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Moonspell Originating from Portugal and riding a wave of enormous potential, Moonspell sought to unite gothic melodrama with an exotic interpretation of black metal components while spicing the sound with their cultural mythologies and melodies. Considering this as a first full-length representation of this endeavor, the results prove to be, for the most part, successful. There is something within this music that is reaching beyond the traditionally strict boundaries of metal music, something almost classical in sonic nature. The presence of an ancient spirit lurks about in the ethnic ambience of this recording. The folksy "Trebraruna" exemplifies the uniqueness of their approach. Portuguese lyrics are delivered in conjunction with mystical melody over a double bass foundation here, representing their regional separation and cultural identity in a genre too often plagued by its own trappings. Despite the upbeat nature of this particular tune, Moonspell aspire to portray an atmosphere of gloomy elegance and anxiety, and they find success particularly within "Alma Mater", ‘Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)", and "Love Crimes". Moonspell are quite aware that they are not the first to attempt such a unity with folk and goth/metal. Yet, they are skillful in areas where many have fallen short. They know when and when not to utilize certain elements, playing to the strength of the given song. There is no gimmick in place of their presentation. Everything on offer is present for a reason, and that reason being to enhance the overall product. This lends the band’s sound a truly magical aura and weaves an intoxicating spell within the listener. And all the while, they never lose sight of who they are and from where they have come. For all Wolfheart’s flowery romanticism, there is the presence of a raging beast, a wolfen spirit, running wild throughout this work. The hoarse, blackened screams serve to give this entity a voice, and the foundation remains a darkened metal. The soul of this work is one of enchanting gothic theatricality. The band is consumed with vampiric fantasies and nocturnal mystery. They write tales of dark tragedy, where lupine spirits and distressful maidens chase each other in fullmoon dementia. "An Erotic Alchemy" is perhaps prototypical Moonspell, as it tells such a tale in mini-epic fashion. Musically, it features the full spectrum of the band’s sound and style, flowing from keyboard-rich gothic movements to impassioned blackness. Female vocals and deep gothic male voices exchange dialogue here in an interesting construction, actually convincing in its delivery as opposed to drowning in a sea of cheese like many of their followers who attempt similar ideas. Elsewhere, "Lua D’ Inverno" sets a wonderfully dark and tranquil atmosphere through voiceless form, flutes and acoustic guitar flow together here to spellbinding effect. Wolfheart sees Moonspell at their darkest well of inspiration. The sounds and ideas on offer here are fresh and interesting to listen to. There is a clear and concise vision throughout, never departing from the central theme of the work, allowing for a consistent and captivating flow from start to finish. Though far from a masterpiece (the "clean" gothic singing sometimes borders on the comical), Wolfheart stands as one of gothic metal’s finest works, a clear presentation which portrays a convincing example of successfully combining core elements from both genres while incorporating something wholly individual. 5/28/04 Tracklisting
Moonspell
Considering Moonspell’s Portuguese origins, their ascendancy from relative obscurity to high-profile Century Media act is quite an achievement. Indeed, it is their cultural essence that separates them. By this point, they are the only act from Portugal to reach this level of recognition and they have accepted the responsibility of this role without resistance. By choosing their native tongue to deliver some of these lyrics, an exotic aura manifests itself throughout the work. It also allows the band an opportunity to expose their cultural roots to a wide range of listeners, something they clearly feel passionately for. Irreligious, the band’s second full-length effort, is in many ways a logical continuation and evolvement of the direction and themes of the Wolfheart debut. Thematically, Moonspell are still concerned with nocturnal matters, however, though vampires, wolves and other such nightly creatures form the characters in their songs, they are used more as metaphor for human behavior as opposed to the more fantasy based themes of previous works. Common goth metal staples such as sex and religion are explored in an interesting construction. This may allow for much of the mysteriousness in Moonspell’s earlier music to fade, but it’s to be expected with young artists who strive for the next level of maturity and awareness. Fantasy suffers at the cruel and inescapable clutches of reality during the transition from adolescent to early adulthood. Yet Moonspell have not forsaken the method of folklore as a vehicle to transport reflections of real human existence. The band has strengthened their identity with Irreligious. They have a clear vision of where they want to take their sound and how to work their chosen themes. The comparisons that sprouted around this time in the band’s development (Type O Negative, Danzig) were but futile attempts to place them neatly into a certain package. Though common threads do exist, Moonspell have a quality that is beyond either act, and clearly have a seriousness about themselves that allows their work to penetrate deeper. Certainly, tracks such as "Raven Claws" and "Ruin & Misery" have been constructed in more traditional gothic rock formations, yet there is a dark sensuality