[Gig Review] Candlemass & Mammon’s Throne @ The Corner Hotel 30.09.2026
Words:
Sammy O’flynn
Photos:
Ritchie Black
Presented by:
Your Mate Bookings
Venue:
Corner Hotel
Talking in terms of grief for a minute here, it’s been exactly 3 months since my mother passed away, so to have cathartic release in the form of the forefathers of the entire epic doom metal movement Candlemass is without a doubt 100% the best way to honour Catherine O’Flynn. In good company a quiet round of drinks as quiet as Jager-bombs can be had in memory of mum.
With that it was time for doors and a quick scan of merch and the team at Your Mate Bookings had everything Candlemass, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus socks and a whole range of small and large patches provided by Pull the Plug not to mention the entire Candlemass discography and tour shirts by the truck load. I also stopped by the Mammon’s Throne stand to see what they had on offer too, the new long-sleeved shirt based on the most recent single is mint. I also had a brief chat to their rhythm guitarist Johnny Chammas about how great it is to see them playing with their inspirations.
You know a monumental event is unfolding when The Corner Hotel is packed before the support band starts their set, of course in reviewing I would need a spot near the action however my Russian friend was insistent on another round of Jager-bombs, I wasn’t going to say no as I needed the caffeine pick-me-up although I am at work so I cut myself off at the two drinks.
7:20PM and there’s a nice atmospheric intro as Mammon’s Throne take to the stage, usually due to the possible overexposure due to the dark times of the COVID-19 era, when Mammon’s Throne, Isua and Hybrid Nightmares were the only bands playing at the time. However, sometimes the energy and the atmosphere of the event produce true magic.
The winding guitar sections of Senseless Death kick in ominously over the ambient intro like a heavily distorted and angry wasp nest obviously the crowd replied with just as high energy in regard to cheers and screams like a sleeping beast awakened from a hibernation of sorts, Matthew Miller arrives with the growls and an intensity that I haven’t seen in all the times I’ve seen Mammon’s Throne this is a sentiment that a lot of punters have connected with.
So Mammon’s Throne have 2 sets they play there’s the brutal set which is the one that gets played to death than there is the doom set which was pulled out tonight so the songs are played slower and a sense of devastating loss, you could tell that Mammon’s had brought their A-game to this run of shows.
Drummer Nick Boschan is an absolute beast too finding ways to change up pacing, from a meandering morose walk to an absolute barrage of cannon fire blast beats just as you think you can stop headbanging for a minute in comes Sam Talbot-Cannon with punishing bass licks that remind you that yes you are here to be crushed by relentless and glorious death-doom this is all within the first song.
There are no short songs by Mammon’s Throne, as Senseless Death Concludes Matthew Miller addresses the crowd “we are Mammon’s Throne and this is An Angels Grace” the pounding drums start and then in come Amesh Perera and Johnny Chammas with beautiful, harmonised guitars before the crunch of distortion kicks in with thunderous delight. The morose crooning from Matt Miller brings a charming atmosphere to An Angels Grace, there are also growled passages as well this leads to many blunt force trauma related headbanging injuries. The relentless pulsating combo of Nick Boschan’s Drums and Sam Talbot-Cannon’s bass solo is something to be marvelled at.
Another thing that is done well in a live setting for Mammon’s Throne is the blackened growls from Johnny Chammas complementing Matthew Miller’s gravely vocal style this approach is broached in most songs and honestly, I am definitely impressed by how much Mammon’s Throne have evolved over time.
This evening’s set has been dominated by the new album My Body to the Worms which has a very My Dying Bride/ Paradise Lost sort of feel to it and especially with the next track played Departed, this one feels like it’s ripped straight from The Dark Tower a haunting melody drifts through the crowd before the distortion propels the journey through a profound sense of loss and desperation. There are also faster almost thrashy sections in Departed too.
To conclude their massive opening set Mammon’s Throne play back to back setlist staples and fan favourites Return Us to the Stars which is slightly faster than their other songs, whilst also being disgustingly heavy with an easy to follow chorus which the crowd eager for more easily scream along to and grooves so infectious you just can’t stand still, A veritable sea of headbangers erupts as we are ready to be the congregation.
The closing song for Mammon’s Throne is Elixir, things take a flair for the dramatic as Mammon’s Throne bring out a vampire for the very much based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula themed track to which a drinking of Matthew Miller’s blood occurs, downtuned guitars and a cacophonous drum track and another catchy refrain of “DRINK THE BLOOD, DRINK THE BLOOD, DRINK THE FUCKING BLOOD NOSFERATUUUUU”. The theatrical conclusion to the set was phenomenal and fit the entire epic doom vibe for the evening.
After a quite minimal farewell and a photo with the crowd Mammon’s Throne clear the stage for the main event to prepare, I would like to add here that this performance from Mammon’s Throne has made me a convert to a fan. The way the band were channelling a more pissed off approach to the forefathers of doom metal overall is just an absolute vibe. Congratulations on a massive 2026 Mammon’s Throne I look forward to what next year has has in store for you.
A packed to the gills Corner Hotel show is painful to navigate to the mosh pit and this evening it was absolutely insane the excitement was at an all-time high as this is the first-ever Australian tour in the 40-year history of Candlemass, as we made our march to the front the sound techs were testing equipment out with the opening bassline from Hand of Doom by Sabbath. Was a perfect junction to stretch out my neck a little bit for the oncoming epic journey that Candlemass are about to embark upon.
We found a nice spot beside the famous Corner Hotel pole, where we waited for Candlemass to start their set, the room darkens and the intro track to the set starts March Funebre although Bassist Leif Edling and guitarist Lars Johansson both blew amps before they could start the performance.
