Debut with Johan Längqvist and the Messiah Marcolin era (1984–1990) After the breakup of his first band, Nemesis, bassist
Leif Edling formed Candlemass, recruiting session vocalist Johan Längqvist, drummer Matz Ekström, guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman, and Klas Bergwall. Their debut release,
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986), After the release of their debut album, Längqvist was replaced by
Messiah Marcolin. The band began working on new material and recorded some songs while seeking a record label. However, internal differences resurfaced, leading to Candlemass disbanding again. In the interim, Leif Edling launched a new project,
Krux, featuring former Abstrakt Algebra vocalist
Mats Levén and two members of
Entombed. 2005 In November 2004, the band announced their second reunion. They recorded a new album, simply titled
Candlemass, with the same lineup, and it was released in May 2005. The album earned them a Swedish Grammy that year. In 2006, the band revealed plans for a new album, slated for release in 2007. However, in October 2006, after ongoing uncertainty surrounding Messiah Marcolin's involvement, it was confirmed that he had left the band for good.
Robert Lowe era (2007–2012) Candlemass found a new vocalist,
Robert Lowe (
Solitude Aeturnus), who recorded with the band on their ninth album,
King of the Grey Islands, released on 22 June 2007. The album was self-produced, except for four songs produced by
Andy Sneap. In March 2008, Mats "Mappe" Björkman was sentenced to two years in prison for grand theft, having been convicted of stealing over 35,000 CDs and DVDs worth approximately 3 million SEK (around $500,000). Candlemass worked on their tenth studio album in 2008, initially titled
Hammer of Doom. However, they later renamed it
Death Magic Doom to avoid conflict with a German festival of the same name. The album was originally scheduled for release on 27 March 2009 but was delayed until 3 April 2009. The band performed at the
Wacken Open Air music festival in 2010. They signed with the Austrian label
Napalm Records in 2011, who released their eleventh studio album,
Psalms for the Dead, in June 2012. Despite this, bassist
Leif Edling stated that the band would not split up, but wanted to stop before they "get too old and start putting out half-lame albums."
Mats Levén era (2012–2018) On 2 June 2012, Candlemass announced via their website that
Robert Lowe had left the band as vocalist, primarily due to concerns over the quality of live performances. The band described this as "a very difficult decision." Lowe was replaced for the band's upcoming shows by longtime friend and collaborator
Mats Levén, known for his work with
Yngwie Malmsteen,
Therion,
Treat, and
At Vance among others. Levén had previously worked with
Leif Edling in
Abstrakt Algebra and
Krux and had contributed vocals on demos for the
Candlemass and
King of the Grey Islands sessions, which are included in the box set
Doomology. Additionally, keyboardist
Per Wiberg (formerly of
Opeth and
Spiritual Beggars) joined the band on stage for these live performances. In January 2013, Candlemass was voted the greatest Swedish hard rock/metal band of all time by the writers of
Sweden Rock Magazine. They were featured in a list of the 100 greatest Swedish hard rock/metal bands of all time in a jubilee edition celebrating the magazine's 100th issue. It was also revealed that Candlemass, along with death metal band
Entombed (ranked No. 2 on the list), would perform together at a special jubilee concert in Stockholm, arranged by the magazine. Despite earlier claims that
Psalms for the Dead would be their final album, bassist
Leif Edling later indicated that he was open to recording new music with Candlemass. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Candlemass released the EP
Death Thy Lover on 3 June 2016. Additionally, on 29 April 2016, the band released a career-spanning coffee-table book.
Reunion with Johan Längqvist (2018–present) On 3 September 2018, Candlemass announced the return of Längqvist to the band after a 32-year hiatus. The band stated, "We wanted to find our way back to the roots of Candlemass, back to the soul and essence of the band. Johan Längqvist is back, and we hope this will give us some new energy and kickstart the heart of doom again. We don't know if it will last 10 more years or even 5, but if it will give us just another year of having fun and playing the music that we love so much, it will be a blast! The circle is closed; Johan is back!" The band also announced that they were recording a new album for a 2019 release, making it not only the first Candlemass studio album since 2012's
Psalms for the Dead, but their first with Längqvist since 1986's
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. On 6 December 2018, Candlemass announced that their twelfth album would be titled
The Door to Doom and would be released on 22 February 2019. It was also revealed that the album would feature a guest appearance by
Black Sabbath's
Tony Iommi, who contributes a guitar solo to one of the album's tracks, "Astorolus – The Great Octopus". The band released an EP,
The Pendulum, on 27 March 2020. Shortly after its release,
Leif Edling said that Candlemass was unlikely to release their next studio album until 2022 or 2023. On 18 August 2022, the band announced their thirteenth studio album,
Sweet Evil Sun, and the album's first single, "Scandinavian Gods", was released on the same day. The album was released on 18 November. Candlemass toured in 2023 in support of the album. In March 2024, the band participated in the
Hell's Heroes music festival, which took place at White Oak Music Hall in
Houston and was headlined by
Sodom and
Queensrÿche. Their setlist primarily consisted of material from
Nightfall. Candlemass released an EP,
Black Star, on 9 May 2025, and its only single "Black Star" one month prior. The band reunited with former singer
Messiah Marcolin for the first time in nineteen years at the
Rock Hard Festival in
Athens, Greece on 13 September 2025; Edling stated that it would be a one-off show: "No recordings, no tours, nothing more, just one show." In January 2026, Edling announced that Candlemass will begin writing new material for their next studio album, which they are planning to record in 2027 and release later that year or early 2028. == Musical style and influences ==