soundchecking for their headlining set later, merch is being laid out, all that kind of stuff. The quiet before the fuzz, as it were. Apparently these days I’m more comfortable getting someplace early.

Mammonaut and Death Ray Boot open the Debaser and Bar Brooklyn stages, respectively. I’ve seen some of the Dozer and Colour Haze guys around, Truckfighters of course are here — they’re running it, so they ought to be — but I’m not looking to take up anybody’s time with my awkward-ass hellos. A quick hi after a set suits me well enough, but it’s nice to see familiar faces in a place I’ve never been.

Well, I just closed out the week, so I suppose that means I’m off the clock. Perfect for covering two killer nights of heavy rock and roll that feel like they were curated as a personal favor to yours truly (which of course they were not). If you stick through checking any of it out, thanks in advance.

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Truckfighters Fuzz Festival #3 – Night Two

Mammonaut

Hard to complain about an uptempo fuzzy kickoff to an event billed quite literally as a fuzz festival. You wanted the tone, you got the tone. Sweden’s own Mammonaut recorded their 2020 debut EP, The Last Mammonaut, with Niklas from Truckfighters, and in some of the push of the drums one can hear that influence coming through, but there’s a bit more burl at the forefront of Mammonaut’s sound and that makes them all the more suited to lead this particular charge. Immediate vibe, dug in, groove on lockdown and not in the pandemic kind of way. Less proggy Skraeckoedlan, maybe? Definitely some hint of metal shared there between those two, but Mammonaut’s sound feels cohesive for essentially being a nascent project. If nothing else — and really, plenty else — they know when to give the riff its due and I’m not about to fight them on the point. I would not be surprised in the least if when they get around to a first full-length it comes out through Fuzzorama, and if it does, they’ll be a good fit.

Death Ray Boot

I had watched them soundcheck, so maybe some of the surprise was spoiled ahead of time, but it was still fun to watch Andreas Wulkan, who used to play in Deville and stayed at my house one time in 2014, fronting the band. Straight up heavy rock, a few shades of classic form, some Queens of the Stone Age-riffing for added flair, they started off the smaller of the two stages sharing Mammonaut’s affinity for uptempo push but were more decisively rock-based, and that made the songs feel all the warmer while bringing a strut to coincide with all the stomp. The room packed out, as I expect it will for the next two nights basically every time there is a band on the stage, and they played well to the crowd, clearly feeding off that energy as they also fed into it. Who doesn’t want a bit of boogie to go with all that hairy riffing? The back and forth between stages is pretty tight, but so far so good. Two for two is a good start and I know there’s more joy to come.

Swan Valley Heights

Just to be specific, yes, I was talking about this band when I said “joy” just now. On an evening headlined by Colour Haze, it’s hard not to appreciate some warm heavy psychedelic rock, and with reminders of the days of Sungrazer, Germany’s Swan Valley Heights were immediately known to the crowd and offered righteous immersion, blending impulses toward harder push with a tonal breadth that was seemed to reach that much farther back as they went on. These sets have been short, but how many chances in my life am I going to have to see Swan Valley Heights? They picked up the pace as they went on, a little bit of classic turn of the century-style European heavy, and maintained the fluidity that made me want to watch and hear them so damn much in the first place. I know that at some point soon the pace of this night is going to slow down, but so far the bang-bang-bang has made for a sampling that brings to mind the similarities as well as the differences between these acts. The flow from one to the next does not feel accidental or unconsidered, and with Swan Valley Heights, their own flow became a big part of the proceedings.

High Desert Queen

One of two US bands on the bill, I was kind of expecting to have to wait until they made the trip to Desertfest New York or some such to see Texas’ High Desert Queen, but this’ll work too, for sure. Regardless of where it happened — well, not entirely regardless; it’s pretty special to be in Sweden — that is one kick ass rock and roll band. They kind of stole the show. If you’ve been paying attention over the course of the last year-plus, High Desert Queen have been making their presence felt in genuine upstart fashion, and the energy they brought to that stage was a clear answer as to how. They’ve already made intentions known to be back in Europe and the UK next year (they were recently confirmed for Desertfest London 2023), and given the reception they got on the Brooklyn Bar stage, that’ll be a party worth attending. They didn’t even have their gear since their luggage apparently got lost — frontman Ryan Garney shouted out Lufthansa during the set — and they still very clearly gave it their collective all for the set, and the crowd went off. Up front, I got my first Swedish beer spilled on me, which felt like a ceremonial rite, and that was my cue to move back, but a sticky backpack is a small price to pay to see a band put so much into delivering their songs to a crowd.

