Doom Metal Legends to Reunite With Classic Singer for One Show

This years’ Rock Hard Festival Greece will be an incredible event for many reasons, and the biggest one is probably that doom metal legends Candlemass are set to reunite with classic singer Messiah Marcolin!Details and Reactions Regarding the ReunionCandlemass will be joining The Crypt; Gus G. (and friends); and Conception’s Roy Khan and Tore Østby (among other acts). As the festival’s Facebook page announced yesterday (Feb. 1), “This will be the first (and only) time in over 20 years that Messiah has performed live with the band.” Indeed, Marcolin – whose real name is Bror Jan Alfredo Marcolin – left Candlemass for the second time in 2006, meaning that his last officially released live collections were 2002’s Doomed for Live – Reunion 2002 LP and 2005’s The Curse of Candlemass DVD.Not much more has been revealed regarding the reunion, but that hasn’t stopped fans from getting extremely excited about it. For instance, Candlemass also posted about the event on Instagram yesterday, leading two users to respectively respond): “That’s awesome. I wish to see a few more European dates announced!!!” and “OMG!!!!!!!!! FINALLY MESSIAH!!!!!”You can see Candlemass’ Instagram post below.READ MORE: The 50 Best Opening Songs on ’80s Metal Albums (Ranked)A Brief History of Candlemass and MarcolinCandlemass recruited Marcolin after letting go of vocalist Johan Längqvist (who wasn’t a full-time member despite singing on their landmark 1986 debut LP, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus). From 1987 to 1991, Marcolin appeared on several studio collections, starting with 1987’s Nightfall and ending with 1989’s Tales of Creation. Obviously, he was also on 1990’s aptly titled Live, and he initially parted ways with Candlemass due to personal differences with other members. He was subsequently, replaced by Thomas Vikström and then Björn Flodkvist.Over the next 10 years or so, Candlemass continued to have success as they released three more original LPs: 1992’s Chapter VI, 1998’s Dactylis Glomerata and 1999’s From the 13th Sun. Meanwhile, Marcolin worked on numerous projects, including co-founding Swedish doom/power metal act Memento Mori alongside guitarists Snowy Shaw and Mike Wead. He also provided guest vocals for melodic/death metal band Satariel among other things.In 2002, the Nightfall-era of Candlemass got back together for several live gigs (hence the aforementioned Doomed for Live release). Three years later, the same lineup put out their eighth record, Candlemass, which earned them a 2006 Swedish Grammy for Best Hard Rock Album.However, Marcolin left the band for the second time later that year, with Candlemass’ official statement partially reading (via Blabbermouth): “The band have tried to solve the situation several times, but Messiah cannot be persuaded to sing on the new album [2007’s King of the Grey Islands]. His attitude and demands are way too unreasonable. I’m very sorry about this, not surprised though.”Consequently, King of the Grey Islands marked the debut of Robert Lowe (who stayed until Mats Levén took over in 2012). Ironically enough, Levén was then replaced by Längqvist in 2018 (just in time to record 2019’s The Door to Doom), and he remains to this day. As for Marcolin, he’s since sung with artists such as Therion, Amon Amarth and Portrait. Interestingly, he was considered for Ghost during their earliest days, but he declined.More Details About Rock Hard Festival GreeceRock Hard Festival Greece’s Facebook page also explained that 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Rock Hard Greece (which is why they decided to expand their scope into a two-day festival “featuring numerous international acts” as a “new, massive cultural event”).It’s set to take place in Athens from Sept. 12 – Sept. 13, and you can read more about it (and soon purchase tickets) here.So, are you excited about Candlemass reuniting with Marcolin? Are you planning to attend Rock Hard Festival Greece? Let us know!The 11 Best Debut Albums in Doom MetalTaking a look at the very best debut albums in the history of doom metal.Gallery Credit: Tom Campagna