Interview: Leif Edling Of Candlemass
Our good friend Nina from A Sound Of Thunder chatted with Leif Edling from legendary doom metal band Candlemass. Check it out!
After listening to Candlemass’ new album The Door to Doom, I had a lot of questions regarding the band’s new lineup. Thankfully I was actually able to get some answers! Check them out here and let us know what you think in the comments!
Why did you decide to re-record House of Doom for the new album?
It is a really good song, and I/we thought it would fit in very good on the “Door to Doom” album. And it does. It is perfect there. I see the HOD track as the same thing as Black Sabbath f.e. did with the “Time Machine” maxi.
What made you decide to bring back Johan?
We felt that something was missing in Candlemass. Too much business and not so much heart anymore. So we made the rather drastic move to replace Mats with Johan to get the old feeling back in the band. Go back to basics so to speak. Go full circle.
What has songwriting been like with Johan back?
The record was actually written for Mats. But with Johan back he made the songs his own. Him and I + producer Marcus Jidell worked on the vocals for a month and buy how Johan delivered. He really put his mark on the record! In spades!
What was the inspiration for these new songs?
NWOBHM + the old Candlemass albums. Boring answer I know, but I don’t have any other response to give hehe…. But I really wanted to capture the sound and feeling from when we started as a band. I don’t know if I succeeded but people seem to like the album….
How has touring been with everyone?
Great actually! We have been on the road with Ghost now for some weeks and it was super! We played well, the crowd liked us even if some of the Ghost fans never heard about us. In all, a very good tour! Ghost we’re absolutely fantastic to us. Kudos to them!
It’s been so long since he’s been on the road with you, does Johan have any fun new tour quirks that you’ve had to get used to?
Johan is the most relaxed and coolest guy you can ever meet. He doesn’t take up any space at all in a tourbus. Others take up space for two or three hahahaha! He’s been singing really well also. Lovely guy!
When you play live, do you like to do a mix of all of your albums or do you prefer to stick mostly with the new album with maybe a few throwbacks in the mix?
This time, when Johan is back, we play more songs from EPICUS than we normally do. On the tour with Ghost we just played one new track because the album wasn’t out. But in the spring and for the summer festivals, we will of course bring in more of the new stuff. But not too much, it has to be a good mix of everything.
Do you write music on the road?
No. Don’t have the time. I wanna relax on the road. Take it easy, mentally prepare for the evening show. No distractions please.
Have you been listening to any other bands lately? If yes, who is your favorite right now?
Not too many new bands. Tried to listen to Greta Van Fleet, but didn’t like it. Too much of a Led Zeppelin clone. I stick to the old stuff when they could write songs. Only “new” exception is Ghost. Fantastic band. Hard riffs and great melodic choruses!
Where does Candlemass go from here?
Hopefully to more gigs and tours! We’re getting great reviews for the album, so I think this year will be a very busy (and fun) one Maybe 2020 too! I’m not gonna worry about a new album too son…will enjoy this first :).
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