Metal-exiles.com recently conducted an interview with CANDLEMASS founder Leif Edling. The following is a brief excerpt:

Metal Exiles: I was curious about the cover (of the new album). It is a plain white sleeve with the logo and a cross. What made you decide to do this kind of cover?

Edling: "To me, Swedes are so anti-religious and this cross is just metal to me. I am very against religion, I think it is so stupid. I grew up with skulls and crosses, it is a symbol of metal. This is a metal record and it represents that a very heavy metal record. People have told us that they did not expect this kind of record from us since we are a doom band. They thought it would have been a slower and heavier record. We are a doom band but we are a doom metal band you cannot forget that. For the cover, we did not want to use a painting because people would have said you are just looking back to the '80s, that is just dangerous to do. This is a statement to everybody that we are back with a heavy record. It is an amazing cover and it looks great. It will be out as a digipak with an embossed logo and with a bonus track."

Metal Exiles: I know it comes out on vinyl, too.

Edling: "I just got the vinyl of it a few days ago and it looks great. I would have loved to have had the cover embossed to but it would have been to expensive. This is a double record and on the fourth side you have the skull we use embossed in the vinyl. I do not know how many copies they will make but maybe they will ship some top the States."

To read the entire interview go to this location.