Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
September has passed, bringing one of Mexico’s most significant heavy metal events: the Candelabrum Metal Festival weekend. Held in León, Guanajuato on September 12th and 13th, at the city’s Velaria esplanade, the festival featured a mix of renowned and rare acts, including local bands like Necronos, Vinnum Sabbathi, and Voltax alongside international acts such as Destruction, The Haunted, …and Oceans, Loudness, and Bloodbath. Special surprises included the unusual live appearances of Lifelover, Ved Buens Ende…, and the first-ever presentations in Mexico of Misþyrming, Spiritus Mortis, Old’ Man’s Child, among other significant appearances. There are several reasons why we think you must experience this young yet almighty event, but we have already talked about that previously; for now, we can only say that the hype is real, this festival should be on your radar!
The event began a day earlier with a pre-party featuring local bands and a presentation by renowned photographer NecrosHorns, known for his work with top extreme metal artists. Although we missed this event, we met him during the festival’s first day at the inaugural conference. Originally from Panama and with extensive European experience (where he resides), NecrosHorns explained the importance of showcasing his work in Latin America for the first time, including a large-format photo of Darvaza’s singer at Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa at the festival entrance — one of his most famous pieces. It was perfectly suited for an extreme metal event, welcoming attendees as if entering a mass of profanity. During the same conference, festival manager Kezhia Quintero gave opening remarks emphasizing the event’s potential as a major international metal hub. Now in its fifth edition, the festival aims to expand further.
After these opening remarks at the press area, we headed to see our first band, the local blackened death metal act Necronos. They blend black and death metal with cosmic themes about space sorrow. With aggressive growls and powerful riffs, Necronos set the festival mood, bringing darkness even under the Mexican sun at noon—a great start to the weekend. The local acts continued with Vinnum Sabbathi’s stoner rock, slowing down our stamina with mellow guitar riffs. The contrast between Necronos and Vinnum Sabbathi was clever, offering attendees different atmospheres early in the day as many arrived during their performances.
NecrosHorns’ banner welcoming attendees into the festival
Later, international bands took the stage, starting with NITE, a heavy metal band from San Francisco. We didn’t know much about them at first, but after photographing a few shots during their initial songs, we got hooked! Their performance was full of energy and positive vibes, with band members smiling at the audience and cameras—something rare in metal music! We enjoyed their set and found it to be a great discovery. Next up was the band we looked forward to most: Spiritus Mortis, one of the oldest Finnish doom acts. Once they arrived on stage, we knew we were in for some of the finest doom metal. Their energy was both melancholic and electrifying, with Kimmo’s vocals perfectly matching songs from “The Man of Steel” to “Holiday in the Cemetery.” They also played their recent single “The Hairy Tree,” released just days earlier, making us feel lucky to be present for this special set. Kimmo’s commanding stage presence combined the energy of an 80s rock star with the dramatic intensity typical of doom metal. Their vibe felt fully in their element.
NITE
Spiritus Mortis
The lineup included later bands like RAM’s heavy sound, Gehennah’s thrash metal, Impaled’s brutal death metal, and Ved Buend Ende’s experimental black metal. Ved Buend Ende… was a highlight at this point of the festival, with a mystical performance full of fog, long songs, and smooth arrangements. Credited with pioneering avant-garde black metal in the 90s with their album “Written in Waters” (1995), blending black metal, jazz, and atmospheric sounds, their set showcased that album. The evening continued with Solitude Aeturnus, who contributed to shaping 90s American doom metal. They played for the first time with their new singer, James-Paul Luna, formerly of Holy Grail and Intranced. Their gig transported us to a gloom-filled 90s era. Initially, we were curious about Luna replacing the band’s previous singer Robert Lowe, whose influence—also as a former Candlemass singer—was significant. However, Luna proved he has the presence to be both mysterious and aggressive in doom metal. Following them, the night turned even more extreme with Revenge, a band self-described as war metal. Revenge’s relentless stage presence featured heavy guitars, deep monstrous growls, and blasting drums—just what we needed to keep our energy high.