Dozer

Dozer aren’t the only reason to make this trip at all, but if they were, they’d be enough. They’ve got a new record coming, but the focus here was on classics, and that felt like a win out in the crowd, where by the end of the first song I was covered on the bottom left half, including the pocket with my other camera lens in it, in some particularly drunk asshole’s beer. Alas. How could it be otherwise? I was not, however, going to let unexpectedly wearing a fellow attendee’s Carlsberg spoil seeing Dozer for only the second time in my increasingly long and privileged life, and even watching from the back they were on fire. Jammed a bit, sold the melodies well, and when it came to that absolutely inimitable forward shove, it was right on the money. They’ve gotta be past the 25-year mark by now, and they’ve got the legacy to prove it, but they played their set, and that might be the highest compliment I can give them. Earlier in the day, I asked on Facebook what were the best Swedish heavy rock records of all time. Dozer had a couple candidates on there, and if I was actually making a list — no, I’m not — they would be on it. Undeniable chemistry, undeniable songwriting, undeniable delivery. And that’s just in “Rising.” I think Fredrik blew his throat out on like the fourth song, but they were nonetheless a celebration of everything that has made them so special for all this time.

Gaupa

I’ll admit to considering Gaupa in a tight spot. That is to say, I’ve been listening to Dozer and Colour Haze for about two decades. Gaupa are a much newer band — their second album, Myriad, came out on Nuclear Blast last month — and for me at least, there is not the same kind of sentimental attachment. Still, with mystique aplenty and a singer barefoot on a stage that was probably no less beer-soaked than myself, Gaupa stood and made that stage look small for more than just the fact that they were a five-piece. They’re up and coming, a good bit of buzz around their latest album, so right on, and I have no doubt that 20 years from now if the species is fortunate enough to last that long — we’ve got 20 years left, right? sure — there will perhaps be people who were in that room who’ll watch Gaupa headline somewhere and feel the way I felt about the headliners here. I did not stay long — circumstances dictated I be up front early for Colour Haze, but I do not regret the sample of Gaupa that I got, and the clear takeaway for me was I need to dig into that record. Rock and roll homework. And I’ll hope this isn’t the last time our paths cross.

Colour Haze

You have favorite bands? I do, and Colour Haze are one of them. I’ve seen them a handful of times over the years, but this was my first set with Mario Oberpucher on bass, and I was almost nervous on account of that before they went on. They played “Tempel” and all was well. I’m not going to belittle either Phillip Rasthofer’s work in the band — ever — or what Oberpucher brought to those songs live or on the newer, more his, material, but the big sigh of relief for me was when it was still Colour Haze. Was it different? Sure. There isn’t much that hasn’t changed one way or the other in the last few years. But it’s still them, and them with a new album, no less. I count Sacred (review here) among 2022’s best, because obviously, and they aired a couple songs from it. Could’ve just been where I was in the room, kind of off to the side of the stage, but it seemed like Jan Faszbender’s keys and synth were higher in the mix than last time I saw them, but it didn’t hurt, him pushing against Stefan Koglek’s guitar a bit in a solo section, like jazz players bringing the best out of each other, Manfred Merwald’s intricate but accessible drumming only furthering the impression. The place went off. Not like for Dozer — no moshing that I saw — but you could feel the appreciation between the songs and in the heavier moments, as well as when they crescendoed “Transformation” with the keyboard doing the horn parts. I’ve never regretted watching them play and I’m not sure I ever would. They only have ever been, and remain, a treasure of a band. A once in a generation band. A band to be appreciated while they can be. Am I telling myself to hit the merch stand? Yes I do believe I am.

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Alright, night two tomorrow. Thanks for reading. More pics after the jump.

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The decades-spanning legacy of Swedish doom metallers Candlemass is largely unmatched outside of the band’s main point of inspiration, Black Sabbath. Fueled as ever by the songwriting of bassist/founder Leif Edling, with membership dating back to the mid-1980s in guitarists Mappe Björkman (rhythm) and Lars Johansson (lead) and drummer Jan Lindh, the genre-defining outfit stormed into a new era with 2019’s The Door to Doom (review here) in reuniting with Johan Längquist, who was never actually in the group but nonetheless fronted their landmark 1986 debut and arguably one of the most important doom records of all time, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, though he’d also joined the band for special live performances as well in the long interim.

A crucial moment, the advent of Längquist as actual-frontman for Candlemass was somewhat overshadowed by the guest appearance of Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi on one of The Door to Doom‘s tracks — subsequently nominated for a Grammy — but it was the pivotal change that actually allowed that record to be such a success, the tenures of Solitude Aeturnus‘ Robert Lowe and Mats Levén (who’d worked with Edling in side-projects Krux and Abstrakt Algebra, and featured in a ton of other bands as well) having proved sustainable even if the latter never actually sang on a full-length, only studio EPs. Given the results and reception to The Door to Doom, going in a different direction was clearly the right choice for the band at the time, even if what they were doing was working.

That leaves Sweet Evil Sun — their 13th full-length — with a significant challenge as the follow-up. Apart from vocals on “When Death Sighs” contributed by Jennie-Ann Smith of the Edling-adjacent melodic metal unit Avatarium, and keys by Rickard Nilsson (also Avatarium, among others) there are no guest spots throughout the 10-song/53-minute offering, and alongside producer Marcus Jidell, who also plays in Avatarium and featured in the shelved Edling project The Doomsday Kingdom and as recorded Candlemass since 2016 (he was also in Soen, Evergrey and a slew of others), the band send a clear message throughout the new collection that they’re back to the business at hand of crafting their particular brand of epically riffed doom metal that has influenced more than one generation of acts across the last 35-plus years.

