Cemetary: Swedish gothic metal with doom roots — reviews, highlights, key albums

Cemetary

Musical Group

Forfans of 90s gothic metal, doom/death, and listeners into paradise lost and tiamat.
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The Profile

Cemetary are a Swedish metal band formed in 1989 by vocalist/guitarist Mathias Lodmalm. Starting in death/doom on the Black Mark label, they evolved toward a sleeker gothic metal sound on mid-90s albums such as Black Vanity and Sundown. The group experienced frequent line-up changes, a first run through 1997, and a brief return culminating in Phantasma (2005).

Core figure: Mathias Lodmalm (vocals/guitars). Noted label: Black Mark (Quorthon/Boss). Sundown-era line-up cited in review: Anders Iwers (lead guitars), Thomas Josefsson (bass), Markus Nordberg (drums). Musical references include Paradise Lost and Tiamat; artwork for Sundown credited to Kristian Wåhlin.

A review of Cemetary’s Sundown (1996) highlights their shift from early doom/death to lean, melodic gothic metal. The album’s strengths include focused songwriting, expressive gritty vocals, and clear production. Line-up centers on Mathias Lodmalm, with Anders Iwers on lead guitars for this release. Recommended tracks include Elysia, Last Transmission, Primal, The Embrace, and The Wake.

Notable Quotes

❝ And now a bit of healthy, straightforward, and essential vintage gothic metal: the Cemetary of "Sundown" ('96) offer all of this starting from a past rooted in a primordial doom/death metal quite close to the very first Tiamat, a dimension in which they never really convinced, although in "Godless Beauty" ('93) and especially "Black Vanity" ('94), all released by Quorthon's Black Mark and his father "Boss", there were signs of restlessness that preluded an imminent change of direction.