Thanks to Amesh bringing an emergency amplifier out the show could go on, Leif takes the mic and says with a hint of sarcasm “we’ll play extra slow this evening, believe it or not we’ve been playing for 40 years and this is the first time we’ve had technical difficulties” as a great man once said the show must go on. Opening with Bewitched our black cloaked frontman Felipe Plaza Kutzbach runs out screaming “Melbourne are you ready to be cursed by Candlemass” motioning for the crowd to open the pit up, and the more energetic crowd members were more than happy to oblige with an enthusiastic but small push pit opening up.
Bewitched has all the hallmarks of a classic power metal song whilst remaining doom, massive sing along choruses, doom laden chugging riffs from guitarists Mappe Bjorkman and Lars Johansson absolutely blew the roof off the Corner Hotel, the other thing of note about Bewitched is that it was out of tune I didn’t notice this as it sounded immaculate. Technical difficulties plagued the opening part of the set with Filipe jokingly saying “this is what happens when you add a Chilean into your band” getting back to the epic doom the next cut is Mirror Mirror, the main riff is hook loaded and definitely one of those really memorable sing along with ear worms, Mappe Bjorkman and Lars Johansson show their love for the old school forefathers of heavy metal playing slowed down and fuzzed out leads that would make Page and Iommi nod in approval.
The small but enthusiastic pit makes a return although overall the crowd was content to stand still and nod despite Filipe calling for more energy. There were a few bad sports in the crowd too, if you can’t handle a slight nudge stand at the back and appreciate don’t grab at people having a boogie to the thick delicious riffs, and don’t throw punches either when people slip over.
This is a slight aside from the review and needs to be brought up I’ve noticed a fair bit of antisocial behaviour arise from the post-COVID times as has Brady there’s an update post on why he took a break from gigs and writing reviews see here, to avoid a bit of a meltdown due to my own circumstances I left the mosh pit area after At the Gallows End. To have some water and cool off a little bit.
Candlemass are celebrating a very big 40th anniversary this year it’s been 40 years since Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, now there is one glaring omission from this tour and that is original vocalist Johan Langquist is out due to a medical emergency. We hope Mr. Langquist is in better health shortly; Filipe is absolutely crushing it on fill in vocals back to Epicus Doomicus Metallicus the first cut from the doom metal epic is the pendulous march that is Under the Oak, Leif Edling creates a bass groove that makes the crowd sway like delicate flowers in the shade of a mighty oak in an autumn breeze.
the next couple of tunes are from Nightfall and Bells of Acheron is an absolute stand out with a galloping bass solo that feels like it’d be right at home on Piece of Mind, and a thunderous procession from Stafen Englin giving Bells a very bouncy mid paced and energetic feel awakening the dormant crowd and the pit opens up again it’s slightly after this point I had my little moment where the decision was made to take a walk to the back of the venue due to masking fatigue.
One thing that epic doom bands do incredibly well is they produce an all-encompassing wall of sound that fills the entire building so wherever you are positioned it sounds immaculate, the fathers of epic doom are giving an absolute masterclass on how it’s done and oh boy is the sold-out Corner eating it up.
At the Gallows End is a moment where Filipe gets audience participation in the form of having the crowd harmonize with Mappe and Lars’s guitar introduction and getting everyone to clap to join the wall of sound just as another thunderous galloping bass line from Leif causes further pit shenanigans which are quite entertaining to marvel at from my spot at the bar.
Crystal Ball is the opening part of the main slab of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus portion of the set, this is where I noticed quite a lot of the influence Black Sabbath had on Candlemass, although there are faster passages in Crystal Ball that are almost thrashy in their delivery. Where A Sorcerer’s Pledge is quite slow and almost a folky ballad to start with before Leif propels it forward with quite a powerful galloping bassline which has A Sorcerer’s Pledge bordering in an almost thrash/power metal territory.
The pledge ends and Candlemass do the false walk off to many cheers and the famous Melburnian chant of “10 MORE SONGS”. To which Leif walks out and thanks everyone in the audience for waiting for 40 years for Candlemass to finally debut in Australia. Before you know it they are off and belting through Well of Souls. Filipe says, “this next one is called Demons Gate are you ready to open it”. Another wall of sound erupts forth from the amplifiers all encompassing and smothering just like the influence of this massive song a movie called the beyond, the story crafting and songwriting behind Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is so immaculate you feel like you’re jumping into a time machine and going back to the mid 80s it’s just absolutely phenomenal.
Unfortunately, all fantastic evenings must come to an end and the haunting mellowed out opening guitar part of Solitude hits the spot nicely before the doom and dread kicks in with forlorn lyrics sung with a sense of impending loss by Filipe, the winding guitar parts played mournfully by Lars and Mappe as the backline of Leif and Stefan keeps the constant epic feel of the music going until the very end.
Upon the conclusion of Solitude, Candlemass take a final bow and a photo with the crowd at this moment I realise I have witnessed something truly special as the old guard of doom bands had to run so that the modern wave of doom could plod, there is something to be said about the longevity of bands like Candlemass 40 years is a long time to be a world class travelling band.
I also want to add here that when myself and the squad (Brady, Ash, Mike, Brendo and Sammy) drove from Melbourne to Ross River for Blacken Open Air every second song in our 99-hour driving playlist was Candlemass. So, to see these songs fleshed out in a live setting was phenomenal and if you ask Brady, he’s probably in the exact same boat.
Another side note to conclude on is that Melbourne was massively keen on Candlemass merch as at the pack down for the evening there was only two boxes of tour shirts left and two boxes of other merch items. Way to go on selling out almost everything Melbourne.
Believe me when I say I’m keen for Candlemass to return because that was absolutely incredible a massive thanks should also go out to Anthony and the team at Your Mate Bookings for another amazing Australian tour.
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