Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS have announced Chilean vocalist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach as the lead vocalist for the band's four-date Australian tour, which runs from September 29 in Melbourne to October 3 in Perth. The tour follows a medical emergency in Stockholm last month that hospitalized longtime singer Johan LĂ€ngqvist, prompting the temporary replacement. Felipe Plaza Kutzbach, who previously performed with CANDLEMASS at London Metalfest in September 2025, will handle lead vocals during the Australian shows.
In the final two songs of that London performance, Aaron Stainthorpe of MY DYING BRIDE and Tony Dolan of VENOM INC. also shared vocal duties. The band's latest EP, "Black Star," was released in May 2025 via Napalm Records.
In a separate development, CANDLEMASS reunited with former vocalist Messiah Marcolin at the 2025 Rock Hard Festival Greece in Athens, marking his first performance with the band in nearly 20 years. The group has a long history in the doom metal genre, with seminal releases including "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986) and "Nightfall" (1987). After LĂ€ngqvist's departure following the 1986 album, the band featured Marcolin until 2006, when he left for the final time.
" The band rehired LÀngqvist in 2018 after firing frontman Mats Levén, who had previously toured with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and THERION. "