Ved Buens Ende…
Impaled
After sunset, the festival saw an increase in intensity, both in the weather conditions and among the remaining extreme bands, opening the night with an electrical storm that posed a significant threat to the open-air event. Fortunately, most attendees took refuge beneath the Velaria ceiling, and the festival temporarily paused between sets for safety. The interruption lasted only a few minutes, and the event resumed approximately half an hour later. Once the storm subsided, preparations were made for the highly anticipated performance by Lifelover. To everyone’s astonishment, this event was not a figment of imagination; it indeed took place. Lifelover has returned! Recognized within the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal genre, the band emerged from hiatus following the death of founding member Jonas Bergqvist in 2011. Since that tragic event, Lifelover disbanded but reunited several times over the years. Currently, they are touring select shows across Europe and Latin America under the moniker “Kall plays Lifelover,” led by Kim Carlsson, a founding member of Lifelover and Kall’s current vocalist. The project involves members of the latter, all alumni of Lifelover’s early days. For the local audience, Mexican musician Ikanunna BG‘s inclusion in the band’s lineup added a special touch to the concert. When Lifelover took the stage, the atmosphere was of an eerie fairy tale. The venue was plunged into darkness, and Carlsson appeared on stage bloodied and dragged as if he were a recently deceased corpse. He commenced with a dramatic performance resembling a sleepwalker struggling to awaken from a nightmare, until the initial notes were played and he vocalized his first growls: “Thank you, León, for your patience!” expressing gratitude to the audience for their endurance through the storm. The stage was then illuminated with blue and dark lights, revealing the opening strains of “Shallow.” Carlsson’s stage presence was highly expressive, with movements appearing as if he was suffering in his final moments of life—combining zombie-like dances, screams, whispers, lamenting gestures, and then returning to furious growls. If that is not theatricality, then what is! The setlist traversed various phases of Lifelover’s musical evolution, featuring songs such as “I Love (To Hurt) You,” “Museum of Past Affections,” “M/S Salmonella,” and concluding with “Mitt Öppna Öga.” In our opinion, they were undoubtedly the best band of day one.
Kall plays Lifelover
We didn’t know what could follow on the program; it was really difficult to top this impressive show. Nonetheless, the headliners Bloodbath and Destruction still delivered! Bloodbath took the stage with their signature brutality, performing well-known anthems from their career like “So You Die”, “Cancer of the Soul”, “Brave New Hell”, and “Mock the Cross”. Bathed in red lights, the band stormed the stage with intense energy. Nick Holmes conveyed the raw spirit of the lyrics through powerful growls, interacting with the audience by approaching them and chatting during their set. Although we enjoyed Bloodbath’s concert, we miss the days when their outfits and performance matched the spirit of their music. While they still deliver great energy, without the blood-stains, somber makeup, and theatricality that once defined them, their shows feel less distinctive, making them seem like any other death metal band. We hope they’ll return to their more elaborate concerts from previous years because those dramatic details make a big difference.
Bloodbath
As we moved to the last band, the legendary Destruction, it’s now a tradition at Candelabrum Festival for headliners to have special setlists. This time, Destruction treated us to a concert of their acclaimed debut album “Infernal Overkill” (1985). Honestly, they played nearly at midnight, and we were completely exhausted after a full day of music. Despite the soreness, we paid close attention, and they concluded the first day spectacularly. Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer on vocals was such a fierce presence, with a commanding voice that could wake even the sleepiest attendees. Yes, we are talking about ourselves. We were falling asleep at that moment, but when he stepped onto the stage, it was as if a fairy had awakened us. He has such a radiant energy that boosts your stamina while also uplifting your mood. Such a charismatic man! Besides playing their debut album, the band went on with 5 more songs, including “Nailed to the Cross” and “Thrash ‘Til Death” from “The Antichrist” (2001), “Destruction” from “Birth of Malice” (2025), “Curse the Gods” from “Eternal Devastation” (1986), and “Mad Butcher” from their Debut EP “Sentence of Death” (1984). Overall, a very complete setlist full of 80s nostalgia and songs we were not expecting to hear, so the first day ended with the pure extreme aura Candelabrum is known for. The day was top-notch, so we went to bed craving more for the second day!
Destruction
All photos by Hector Sanchez