present within the works that is entirely their own. Clearly, Moonspell have developed as musicians and songwriters. However, as has been the case with many acts, as the growth in the technical and mechanical aspects of the art becomes more evident, the atmosphere and emotional essence, not to mention mystery, of the work begins to fade. This album sees Moonspell achieve, for the most part, a healthy balance between the two components. Yet the nocturnal magic of earlier efforts has decreased. The passionate closer "Full Moon Madness" stands as the only track to intoxicate the listener in such a way. "Opium" and "For A Taste Of Eternity" are excellent songs, and highlight moments occur within most others, yet "Mephisto" is awful. Fernando Ribeiro has begun to use his deep gothic voice as the primary vocal style, and while the thick Portuguese accent lends it a unique quality, it is not always convincing and at times even comes across as comedic. He needs to take more control over his expressions and phrasing, and identify his vocal strengths, which are his harsh style and melodic singing found in the choruses of most of these songs. He’s an intelligent and creative lyricist and has the potential to be something of a gothic metal legend. This is where Moonspell starts to become a stretch between two extremes. When they are good, they are almost untouchable ("Opium"), but when they are bad, they are approaching the status of horrible ("Mephisto"). On Irreligious, the material is mostly of a high quality. In the realm of dark, atmospheric, gothic metal, Moonspell are a unique and rewarding proposition with potential boiling over to stretch beyond the stylistic conventions. While Irreligious is a positive evolvement in certain significant areas, it however finds the band settling for such conventions rather than further exploring and expanding on what was a magical and intoxicating expression on earlier works.
Tracklisting
Moonspell
Having reached the gothic metal stratosphere with Irreligious (at a time when the subgenre was experiencing the peak of its popularity and appeal), the band have altered their approach fairly significantly with their third release, Sin. Apparently, Moonspell have exhausted themselves with exploring the traditional themes, both sonic and lyrical, of a subgenre they no doubt played an important role in helping shape. Despite presenting these themes in a highly unique and refreshing manner, they have realized the limits to which they could express their ideas within such a format. As the band members experience the natural maturity of human development, they are grasping at concepts and ideas that deal with the reality of their surroundings, in this case, the philosophy of religion and the concept of god. No longer are Moonspell concerned with vampires and full-moon obsession, even if these were used as metaphor for human interaction. Sin is Moonspell’s attempt at a mainstream approach to creating (dark) rock music. The music has much in common with popular rock concepts in terms of composition, however, they have placed emphasis on sparing enough room for experimentation, mostly with electronic soundscapes and ambient textures. Keyboards are no stranger to the band’s sound, yet here they are used in a much different context. It is difficult to imagine these songs surviving without this instrument. Most of the time, as in the intro to "Dekadence", the usage of keys creates a rich, spectacular atmosphere. Electronic percussion has also found a larger role with Moonspell’s sound this time around, though only utilized as to create different shades within the music rather than replacing the live drums. "EuroticA" is the only track to feature this method as the soul of the foundation. It is the weakest song on the album, not because of the chosen instrumentation, but because of how the song is arranged and delivered. Moonspell seem to have come to a deeper understanding of what music can be, and are seeking to discover a vast array of deliveries and themes. They have broken through the boundaries of their original style into an all-embracing approach of past, present and future musical developments. It’s something to be applauded, at least for the attempt. Unfortunately, their attempts fail more than succeed on Sin. The band get in over their heads on "Flesh", "V.C. (Gloria Domini)" and "EuroticA". They are striving for a dark and passionate expression by merging their basic rock constructions with electronic ambience, yet these tracks suffer from lack of direction and overall emotional or atmospheric impact. "HandMade God" and "2econd Skin" are lifeless works that aspire to maintain a healthy dose of their original sound with more accessible ideas. Again, the attempt is to be appreciated, yet the results are ultimately a failure. With these two tracks (following intro "Slow Down!") beginning the album, it does not make for a promising experience. However, the band do manage to come up with a handful of impressive and engaging works. An impassioned chorus and tasteful guitar leads drive "Abysmo" over an uptempo foundation, a truly successful attempt to merge their dark atmospherics with traditional rock structure. "Mute" and "Dekadance" are both rewarded with lush keyboard atmospherics and strong vocal delivery by Fernando, who is disappointing for most of the recording. "The Hanged Man" is Moonspell allowing the music to breathe in a relaxed construction which places emphasis on moving guitar leads and Fernando’s passionate voice. As begun with the previous album, Moonspell are either approaching excellence or bordering on the awful. Unlike the previous album, they are approaching excellence less often.
Tracklisting
Moonspell Discography Under The Moonspell EP (Adipocere, 1994)
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