CANDLEMASS With Singer MATS LEVÉN: More Video Footage From CD-Release Gig Posted Online

Legendary Swedish doom metallers CANDLEMASS played their first show with stand-in singer Mats Levén last Tuesday, June 5 at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm, Sweden.

More fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Levén is a former member of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION and TREAT, who also plays with CANDLEMASS bassist/mainman Leif Edling in KRUX.

In a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Mats said, "I'm helping my friends in CANDLEMASS with the shows booked so far. Looking forward to that, for sure. [However], the only band I'm a permanent member of is KRUX."

Also joining the group for the current live performances is keyboard player Per Wiberg (OPETH, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS).

CANDLEMASS earlier in the month parted ways singer Robert Lowe. According to the band, this was "a very difficult decision" to make and "has mainly to do with the quality of the live performances."

Lowe — who is still a member of SOLITUDE AETERNUS — joined CANDLEMASS in January 2007 and sang on the band's last three studio albums: "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007),"Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012).

CANDLEMASS released its 11th and final album, "Psalms For The Dead", on June 8 via Napalm Records. A limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single contaning two album tracks —"Dancing In The Temple Of The Mad Queen Bee" and "The Killing Of The Sun" — preceded the full-length effort on April 13.

In a recent interview with About Heavy Metal, CANDLEMASS bassist and main songwriter Leif Edling stated about the band's decision to make "Psalms For The Dead" its final studio album, "[It's] better to do one last album and make it official than just fade away as a band. We can't just keep on making album on album on album. This is a good way to do it, and I'm sure we'll be around for some years to come anyway."

When asked if that changed the vibe in the studio as CANDLEMASS recorded the new CD, Edling replied, "No, not really. It was generally a good vibe in the studio during the recording and we worked as usual. It's lot of hard work to make a CANDLEMASS album, and this was no exception. But the atmosphere in the studio was great and we enjoyed working together as we always do."

Regarding CANDLEMASS' plans to release any other material (live albums, DVDs, reissues, rarities, compilations, etc.) in the future, Edling said, "We will release the 'Epicus' ['Doomicus Metallicus'] gig from [Holland's] Roadburn [festival] last year on DVD and vinyl sometime in the future, and also make a new DVD from one of the 'Psalms' shows. With a bit of luck, we will also release a 'Doomology 2' box set with DVDs from the history of the band. Don't know when that can be, maybe on the 30th anniversary."