Their intention in this regard is telegraphed clearly in the signature nod of album-opener “Wizard of the Vortex,” and as the CD/three-sided 2LP (there’s also a 3LP version), plays through its brief-at-3:40, hooky title-track with a groove reminiscent of records like 1989’s Tales of Creation and their more dug-in approach generally, before moving into the lumber-into-chug of “Angel Battle,” which is classic in style mostly because of the work Candlemass did in making it that way, topped of with a spoken word piece performed by the actor Kenneth Anger (whose credits include 1972’s Lucifer Rising, a title the band took for an EP in 2008); the full written version of the narrative is in the CD tray, presumably somewhere in the LP layout as well. And as they continue into the Sabbath-referencing “Black Butterfly,” full-on epic doom, their main point of reference indeed seems to be Candlemass. As a band, they’re perhaps taking influence from themselves more than anybody.

Particularly in light of where they’re coming from in answering back The Door to Doom, this feels purposeful, and Sweet Evil Sun emerges as a strong declaration of purpose and a statement of who they are, reminding in that of their then-reunion album in 2005’s self-titled (discussed here) that reignited their career and set them on a path toward reverence from a new generation of fans. There are shades of classic metal throughout, and the reaches toward accessibility in the single “Scandinavian Gods,” “When Death Sighs” and the aforementioned “Sweet Evil Sun” are complemented by the grand dirges of “Devil Voodoo” and “Crucified” — a good bit of headbang fodder in the latter as well as a standout performance from Längquist — so that Sweet Evil Sun carries something of a rocker’s vibe even as it does not shy away from tolling a funeral bell.

This leaning to one side or the other of the established tenets of Candlemass‘ sound gives Sweet Evil Sun a steady flow from one song, one side to the next, and so the record carries a a sense of movement as it heads toward the culmination in “Goddess,” which takes iconoclastic cues from “Wizard of the Vortex” and mirrors the opener’s point of view lyrically in examining who has power and why. “Wizard of the Vortex” is a bit more blatant, asking “Did you surrender, when the demon rose?” where in “Goddess,” it’s “You’re not my goddess, no face of religion.” For all I know the one could be about fascism and the other about divorce, but they’re both using escapist lyrical metaphor to speak about something more terrestrial.

Further to the lyrics, every track on Sweet Evil Sun contains some derivation of the word “sun” in its lyrics except for “Wizard of the Vortex.” The first line of “Angel Battle” says it, “Happened on a Sunday.” In “Devil Voodoo,” it’s, “The evening sun inside my bones,” and so on. It’s too much to be a coincidence, and maybe that’s part of what Candlemass are allowing the listener to process as the bass begins the instrumental outro “Cup of Coffin” — I see what you did there — before the quick epilogue riff and a last bit of applause, somewhat jarring because of the otherwise polished presentation of the album. It’s a quizzical finish, but one might read it as the band saluting their fans, and fair enough. 40 years on from Edling‘s first assembling what was called at the time Nemesis and became Candlemass a couple years later, and particularly in light of the last few years of confusion and tragedy, some of which is portrayed here one way or the other, you could hardly fault the band for expressing appreciation to their dedicated fanbase. That is, ultimately, what has sustained them.

Sweet Evil Sun succeeds in pivoting away from The Door to Doom, which honestly is the bulk of its task. Its tracks will speak to fans old and new, and the work as an entirety carries them into the post-pandemic era as the kings of doom that they are. Their presence, their stately delivery, and Edling‘s style of composition, are largely inimitable, and Sweet Evil Sun — familiar in many respects, but welcome in how it speaks to the band’s history and what they’ve already accomplished in this era — reaffirms that in a universe of infinite possibility and a seemingly infinite swath of bands, there’s only ever been and only will be one Candlemass. Long may they reign.

Candlemass, “When Death Sighs” lyric video

Candlemass on Facebook

Candlemass on Instagram

Candlemass website

Napalm Records website

Well, at least I didn’t miss it. When last discussed, Siena Root‘s Revelation LP was set to arrive in Aug. 2022 through Metalville Records. They posted the single “Little Burden” earlier this year and now there’s word that the album will be released this coming Spring through Atomic Fire Records, who’ve picked them up for the release. Hey, good for the band I guess. Given the folks who run it, Atomic Fire is no minor endorsement for a band even with an established track record — which, even before their eighth LP lands, they have, across multiple lineups — to get, and they’ve already been out on tour this year. How could more possibly not follow in 2023 if that’s when Revelation is actually going to happen?

I’ll be interested to see what those plans include, actually. But we’ve probably got a bit to go before we get there. The PR wire brought background and the signing announcement:

SIENA ROOT Unveils New Digital Single/Video, “Little Burden;” Forthcoming Full-Length, Revelation, To Be Released In Spring 2023 Via Atomic Fire Records

With seven studio albums in nearly two decades of band history, Sweden’s root rock figureheads SIENA ROOT are constantly working on something new. They’ve continually changed their approach and experimented with their sound — not only to keep their music fresh but to challenge themselves which is one of the main reasons why the group’s relevance remains after all these years.

