Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
The Making of Candlemass’ Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Rarely can a single album claim responsibility for kickstarting an entire subgenre. Often these origins are the subject of heated fan discussions via a few candidates who are often bestowed prefixes like “proto-” to describe their style. It’s a fun metalhead exercise, but when it comes to epic doom metal, there is no space for arguments. It’s right there in its delightful dog-Latin title. Candlemass’ Epicus Doomicus Metallicus carved a new road off the main doom highway even if “doom” itself wasn’t really a common term back then—and it was precisely with this album that it became a more crystallized, defined concept. With a short line of predecessors (notably the ubiquitous Black Sabbath, though Candlemass also admit Trouble was an inspiration that came before them), Epicus has birthed an interminable number of spiritual children who have appeared since and attempted to replicate its unique vibe.
Much like, for instance, Napalm Death’s Scum, Epicus is the primal source of the entire subgenre and, arguably, still its unsurpassed example of brilliance. It’s the absolute foundation of the Swedish band’s long and illustrious career, which continues to this day, ironically now featuring the very same vocalist who helped give the record its unique personality as a session member, but who then declined to stay with the group all those years ago. It’s also the heart of their other remarkable material, all of which orbits around these songs. Five of the record’s tracks remain in the live setlist, which naturally elicits the strongest crowd reaction—even from fans who were born decades after music was released.
Clearly, there was magic brewing over the Upplands Väsby area outside Stockholm—a municipality which, besides Candlemass, also gave the world ’80s pop metallers Europe, not to mention a certain nimble-fingered gentleman named Yngwie. The dark portion was surely all condensed in the trio of Candlemass bassist and songwriter Leif Edling, guitarist Mats “Mappe” Björkman and drummer Mats “Matz” Ekström, who despite only having made this solitary record with the band, was an instrumental piece in getting the whole puzzle assembled.
Decibel naturally felt that it was essential to also involve that certain session vocalist, Mr. Johan Längquist, so important in transporting us to lands of wizards, crystal balls, gates to demon lands and crimson skies crackling with sinister spells. And to think all this genre-forging majesty transpired beneath a tube station while peeing into a bucket. Yeah, read on.
Need more classic Candlemass? To read the entire seven-page story, featuring interviews with the members who performed on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, purchase the print issue from our store, or digitally via our app for iPhone/iPad or Android.
