Moonspell

Moonspell is a Portuguese metal group from Lisboa, formed in 1989 and active since then. The band begins under the name Morbid God and adopts the Moonspell name in 1992. Its line-up changes over time, and members associated with the group include Fernando Ribeiro, Mike Gaspar, João Pedro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paixão, Luís Lamelas, Mantus, Sérgio Crestana, Niclas Etelävuori, Waldemar Sorychta and Aires Pereira.

Origins and early releases

The band starts with a folk-tinged black metal style. Under the name Morbid God, it issues the promo track “Serpent Angel” in 1992. In 1993, Fernando Ribeiro, Mike Gaspar and João Pedro record the demo Anno Satanæ as Moonspell, which leads to interest from the French label Adipocere. Moonspell then releases the mini-album Under the Moonspell in 1994. That record becomes a landmark in Portuguese metal, sells more than 5,000 copies and is Adipocere’s best-selling release at the time. Soon afterwards, the band performs with Cradle of Filth in Lisbon.

Breakthrough and 1990s albums

After Under the Moonspell, the band signs to Century Media for six albums. Wolfheart is recorded in Germany with producer Waldemar Sorychta and released in 1995, followed by a European tour. Although it receives little attention at first, it later becomes regarded as a milestone. During that tour, guitarist Mantus leaves and Ricardo Amorim joins.

Irreligious follows in 1996, again produced with Waldemar Sorychta. The album moves further into gothic metal, while the earlier material is more clearly black metal. “Opium” becomes the band’s first single and uses a reference to Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa through his heteronym Álvaro de Campos and the poem “Opiário”. Its video shows the poet figure writing in a bar alongside the band. A release event at the Convento do Beato and wider attention help the album sell 10,000 copies in Portugal. After legal disputes, bassist Ares leaves and Sérgio Crestana takes over on bass.

Experimentation and side project work

Sin/Pecado is released in 1998 and has a more experimental character than the earlier albums. “2econd Skin” comes out as a single. Around the same period, Moonspell members also record the only Daemonarch album, Hermeticum. Daemonarch is a side project made up of all Moonspell members except Mike Gaspar, and the album is presented as a return to black metal roots. Its lyrics are written by Fernando Ribeiro between the ages of 14 and 16.

The Butterfly Effect follows in 1999. It is recorded in London with producer Andy Reilly and is also highly experimental, built around down-tuned guitar riffs and eerie synthesizer parts. The record is mainly composed by Pedro Paixão and is not well received by metal critics.

2001–2005

Darkness and Hope is released in 2001 and produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, who also works with Sentenced and HIM. The album reaches number 79 in the German charts. Special editions include cover versions of Madredeus, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley” and Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. “Nocturna” is issued as a single and video.

In 2003, Moonspell releases The Antidote, with Niclas Etelävuori of Amorphis appearing as session bassist. The album is issued with a companion book by Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto. The two share the same concept and story, with each song corresponding to a chapter in the book. “Everything Invaded” is released as a single and video. The band tours widely and appears at Rock in Rio Lisbon in 2004, which brings it greater mainstream attention in Portugal. From this period onward, tours feature Aires Pereira on bass.

Also in early 2004, Moonspell records a cover of the jazz standard “I’ll See You in My Dreams” for the soundtrack of a Portuguese horror film of the same name. The song also receives an official video using footage from the film.

Later albums, awards and DVDs

Memorial is released in 2006 on SPV Steamhammer, the band’s new label. It is recorded with Waldemar Sorychta, who also handles the bass parts. The album goes to number one in Portugal in its first week and reaches number 68 in the German Top 100. It later achieves gold status in Portugal after selling 10,000 copies, making Moonspell the first Portuguese heavy metal band to do so. The album is heavier than its predecessor and receives strong coverage in Portuguese news. A later edition includes a DVD with live performances and the album’s videos. Videos are also made for “Finisterra” and “Luna”. In November 2006, the band wins the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Portuguese Act.

The Great Silver Eye, a best-of compilation, appears in 2007. Under Satanae, a re-recording of the early material, is also released. Night Eternal follows in 2008, and later the same year the band issues its first DVD, Lusitanian Metal, in multiple versions. The most extensive edition includes two DVDs, a CD and a booklet. