Interview With Leif Edling of
Candlemass
Questions and Pics by Marko Syrjälä
Transcription by Arto Lehtinen
Candlemass, the legendary Swedish doom metal outfit, have been
extremely active since
the prestigious reunion gig at the Swedenrock festival. The band have effectively
visited several European metal festivals and gained an entirely new level of success. Last
time the mighty vocalist of Candlemass Messiah Marcolin was interviewed
for Metal-Rules.com, so it was naturally about time to have Leif Edling unveil the latest news from the Candlemass camp.
This is a special night for you with the DVD shoot and Trouble and
Force Of Evil being invited by you. How did you decide to ask those other bands
to play here tonight?
Well, I met Force Of Evil in Cleveland last July. And then we met Trouble in Germany at
the Rock Hard festival. We talked to them about it, and there seemed to be interested. I
also work at the DVD company nowadays. We said we should try to get it together. Then we,
Candlemass, met Ole Bang, who is the manager of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate, and also
managing FOE, so it was easy to say “maybe we should have three bands - not only two -
hey Force Of Evil! So it is perfect.” We managed that actually. You can have an idea;
sometimes it doesn’t work. Even if you have a good idea, but this time it worked now
to get Trouble here. They played a couple of gigs in Holland before this one and got here,
they are here in Stockholm for the first time. There are a lot of people out there
thrilled to have Trouble here in Stockholm..
There are a lot of people coming from Finland to see both Candlemass, of course, and
Trouble. Trouble has also played once in Sweden before, in Gothenburg or…?
They played in Karlshamn in '95 or '96, when it was called the Karslhamn Rock before it
became Swedenrock.
That was it. Eric said they never got paid from that gig.
I heard that the organization is still owing 8000 dollars. I think they can get it
now as the Swedenrock people are in the town! They can buy a beer for me cause I am so
poor, hahaha.
How about some Candlemass news then? Since the reunion show at the Swedenrock fest,
it has taken more than one year. So what’s up with a possible new album?
We got a couple of new songs and recorded a demo, and our manager is looking for a
record deal. We have been negotiating with labels for like a year now, and there have been
seven, eight, nine, interested labels, all the big European labels, a couple of American
labels and then a couple of major Big Swedish labels. It takes time to negotiate with
them.
You haven’t decided anything yet?
We have not decided yet. Now there are like two or three interested labels left of all
these. You have to ask everybody what they are willing to give and do, and so on.
It takes time to play with everybody against each other. We have been working on it for a
year. Soon perhaps.
Any ideas when the next new album could be out?
We wanna close the deal by Christmas and we are gonna hopefully start recording a new
album in January - Februray 2004. So hopefully in May we will get something out.
Do you have an idea who might be a producer?
I have been talking to And Sneap. We have been friends since the Sabbat days. And Andy
has been working with several bands like Opeth, Machine Head and a lot of bands. He is
great.. I think Andy Sneap’s production for the new Candlemass album would be
killer, actually. That is a good choice. He is a great guy.
What kind of stuff does this new material sound like? Or related to the older
material...ehh.. 13th Sun.. hehe.
Well, people tell me that listening to the demo, it sounds pretty much like the
material from the Nightfall and Ancient Dreams dates. Tonight we are gonna play a new
song. So people can hear. I don’t know if they have brought tomatoes and eggs to the
show if it sucks, then we will get bombed off from the stage.
It's only one song…
Then there will be the clapping and cheering again and we will get stoned only for one
song .. haha.
Back in the 80’s you used to have personal difficulties between band members,
but nowadays it seems like everything is fine and things keep rolling well?
I would never do it if things were not good, but after ten years people are much more
older and wiser and have kids and wives and live normal lives. Back then, we were kids, and
kids fight all the time. Now it is pretty good and we have good time and we love to play
the gig and a lot of people come to the gigs. When you don’t have a record, you
can’t earn any money so you can’t blame us for cashing in. The money is very
moderate, when you have fun so why not; people love it. But we need to get an album out,
cause we can’t go out another summer with the same old songs.
Like many bands do, like Black Sabbath, Twisted Sister, Kiss..
Or Angelwitch. Angelwitch could be the best example as they only play the first album
stuff. I don’t mind cause it is a bloody good album.
As for the touring, what sort of plans do you have for the touring or gigs in
general? Because you haven’t done them that much since the reunion gig.
No, but we wish to choose them carefully as we have so many suggestion for gigs from
the people everywhere, we want to tour there and play there, and everybody is calling and
wanting us to play everywhere. We don’t wanna go out with big tours as it might break
the band once again. Because it really happens to do a show here and a show there and then
fly there and have a nice hotel and have a nice drive and it is comfortable and you
don’t have to be in a tour bus weeks and weeks, and I think that keeps the band alive
and enjoying this. I am too fucking old to spend months in a tour bus. I doubt if we'll ever
do that, even if we release a new album. I doubt we will ever do any huge tours; maybe do
small tour dates like 10 days in Europe and play big festivals. That would work.
Well have you already been planning of doing some festival dates next summer, maybe
Wacken?
People are talking about it. I think we have a whole bunch of suggestions from
everybody from Dynamo, Clash Of The Titans and one in Portugal, Spain, Germany, all over
the place. Firstly, we have to get a record deal. If we don’t get a record deal, then
we won’t book any gigs. But hopefully in a couple of weeks.
And what about Finland? You visited there last year.
Last time we played at the Tavastia club and we played a bloody gig there and if we
come to Tavastia or whatever, I am sure there will be more people than last time. There
were about 250 people or something. I guess if things work as they should work and there
should be more people for sure.
There are a couple of festivals in Finland like the Tuska festival which had a lot
of bands like Type O Negative, The Haunted, In Flames, Gamma Ray, Soufly, Arch Enemy..
Wow! I have to check out that one!!
The time is running out, so I thank you for your valuable time.
Thank you, well we got something…
Thanks to Jeanette Andersson from GMR for arranging this interview.
Band Website:
www.candlemass.net