Live review: Candlemass and Mammon’s Throne at Liberty Hall, Sydney on Thursday, October 1 2026
By PERRY GRAYSON
TRUE heavy metal vibes were in the air on Thursday, October 1 as Candlemass hit Sydney on their very first Australian tour in a whopping 40-year career.
The crowd consisted of some three generations of headbangers, Including some punters who weren’t even born in 1984, when Candlemass first reared their rivet-heads in Stockholm, Sweden! It would appear that there’s something in the water in Scandinavia that breeds metal musos!
Not to sound like an old fart, but I’ve been a Candlemass fan since the early 1990s. I’m also a big proponent of other traditional doom acts like Pentagram, The Obsessed, Trouble, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General, Solitude Aeturnus, Internal Void and Count Raven.
Supporters Mammon’s Throne (from Melbourne) fulfilled their purpose of warming the crowd up for Candlemass. Liberty Hall, in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter, was nearly packed when Mammon’s Throne hit the stage and it would only get more so in the break before Candlemass.
Though their death/doom sound is rather derivative, they played a competent set. Vocally, Matthew Miller didn’t quite fit the bill – save for a few cleanly sung lines – but instrumentally MT were fairly melodic.
As a little added attraction, MT had a vampiric female dancer, dressed in filmy black attire, join the band and pretend to suck guitarist Amesh Perera’s blood during their final song.
Twenty twenty-six marks the 40th anniversary of pioneering epic Swedish doom metallers Candlemass’ debut album, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and as I previously mentioned, they have never previously been to Oz. Sonically speaking, Candlemass lays down slick and slow doom anthems owing much to Black Sabbath and early Judas Priest.
The current lineup includes four out of five original members: founder/bassist/chief songwriter Leif Edling (also known for his first doom band, Nemesis), southpaw lead guitarist Lars Johansson, rhythm guitarist Mats “Mappe” Björkman and drummer Jan Lindh. Age-wise, the Candlemass musos are hovering in their early sixties but don’t let that fool you!
They still put on an ultra-heavy and energetic show.
Sadly, Johan Längqvist – who sang on Candlemass debut LP – couldn’t make the journey Down Under due to a medical emergency. Johan’s boots were ably filled by robed doom-meister, Felipe Plaza Kutzbach, hailing from Chile.
Felipe sports a super high range and impeccable pitch. His metal pedigree includes a stint with Procession and live work with British cult doomsters Solstice. Looking like a sinister undead Templar knight from the celluloid nightmares of Amando De Ossorio, the
cowled Felipe clearly takes his wardrobe cues from veteran Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin.
Candlemass opened their set with the walloping “Well of Souls”, off 1987’s Nightfall. They piledrove the enthusiastic crowd with “Demons Gate” from Epicus, followed by the funereal “At The Gallows End”. Then came hammering classics “Samarithan”, “Crystal Ball”, “Bewitched” and “A Sorcerer’s Pledge”.
The final third of their set consisted of “Mirror Mirror”, “Under the Oak” and closed with dirgey encore, “Solitude”. Clearly the master of ceremonies, Leif Edling addressed the crowd and whipped them up into a fury. All throughout, the dynamic doom duo Björkman and
Johansson never overplayed their electric axes.
Mappe laid down thick down-tuned rhythms on his Framus SG-copy, while Lars tastefully led the way on his flipped Hagstrom Strat-copy.
By night’s end I was lucky enough to catch one of Jan Lindh’s sticks and a set list.
All considered, Candlemass’ Aussie tour was a triumphant one. Hopefully they won’t wait another 40 years to revisit Oz!
Main image: Tanya Catelli.