Besides touring with acts such as Deep Purple and Dewolff, the quartet — founding members drummer Love Forsberg and bassist Sam Riffer with guitarist Johan Borgström and vocalist/keyboardist Zubaida Solid — have always brought an infectious performance to stages globally. Those lucky enough to attend one of SIENA ROOT’s post-pandemic tours earlier this year may already know how the band spent the Corona years recording a brand-new album that is finally set to be released next year via their new label home of Atomic Fire Records!

Comments the band, “The ‘Dynamic Root Rock Experience’ called SIENA ROOT caught fire a long time ago. As we all know, you need to catch a fire to be burnin’ and this time SIENA ROOT caught an Atomic Fire: we are very proud and honored to announce that we are a part of the Atomic Fire Records family now. The new album, Revelation, will be released in early 2023, stay tuned!”

Atomic Fire Records CEO Markus Wosgien adds, “We’re very happy to enrich our roster with SIENA ROOT’s innovative mixture of classic, folk, and psychedelic rock. Their musical path as well as their everchanging sound charmed us enormously, leading to their new opus Revelation, which is nothing short of amazing. It’s an album that surely won’t only fascinate rockers but also fans beyond the genre. What an outstanding group. They truly know how to perform this music the right way!”

The record title definitely keeps its word: it’s a sonic Revelation and has become the most versatile offering in SIENA ROOT’s long-spanning career, guiding listeners through a true journey rather than simply stringing together song after song. But that’s not all: the first appetizer, new single “Little Burden” which premiered live in 2022, can be enjoyed alongside a music video, edited by Linus Grane, via YouTube.

Elaborates the band, “This is a first taste of SIENA ROOT’s journey when introducing the more acoustic side of the ‘Dynamic Root Rock Experience.’ The song deals with leaving the city and the experience that comes with that. ‘Little Burden’ is a song that describes the feeling of melancholy and battle one experiences when faced with the arbitrary issues of man and when burdens, however small and inconsequential, make you weary and sometimes even poison you.”

More info on SIENA ROOT’s eagerly awaited eighth studio album as well as preorder details will be unveiled before the end of the year.

SIENA ROOT:
Zubaida Solid – vocals, keys
Johan Borgström – guitars
Sam Riffer – bass
Love Forsberg – drums

http://www.sienaroot.com
http://www.facebook.com/sienaroot
http://www.instagram.com/sienaroot
http://www.twitter.com/sienaroot
http://www.youtube.com/sienaroot

http://www.atomicfire-records.com
http://www.facebook.com/atomicfirerecords
http://www.instagram.com/atomicfirerecords
http://www.twitter.com/atomicfirerec

Siena Root, “Little Burden” official video

Sweet, new Katatonia. That’ll be a reliable bet to take, as the long-running Swedish melancholic doom innovators are set to issue their new album, Sky Void of Stars, on Jan. 20. I’ve been through like 15 iterations of the title trying to type it right because in my head, it’s close to something similar from Star Trek even though, as I look it up, I’ve got that wrong too. If you see it wrong anywhere here — it’s called Sky Void of Stars, remember — Sky Void of Stars. Sometimes the mind plays tricks on you.

Sorry to derail, but hey, we know what’s coming a little bit here, right? And I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Katatonia‘s track record is 12 albums deep. There’s gonna be a reliably downer aesthetic and atmosphere — as seen above and below — and maybe moments with a bit more crunch to keep the headbangers happy along with the more melodic and heavy-progressive moments to show that they’re keeping themselves interested after passing the 30-year mark. I’m not saying it can’t be the album of their career. What I’m saying is the very worst it’s probably ever going to be is really good.

If you can make it scrolling past all their upcoming tour dates on various continents, you’ll find Katatonia‘s new video below for “Atrium.” The song rules.

From the PR wire:

Melancholic Metal Masters KATATONIA Announce New Album, Sky Void of Stars, Scheduled for Worldwide Release on January 20, 2023 via Napalm Records

Now Available for Pre-Order HERE: https://lnk.to/KAT-SkyVoidOfStars

Official Music Video for First Single, “Atrium”, Revealed

Meritorious masters of melancholic metal KATATONIA carry on their legacy of rearranging the order of the heavy music universe, proudly presenting their hauntingly beautiful next studio album, ‘Sky Void of Stars’, out January 20, 2023, via Napalm Records.

Founded in 1991, KATATONIA have continually embraced the dark and the light alike and, living through genre evolutions beyond compare, ripened their own particular form of expression. From doom and death metal to soul-gripping post rock, they’ve explored endless spheres of the genre, accumulating only the very best aspects. After signing with Napalm Records, the entity around founding members Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström is ready to showcase its brilliance and illuminate the void in the scene once more with ‘Sky Void of Stars’.

With the first single, “Atrium”, KATATONIA hit with highly energetic atmosphere, holding a gloomy ambience with epic sounds and poetic lyrics to get lost in. The heartfelt piece of sound goes in line with a gripping music video, underlining the exceptional atmosphere the five-piece is creating with every single note. “Atrium” is now available via all digital service providers worldwide.

