Swedish godfathers of epic doom CANDLEMASS will celebrate their 40th anniversary of pioneering the genre with the 4-track EP, Black Star. This celebration of doom metal is set for release on May 9 via Napalm Records.
With Black Star, the genre-defying band unveils two new songs alongside two cover versions of timeless classics. The EP will be available in various formats, including a strictly limited vinyl edition featuring a 12-page vinyl booklet, an A3 poster, and a tote bag.
CANDLEMASS mastermind Leif Edling comments: “Not all bands get to see their 40th birthday and it certainly hasn’t been an easy ride. But many ups and downs later, we stand here as survivors, veterans even… a bit scarred perhaps? Still ready though to unleash another piece of doom-laden metal upon an unsuspecting world. You have to do something when you turn 40, right? Anyway, as always, it’s been fun recording some new stuff as well as covering a couple of old favorites.”
Title track “Black Star” blends haunting melodies with deeply introspective lyrics, brought to life by the dark, romantic voice of vocalist Johan Länquist. Songwriter Leif Edling’s lyrics delve into themes of existential struggle, temptation, and the allure of darkness — creating an intense atmosphere imbued with CANDLEMASS’s signature sound. The second new track, “Corridors Of Chaos”, marks a true old-school instrumental containing both classic metal riffing and stunning guitar playing by Lars Johansson, showcasing the band’s mastery of dynamics. Adding to this tribute, CANDLEMASS delivers a cover of BLACK SABBATH’s iconic “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, taking listeners back to 1973. Talking to Crystal Logic back in February 2019 about his favourite Tony Iommi riff, Leif Edling said, “Very hard to decide what riff is the best of all the mighty and wonderful Iommi riffs. There’s a whole pile of them… best riffs ever created! So I’ll just make it easy for me… go for the ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ one. So mighty, epic, crushingly heavy… immortal! The perfect start to the best heavy metal album ever, that just happens to have the coolest (and best) cover of all records released through time.” This is followed by the rendition of PENTAGRAM’s classic “Forever My Queen”, further cementing CANDLEMASS’s remarkable contribution to shaping the genre into what it is today.
Black Star track listing:
01. Black Star
02. Corridors Of Chaos
03. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (BLACK SABBATH cover)
04. Forever My Queen (PENTAGRAM cover)
CANDLEMASS will also perform a one-off world-exclusive show featuring the band’s former vocalist Messiah Marcolin at this year’s edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece, that will take place on the 12th and 13th of September 2025 in Athens, Greece.
Details and tickets HERE
Photo credit: Linda Åkerberg
