Candlemass August 28th, 2002
Tavastia Club, Helsinki Finland Review By Arto Lehtinen and Marko Syrjala
The
reunited Swedish doom legends definitely enjoy a huge cult status and
reputation among the doom metal freaks nowadays. Especially in
Scandinavian countries, the reunion of the most influential doom metal
outfit ever has been welcomed with sensational warm and huge response
everywhere as well as in European countries like Germany and Greece. But
for some weird reason Finland has always been a tough place for
Candlemass to appeal to the local doom metal fans despite the band used
to do plenty of gigs in the late 80's and managed to gather some sort of
following. The current Scandinavian tour has succeeded damn well, places
have been utterly crowded in Sweden. The gig was almost sold out in
Oslo, Norway and above all every gig has been shot for the forthcoming
DVD release! When it was inquired about a chance to see Candlemass here
in Finland, Marcolin (interviewed
at the Sweden Rock festival last
summer for Metal-Rules.Com) stated that Finland can't be left out of
that tour. And YES, They really did and came to Finland and pulled in
app. 250 people which is pretty good in the middle of the week, and
especially for a band that hasn't played and in general been together
over 10 years with the most known line-up. But if the gig had been in
the weekend there would have much bigger attendance anyway.
Despite
the lame attendance the club and above all the whole front of the stage
was entirely packed by die hard headbangers. When the opening intro
"March Funebre" roared from the monitor and was followed by
"Mirror Mirror" off from the Ancient
Dreams album, the whole front area turned to be one hell of a big
hair sea and several banging heads going up and down with the ultimate
passion. The gig was nothing, but an expected triumphal trilogy
consisting of several well known doom metal classics from the four most
appreciated and adored Candlemass albums. These four have been the
milestones, setting and creating the whole era of the doom metal genre
in the late 80's and early 90's when several slowly doomy oriented
playing bands started popping up. From Epicus
to Tales Of Creation the
Swedish doom metal masters went through by doing all "Demon's
Gate", "Samarithan", "Dark Reflection". The
pentad definitely appeared to be in the brilliant strike in front of the
small, but at least enthusiastic, metal crowd raging diving like in the
old days. Messiah, being a great showman, bewitched the Finnish 250 doom
metals with the charismatic grip and appearance with the doom dance and
demanded the same metal heads bang more intensively and insanely and
even his funny comments between tunes were absolutely funny and amusing
providing there is still some sense of humour left besides all the
sadness and sorrow.
What
could have been expected more from Candlemass, the band being on some
kind of "Hiatus" during the whole 90's apart from a few
eccentric outputs released with the entire another line-up, which did an
amazing doom metal night by concluding the gig with the tunes from the
epicus metal opus Epicus, Doomicus and Metallicus. Great gig, once a
great, great time travel back to the glorious metal years of the 80's
Candlemass' doom crusade throughout several European countries will
be released on the DVD later this year or at least in the early of the
next year to give an opportunity for other bewitched doom fans to have a
feeling of the real doom metal legends. You Are Bewitched!!!!
The set list:
Mirror Mirror
Bewitched
Dark Are The Veils
Demon's Gate
Under The Oak
At The Gallow's End
Samarithan
Dark Reflection
Mourners
Black Stone
The Well Of Souls
The
reunited Swedish doom legends definitely enjoy a huge cult status and
reputation among the doom metal freaks nowadays. Especially in
Scandinavian countries, the reunion of the most influential doom metal
outfit ever has been welcomed with sensational warm and huge response
everywhere as well as in European countries like Germany and Greece. But
for some weird reason Finland has always been a tough place for
Candlemass to appeal to the local doom metal fans despite the band used
to do plenty of gigs in the late 80's and managed to gather some sort of
following. The current Scandinavian tour has succeeded damn well, places
have been utterly crowded in Sweden. The gig was almost sold out in
Oslo, Norway and above all every gig has been shot for the forthcoming
DVD release! When it was inquired about a chance to see Candlemass here
in Finland, Marcolin (
Despite
the lame attendance the club and above all the whole front of the stage
was entirely packed by die hard headbangers. When the opening intro
"March Funebre" roared from the monitor and was followed by
"Mirror Mirror" off from the 
What
could have been expected more from Candlemass, the band being on some
kind of "Hiatus" during the whole 90's apart from a few
eccentric outputs released with the entire another line-up, which did an
amazing doom metal night by concluding the gig with the tunes from the
epicus metal opus Epicus, Doomicus and Metallicus. Great gig, once a
great, great time travel back to the glorious metal years of the 80's