KATATONIA on the new album, ‘Sky Void of Stars’:

“Our 12th album, ‘Sky Void of Stars’ is a dynamic journey through vibrant darkness. Born out of yearning for what was lost and not found, the very peripheries of the unreachable, but composed and condensed into human form and presented as sounds and words true to the KATATONIA signum. No stars here, just violent rain.”

Sky Void of Stars track listing:
1 Austerity
2 Colossal Shade
3 Opaline
4 Birds
5 Drab Moon
6 Author
7 Impermanence (feat. Joel Ekelöf)
8 Sclera
9 Atrium
10 No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall
11 Absconder (Bonus Track)

Sky Void of Stars is now available for pre-order in the following configurations here: https://lnk.to/KAT-SkyVoidOfStars

Ltd. Deluxe Wooden Box (incl. Mediabook + Digipack Atmos Mix BluRay + Crow Pendant + Star Chart Artprint + Pin) – Napalm Records exclusive
Die Hard Edition 2LP Gatefold Ink Spot / FOREST GREEN (incl. Slipmat, Patch, 12 pages poster) – Napalm Records exclusive
2LP Gatefold DARK GREEN – Napalm Records exclusive
2LP Gatefold MARBLED TRANSPARENT/DARK GREEN – OMerch exclusive
2LP Gatefold MARBLED CRYSTAL CLEAR/BLACK – OMerch exclusive
2LP Gatefold BLACK
1CD Ltd Mediabook (incl. Bonus Track)
1CD Jewelcase
Digital Album

KATATONIA – 2022 North American Tour
w/ The Ocean Collective and Cellar Darling
11/09/22 – Washington, DC / Black Cat
11/1022 – Worcester, MA / Palladium
11/11/22 – New York, NY / Sony Hall
11/12/22 – Philadelphia, PA / Underground Arts
11/13/22 – Harrisburg, PA / Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
11/15/22 – Quebec City, QC / Impérial Bell
11/16/22 – Montreal, QC / Le Studio TD
11/18/22 – Toronto, ON / Opera House
11/19/22 – Pittsburgh, PA / Thunderbird Music Hall
11/20/22 – Chicago, IL / Metro
11/22/22 – Denver, CO / Oriental Theater
11/23/22 – Salt Lake City, UT / Soundwell
11/25/22 – Portland, OR / Hawthorne Theatre
11/26/22 – Vancouver, BC / Rickshaw Theatre
11/27/22 – Seattle, WA / The Crocodile
11/29/22 – Roseville, CA / Goldfield Trading Post
11/30/22 – San Francisco, CA / Great American Music Hall
12/02/22 – Los Angeles, CA / 1720
12/03/22 – San Diego, CA / Brick by Brick
12/04/22 – Mesa, AZ / Nile Theater
12/06/22 – Austin, TX / Come and Take It Live (+Soen as direct support)
12/07/22 – Dallas, TX / Amplified Live (+Soen as direct support)
12/09/22 – Atlanta, GA / Hell at The Masquerade
12/10/22 – Tampa, FL / The Orpheum

KATATONIA – 2023 UK & Europe Tour
w/ Sólstafir and SOM
20.01.23 FI – Tampere / Tampereen Tullikamari (Pakkahuone & Klubi)
21.01.23 FI – Helsinki / Kulttuurital
22.01.23 EE – Tallinn / Helitehas
24.01.23 PL – Warsaw / Klub Stodoła
25.01.23 DE – Berlin / Huxleys Neue Welt
26.01.23 DE – Cologne / Essigfabrik
27.01.23 DE – Stuttgart / LKA Longhorn
28.01.23 CZ – Prague / ROXY Prague
29.01.23 AT – Vienna / Arena Wien
31.01.23 HU – Budapest / Akvárium Klub
01.02.23 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk
02.02.23 CH – Zurich / Komplex 457
03.02.23 IT – Milan / Live Club
04.02.23 FR – Lyon / Ninkasi GERLAND
06.02.23 ES – Madrid / Kapital
07.02.23 ES – Barcelona / La Salamandra
08.02.23 FR – Toulouse / Le Metronum
10.02.23 GB – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town
11.02.23 GB – Manchester / O2 Ritz Manchester
12.02.23 GB – Bristol / Marble Factory
13.02.23 GB – Glasgow / The Garage
14.02.23 GB – Wolverhampton / KK’s Steel Mill
16.02.23 DE – Frankfurt Am Main / Batschkapp
17.02.23 NL – Haarlem / Patronaat
19.02.23 FR – Paris / Le Trianon
20.02.23 LU – Luxemburg / Rockhal
21.02.23 BE – Antwerp / Muziekcentrum Trix
22.02.23 DE – Hamburg / Gruenspan
23.02.23 DK – Copenhagen / Amager Bio
24.02.23 NO – Oslo / Rockefeller Music Hall
25.02.23 SE – Stockholm / Fryshuset Arenan

KATATONIA – 2023 Latin American Tour
17.03.23 MX – Guadalajara / C3 Stage
18.03.23 MX – Monterrey / Cafe Iguana
19.03.23 MX – Mexico City / Cafe Auditorio
22.03.23 CH – Santiago / Club Chocolate
24.03.23 AR – Buenos Aires / El Teatrito
25.03.23 BR – Sao Paulo / Carioca Club

