Interview by Ali Williams
After more than four decades of Candlemass, vocalist Johan Längquist is finally heading to mainland Australia. The delay has been long enough and Johan sounds genuinely thrilled about it. Speaking with HEAVY’s Ali Williams, he was still recovering from the thoroughly unreasonable business of moving house.
Australia is not entirely unfamiliar territory. Candlemass previously travelled through the mainland en route to Tasmania, where Johan quickly became taken with the scenery, wildlife and the considerable amount of nature refusing to behave sensibly. As a committed animal and wildlife enthusiast, he has plenty to look forward to when the band returns later this year. Touring schedules rarely permit extended sightseeing, though, so his Australian wildlife education may depend heavily on what wanders near the hotel.
Johan was there at the beginning for Candlemass, but another band held his loyalty when Candlemass first came calling. He still recorded Epicus with them, then spent close to thirty years away before returning to the fold. In hindsight, he is grateful he made that record. Johan believes the album arrived before audiences were ready for it, and remembers that some people initially laughed at what Candlemass had created. Time has been particularly rude to those opinions.
Johan’s return to Candlemass in 2018 remains one of his most significant moments. After years spent making music away from major stages, his first show back took place in Norway. He was deeply nervous and carrying the additional burden of forcing an entire catalogue of lyrics into what he cheerfully described as his “old head.” Within minutes of the performance beginning, the nerves disappeared and he knew he still belonged there.
For Johan, the survival of great music is not dependent on release dates, fashion or obedient participation in whatever trend currently has the industry distracted. A strong song remains a strong song. Heavy metal has also maintained something few scenes manage across several decades: a committed audience that keeps turning up. Sweden continues to host major metal festivals packed with thousands of fans, and Candlemass now performs to crowds spanning teenagers through to listeners in their sixties and seventies.
That mix means a great deal to Johan. Young fans regularly tell him that hearing Epicus inspired them to start bands of their own. For an artist who spent decades outside Candlemass, returning to discover that his earliest work had quietly encouraged another generation carries real weight. It confirms that those songs did more than survive. They gave people somewhere to begin.
Australian audiences can expect Candlemass to respect that history. Johan could not reveal an exact setlist, largely because he did not have one, but he expects the band’s first mainland shows to include plenty of older material and several songs from Epicus. It would be absurd to travel this far for the first time and deny fans the work they have waited years to hear.
The band remains active without chaining itself to relentless touring. Johan estimates Candlemass plays roughly twenty to thirty shows each year, including festivals, provided the financial reality makes sense. The economics of touring are difficult for nearly every band. they continue because the work remains sustainable and because love for the music still outweighs the inconvenience attached to earning a living from it.
There is also new material underway. Johan and Leif Edling have recorded several demos for a new Candlemass album, although the project remains in its early stages. No release date was offered, no dramatic announcement was manufactured and nobody attempted to convince us that a half-finished folder of demos constitutes an imminent global event. The ambition is there, the work has started and the album will arrive when the band believes it is ready.
He remains determined to perform without relying on lyric prompts, although the occasional missing line still occurs. Johan finds this mortifying. Audiences are far more forgiving, particularly when the singer has remembered almost everything except twelve words buried halfway through a forty-year career. Live performance allows room for human error, and Johan has gained enough confidence to recover, continue and enjoy the stage without restricting himself.
Age has not diminished that enjoyment. It has given him greater security in what he is doing and less interest in imposing unnecessary rules upon himself. Johan wants Candlemass to continue while the band can still deliver something worthwhile, and he hopes they will recognise when that is no longer true. At present, there is no suggestion that decision is approaching any time soon.
Candlemass are still writing, still performing and still drawing new listeners into music recorded before many of them were born. Johan Längquist has already taken the long route back to the band once. Australia has taken even longer to receive them. Thankfully, Australia can experience both in September and October playing Melbourne and Sydney before heading to Perth to headline Armageddon. For tickets and info head to www.moshtix.com.au
