Technopolis, Athens
12 – 13 September 2025
12 – 13 September 2025
The annual Rock Hard Festival at the Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany has been a well established concert event since 2003, and continues uninterrupted to this day. Now, the time has come to expand the concept to Greece.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2015, Rock Hard Greece invited Blind Guardian for a secret acoustic show with free entry for 20 lucky readers. Now, for its 20th anniversary, we are raising the stakes with something no other music media outlet so far has dared to do in Greece: Hosting a two-day festival at the Technopolis City of Athens on September 12 & 13, 2025, featuring numerous international acts and creating a new, massive cultural event: The Rock Hard Festival Greece.
For the inaugural event, we are very proud to be able to announce a one-off world exclusive performance of CANDLEMASS featuring former vocalist Messiah Marcolin! This will be the first (and only) time in over 20 years that Messiah has performed live with the band.
Candlemass, a pioneering band in the Doom Metal genre, was formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1985 by bassist and primary songwriter Leif Edling. Drawing inspiration from Black Sabbath’s slow and heavy riffing, Candlemass became known for defining the “epic doom metal” style. Among their many line-ups over the years, the periods featuring iconic vocalist Messiah Marcolin (1987-1991 and briefly in 2002-2006) stand as the most revered by fans and critics alike, marking some of the band’s most influential and memorable works.
First Era with Messiah Marcolin (1987–1991):
After releasing their debut album ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus’ (1986) featuring session vocalist Johan Längqvist, Candlemass sought a permanent frontman. They eventually found their ideal match in Messiah Marcolin, a classically trained baritone with a theatrical stage presence, instantly recognizable by his monk-like robes and commanding operatic vocals.
The first album of this line-up, ‘Nightfall’ (1987), is widely considered a cornerstone of Doom Metal. Combining Leif Edling’s masterful compositions with Marcolin’s dramatic voice, tracks like “Bewitched” and “At the Gallows End” set a standard for the genre. The album’s majestic atmosphere, heavy riffing, and melancholic lyrics captivated audiences, establishing the band as leading figures in heavy metal’s darker, more emotional subgenre.
In 1988, Candlemass followed up with ‘Ancient Dreams’, which further cemented their reputation. The album, with classic tracks such as “Mirror Mirror” and “A Cry from the Crypt,” maintained the band’s signature slow tempos and operatic grandeur. Although it was very well-received at the time, internal tensions between members began to surface, largely due to creative differences.
‘Tales of Creation’ (1989) was the third and final studio album of this era and line-up. While the album featured powerful songs like “Dark Reflections” and “Into the Unfathomed Tower,” tensions within the band peaked.
After extensive touring and the release of a live-album, ‘Live’, Marcolin finally departed in 1991, citing disagreements over the band’s direction and management. Despite his departure, this period remains the pinnacle of Candlemass’s legacy for many fans.
Reunion with Messiah Marcolin (2002–2006):
After a decade with various vocalists and stylistic experiments, Candlemass reunited with Marcolin in 2002. The reunion was highly anticipated, leading to the live album ‘Doomed for Live’ (2003), recorded at the Sweden Rock Festival. The chemistry between Edling and Marcolin rekindled hope for a full return to form, and the band began working on new studio material. However, internal differences resurfaced, leading to Candlemass disbanding this line-up once again.
In November of 2004, the band announced their second reunion. And in May of 2005, they released the self-titled album, ‘Candlemass’. Tracks like “Black Dwarf” and “Spellbreaker” brought a modern edge to their classic sound while retaining the epic, doom-laden quality fans had come to expect. The album earned critical acclaim and even won the band a Swedish Grammy Award, reaffirming their relevance in contemporary metal.
However, eventually old tensions resurfaced, and by 2006 Marcolin once again parted ways with Candlemass. His departure marked the end of their collaboration thus far, though his contributions during these two key eras continue to define the band’s enduring influence on Doom Metal.
Legacy:
Messiah Marcolin’s theatrical presence, operatic delivery, and contribution to Candlemass’s classic era made him an indelible figure in heavy metal history. The band’s works with him remain some of the most influential albums in doom metal, shaping generations of musicians and fans who revere Candlemass as true legends of the genre.
Future:
Now, for the 3rd time, CANDLEMASS will perform with Messiah Marcolin as the frontman for a one-off performance at the premiere edition of the Rock Hard Festival in Athens, Greece in September of 2025.
Tickets for this world exclusive performance will be available starting next week.
Besides Candlemass featuring Messiah Marcolin, a further 11 bands will feature at the festival, all to be announced in the coming weeks.
Rock Hard:
Rock Hard is one of the oldest and most significant heavy metal organizations in the world and one of the leading magazines in Europe since its inception in Germany in 1983. Its Greek edition first hit the newsstands in 2005, and since 2011 it has continued exclusively online at www.rockhard.gr.
In addition to Germany and Greece, Rock Hard is published as a magazine in France and Italy, boasting hundreds of thousands of readers every month and even more followers on social media. Over the years, Rock Hard has become synonymous with impartiality, objectivity, and independence, honoring the past while simultaneously emphasizing the present and future of heavy metal music. Its interviews, album reviews, and exclusive content serve as a reference point and spark discussions among fans of Heavy Music. It’s no coincidence that many international media outlets republish its content, and it is worth noting that Rock Hard has the most references among international media on Wikipedia.