KATATONIA are:
Jonas Renske – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitars
Roger Öjersson – Guitars
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums

https://www.instagram.com/katatoniaband/
https://www.facebook.com/katatonia
https://twitter.com/KatatoniaBand
https://katatonia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://label.napalmrecords.com/

Katatonia, “Atrium” official video

Sweden’s Truckfighters have completed the lineup for Fuzz Festival #3, set for Dec. 9 and 10 in Stockholm, and it is a significant bill, statistically speaking. It pays homage to the old school in headliners Dozer and Colour Haze, as well as Astroqueen, the newer school in High Desert Queen, Swan Valley Heights and Gaupa, and the in-between in Firestone, Truckfighters themselves, Kings Destroy, Kal-El and others, and with Enigma Experience included in this find round of lineup additions, Truckfighters guitarist Niklas Källgren joins Tommi Holappa of Dozer/Greenleaf in pulling double-shifts, playing in two bands presumably on two separate days.

Swan Valley Heights, Gaupa — whose new record, Myriad, is due Nov. 18 on Nuclear Blast — and Mammonaut are also in the final group of acts joining the bill and I’m thrilled to say I’ll be there to see them. It’s been a long time since I last traveled with the Kings Destroy guys, but they were kind enough to invite me along for the trip, and I tried to say no because traveling is awful and I’m doing a fair amount of it in the coming months, music-related and not, but couldn’t. How many times in your life is someone going to say to you, “Come with me to Stockholm and see Dozer and Colour Haze?” Well.

The presumably final announcement from Truckfighters is below, barring any cancelations, etc., and I very, very much look forward to covering this front-to-back:

Fuzz Festival #3

We are proud and happy to present the third edition of our Fuzz Festival! This time it will take place on Dec 9+10 2022. Festival #3 will continue on the same path as #2 with 2 days, 2 stages and a lot of fuzzy bands!

BIG THANKS to everyone who showed up in 2021 making it just as big success as the first edition back in 2019! Hope to see you this December, MAY THE FUZZ BE WITH YOU ALL!

Just a BIG, BIG Heads up! The last couple of bands is set! This is going to be a totally amazing weekend with so much amazing bands so it’s almost sick… :P

NEW AND LAST Bookings!

GAUPA
SWAN VALLEY HEIGHTS
ENIGMA EXPERIENCE
MAMMONAUT

FULL LINEUP!!!

Get those tickets at

TICKSTER: https://www.tickster.com/sv/events/5hlj6fm5wfxl3nu/2022-12-09/9-10-12-2022-fuzzfest-3-debaser-strand

OR

FUZZOHOME: https://eu.fuzzoramastore.com/en/fuzz-festival-3-concert-ticket-1.html

2 days, 2 stages.
Confirmed acts:
TRUCKFIGHTERS
COLOUR HAZE
DOZER
GREENLEAF
ASTROQUEEN
FIRESTONE
KINGS DESTROY [us]
KAL EL [n]
HIGH DESERT QUEEN [us]
DEATH RAY BOOT
GAUPA
SWAN VALLEY HEIGHTS
ENIGMA EXPERIENCE
MAMMONAUT

https://www.facebook.com/events/353997376362183/
http://www.truckfighters.com/festival/

Gaupa, “Diametrical Enchantress” official video

It’s a pretty clever play on the idea of an International Space Station. The ‘international’ part: four bands, each from a different country. ‘Space’: well yeah, everybody here gets decidedly cosmic, thank you kindly. ‘Station’: there’s enough of it to make either your own radio or land your starship on, however you choose to interpret the word. One likes to think it’s in an optimistic spirit that Worst Bassist Records brings together Nashville, Tennessee’s ElonMusk — who probably regret that moniker by now — Electric Moon from Germany, Swedish jammers Kungens Män and Norway’s Kanaan to pay conceptual homage on the International Space Station Vol. I four-way, all-instrumental, 88-minute split double-vinyl to the most genuine evidence of what humans can achieve when collaborating across their own pretend/tribal borders, reminding us that even as the international order teeters (war in Eastern Europe, pandemic, climate change, on and on) and such cooperation feels ever rarer, the possibility of a better way exists.

Each band gets a side, and uses it for one song. It is something of a surprise to find an American band included here at all — Europsych has a tendency toward insularity; it looks out for its own and in the past I’ve perceived a bit of nose-up as regards many US acts; obviously not the case this time — but ElonMusk not only get a quarter of the ‘station’ to themselves, they go first. Thus “Gods of the Swamp Planet” (22:02) unfurls its synth-laced mellow roll a headphone-ready expanse of tripped-out serenity. Floating guitars, floating synth, subtle flourish on the toms and cymbals (thinking of the ride at about nine minutes in), and it’s an outbound motion that builds from the initial drone of keyboards as the guitar, bass and drums arrive, set and launch the course, setting their own mood and that for the release as a whole. Just as “Gods of the Swamp Planet” seems to hit its comedown, at 13:28, a louder and more uptempo movement starts, still with the synth droning out behind, but the drums hit harder, the guitars soar higher, and a post-Earthless triumph rings out, if only or about two minutes. It feels live if it isn’t, in part because of the residual energy carried over as “Gods of the Swamp Planet” settles down again, but at 18:37, it turns back to its squibbly scorcher lead and more fervent nod, and rides that groove until residual drone carries it out.

