Candlemass arrived at London Metalfest on Saturday without a singer. They played anyway, using three.
Johan Längqvist was admitted to hospital in Stockholm on Thursday morning after what the band described as a medical emergency, days after a show in Belgium. Doctors have not yet established the cause.
Rather than pull the Electric Ballroom set, the band brought in Chilean vocalist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach, who sang the first seven songs, and then handed the encore to two more.
The Band’s Statement
“Candlemass are deeply sorry to announce that Johan Längqvist unfortunately will not be able to perform tonight’s show in London.
“After returning home to Stockholm from a successful show in Belgium last weekend, he faced a medical emergency on thursday morning, and was rushed to the hospital.
“A comprehensive range of tests has been conducted, but at this time, doctors are still working to determine the cause of his illness, and require further testing, meaning he must remain in hospital care.
“We all wish Johan a speedy recovery and hope to have more clarity soon.
“As we don’t wanna cancel the show tonight, we have a special guest vocalist performing EPICUS and NIGHTFALL songs – as well as a visit from a couple of celeb surprise guests, who’ll be performing with us.
“See you tonight, London!”
The Setlist (Via Setlist.fm):
- “The Well Of Souls” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “Demon’s Gate” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “At The Gallows End” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “Samarithan” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “Crystal Ball” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “Bewitched” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
- “A Sorcerer’s Pledge” (with Felipe Plaza Kutzbach)
Encore:
- “Under The Oak” (with Tony Dolan)
- “Solitude” (with Aaron Stainthorpe, Kutzbach and Dolan)
Kutzbach sings in Procession, Deströyer 666 and Scald, and lives in Sweden, which made him reachable at short notice.
Tony Dolan fronts Venom Inc. Aaron Stainthorpe spent three decades in My Dying Bride before the band parted ways with him in October 2025. He now fronts High Parasite and the My Dying Bride tribute project Towards The Sinister.
Stainthorpe did not have far to travel. High Parasite were on the same London Metalfest bill, playing a mainstage slot earlier in the day, and released a new single, “The Screams That Come“, last week. The festival ran across several Camden venues on Saturday, with the Electric Ballroom, the Underworld and The Dev all in use.
The statement promised songs from Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and Nightfall, and the set held to it exactly. All nine songs came from those two records, five from the 1986 debut and four from its 1987 successor.
There is a symmetry in that. Längqvist sang on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and then left. Nightfall was Messiah Marcolin‘s first album with the band. On Saturday one substitute sang the work of both.
Längqvist recorded Epicus Doomicus Metallicus in 1986 and departed immediately afterwards. Marcolin replaced him and stayed until 2006, a year after the self-titled album. Robert Lowe of Solitude Aeturnus followed, singing on King Of The Grey Islands, Death Magic Doom and Psalms For The Dead, and Mats Levén held the job between 2012 and 2018.
The band, led by bassist Leif Edling, brought Längqvist back in 2018, 32 years after his only album with them. Marcolin returned as a guest last September at Rock Hard Festival Greece in Athens, his first appearance with Candlemass in nearly twenty years.
Candlemass are due in Australia from September 29 for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, with Mammon’s Throne supporting. It would be the band’s first tour of the country in forty years of existence. Nothing has been said about whether Längqvist will be fit to travel.
Their most recent release is the Black Star EP from May 2025, following 2022’s Sweet Evil Sun. Edling said in July that roughly half of the next album is written. Längqvist‘s own project, Johan Langquist The Castle, issued its debut on CD and vinyl in June 2025 through I Hate Records, a year after it appeared digitally without a label.