Side flip. For pleasant surprises, Electric Moon‘s “Duality” (15:46) is the shortest inclusion, but offers a markedly uptempo take, immediately digging into the space rock purpose hinted at in the split’s title and apparent theme. The band recently shifted lineup, bidding farewell to Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt, and I’m not sure whether this is their first song without or their last with him — the lineup is now “Komet Lulu” Neudeck (who also runs Worst Bassist Records) on bass, Johannes “Joe Muff” Schaffer on guitar and Bernhard “Pablo Carneval” Fasching on drums — but the band’s long-established modus of immersive and cosmic instrumental heavy psych is given extra flash through a steady percussive tension and a swath of layered guitar effects, smoke trailing their way through the consciousness as “Duality” careens toward its midpoint. Shortly thereafter, a break to silence and a measure of transitional guitar leaves a blank slate from whence the guitar and keys begin to rebuild a post-rock pastoralia, a serene six-minute contemplation that’s a standout from Electric Moon‘s work to this point, if one that carries a familiar hypnosis forward to new ground. Perhaps that’s the band’s portrayal of cross-cultural fellowship. If so, it should rightly be considered a focus point for the release as a whole.

Record switch. The second platter finds prolific Stockholm collective Kungens Män already in motion by the time the needle hits the platter, bending space, time and their own strings as “Keeper of the One Key” (23:24) unfolds its they’re-already-gone-and-it’s-time-for-you-to-go-too interstellar languidity. Smoothly delivered as ever for the band — class explorers through and through — the guitar turns to an improvised sounding bounce and starts running scales at about nine minutes in, but the truth is if you’re not on board by then, Kungens Män have already left without you. But don’t worry, there’s time to catch up as they dig, dig, dig into the realms of hidden matter and unknowable energies, physics turning into so much lazy-eyed goo in their capable, moderating control. It’s not quite as drastic a second-half departure as that of Electric Moon before them, but “Keeper of the One Key” shifts into a more distorted lead tone after hitting the 20-minute mark and caps with a bit of chug to wash down all the prior noodling, its long fade capturing the moment when the jam probably came apart but still giving a sense of the various infinities surrounding Kungens Män as they elicit deeply entrancing calm out of chaos. It’s also telling that as International Space Station Vol. I plays out, the songs get longer.

On that note, one more side flip — and/or a format switch — to the digital-only-because-it-wouldn’t-fit-on-a-12″-anyway “Beyond” (27:43) from Kanaan, who follow 2021’s Earthbound (review here) and herald the upcoming Diversions Vol. I: Softly Through Sunshine with evocative-of-waves ribboning astral jazz. Never mind that with its runtime it’s an album unto itself, “Beyond” underscores both journey and arrival for this collection, gradually making its way into a slow wash of melody and breadth. Should there be any residual doubt the Oslo-based troupe are as we speak positioning themselves as one of the foremost purveyors of next-generation European heavy psychedelia — not an insignificant crowd from which to distinguish themselves — the apparent ease with which they drift into and through the piece’s midsection and out toward the encompassing and louder finish is marked by patience as well as vigor. The final element to go is a howling guitar — convenient aural analog for the outing as a whole — but by the time they’ve gotten there, Kanaan have asserted their emergent mastery over the expanding omniverse of their sound. “Beyond” reminds that time is a construct and the best thing you can do with your mind is expand it. If you want elevated consciousness, then you need to get on that elevator.

United in purpose and largely in mood, International Space Station Vol. I may be the start of a series, or like so many ‘vol. I’ outings, it may not. I won’t claim to know. For right now — such as it is with that whole “time is a construct” thing — the efforts on the part of Neudeck in bringing these acts together are not to be undervalued, and while splits and compilations are often the realm of tossoffs, leftover recordings, etc., this version of the ISS reminds of the incredible capacity human beings have when willing to set aside largely-imaginary differences of demographic and opinion in favor of unity. It wants nothing for substance, building structure from formlessness. Beautiful in ideology and execution.

ElonMusk on Facebook

Electric Moon on Facebook

Kungens Män on Facebook

Kanaan on Facebook

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Worst Bassist Records on Instagram

Worst Bassist Records on Bandcamp

Doom legends Candlemass — announced just the other day as headliners for Desertfest Belgium 2022 in Ghent on Oct. 30 — will release a new full-length on Nov. 18 through Napalm Records. What do we know about it? Well, it’s got Leif Edling and Johan Längquist, so already that’s more than enough for me, but considering the Swedish outfit’s 2019 offering, The Door to Doom (review here), was nominated for a Grammy — it’s mentioned twice below; see if you can find it! — for the Tony Iommi-included “Astorolus: The Great Octopus,” the pressure is on Candlemass in a way it hasn’t been in a long time if it ever was before. Where does a band like this — who’ve gone everywhere, done everything, know their sound backwards and forwards, have decades-since worked to define epic doom and are driven by one of the best riff writers of all time in Edling — go after that? I guess we’ll find out.

Today, the band are streaming the new video “Scandinavian Gods” — because, what? they were going to have a song with that title and not use it as a lead single? — and it’s the first new music from Candlemass since 2020’s The Pendulum EP (discussed here), which was more a victory lap after the last album’s success than anything else. Still, the turnaround on Sweet Evil Sun speaks perhaps to Candlemass feeling creatively energized following the success of The Door to Doom, and I don’t care how dark the music ultimately is, if Candlemass are feeling good, that’s good news.

The PR wire has this:

US Grammy-nominated epic doom legends CANDLEMASS return to their roots with the supreme Sweet Evil Sun!

Clocking in almost four decades, it’s no stretch to say that Grammy-nominated Swedish epic doom legends CANDLEMASS are still one of the heaviest metal bands on earth. As the godfathers of epic doom metal, the band defined the genre with releases such as Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986) and Nightfall (1987). Through their evil riffs, crushing rhythmic attack and dramatic vocals, they changed the landscape of metal worldwide. Reunited with outstanding original vocalist Johan Langquist, the band around founding member Leif Edling finds its way back to its roots and finally delivers the long awaited, earth-shaking new full-length album, Sweet Evil Sun, out November 18, 2022 via Napalm Records.

Pre-Order your copy of Sweet Evil Sun NOW!

After working on this massive piece of art for 18 months in total, with Sweet Evil Sun, CANDLEMASS brings back all the grandness of their early years, exploring themes of ambition and strife, hope and failure. Opening track “Wizard Of The Vortex” instantly casts a spell with a riff so powerful, the listener is immediately ensnared. Title track “Sweet Evil Sun” kicks in with warning guitar feedback before sludging a heavy-as-hell riff as Johan Langquist deftly warbles through melancholic, beckoning passages and a hooky chorus. His imposing vocals fit each riff and tone perfectly, emerging as an instrument in itself. The dark, classic rock-tinged Nordic metal anthem “Scandinavian Gods” reveals a perfect musical interaction between slow and heavy drums, droning guitars and majestic vocals as they convey mysterious tales of Scandinavian mythology to the next generation of doom lovers.

Jennie-Ann Smith (Avatarium) lends her beautiful voice to the theatrical, grim “When Death Sighs”, creating a shimmering, intermingled chorus duet eventually backed by rising organs and a marching rhythm. The haunting atmosphere is highlighted by an amazing guitar solo that reads like a story as it bends and descends, marking the sign of death on the listener’s door. It comes as no surprise that, alongside the band, renowned producer Marcus Jidell captured the band’s massive, smoky guitar tones, powerful drums and larger-than-life vocals, offering a truly unique, high quality sonic experience. The artwork for Sweet Evil Sun was illustrated with the skilled hand of Erik Rovanperä, the architect behind CANDLEMASS’ visual style since Psalms for the Dead (2012).

Leif Edling on the new album:
“Sweet Evil Sun is about hope, striving, adoration and failure. It’s about all the personal battles that you have, but also the never-ending decay of humanity.

The record took over a year to make and there’s not a bad track on it! We had a fantastic time recording it and are really looking forward to the release. It’s Doom, It’s Metal! It is the essence of CANDLEMASS put into one album!”

Recorded at NOX studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Sweet Evil Sun impressively showcases that, after almost 40 years in the game, the creativity of these Swedish doom masters sees no bounds. Through the power of wall-shaking riffs, incredible vocal performances and the blood and spirit of classic heavy metal, Sweet Evil Sun shines as a masterpiece of impending legend that truly honors the epic doom metal cult of CANDLEMASS.

Sweet Evil Sun Tracklist:
1. Wizard Of The Vortex
2. Sweet Evil Sun
3. Angel Battle
4. Black Butterfly
5. When Death Sighs
6. Scandinavian Gods
7. Devil Voodoo
8. Crucified
9. Goddess
10. A Cup Of Coffin (Outro)

Sweet Evil Sun will be available in the following formats:
Ltd. Die Hard Vinyl Box (Napalm Shop only)
2LP Gatefold Sun Yellow (Napalm Shop only)
2LP Gatefold Black
2LP Gatefold Purple
1CD 6pp Digisleeve
CD Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle
Digital Album

Experience CANDLEMASS live in 2022:
19.08.22 DK – Næstved / Næstved Metalfest
20.08.22 NL – Eindhoven / Ijssportcentrum
22.10.22 SE – Sundsvall / Nordfest
30.10.22 BE – Gent / Desertfest Ghent
19.11.22 DE – Würzburg, Hammer of Doom

Candlemass are:
Leif Edling – Bass
Mats “Mappe” Björkman – Guitars (rhythm)
Jan Lindh – Drums
Lars Johansson – Guitars (lead)
Johan Längquist – Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/candlemass
https://www.instagram.com/candlemass_sweden/
http://www.candlemass.se/

https://www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://label.napalmrecords.com/

Candlemass, “Scandinavian Gods” official video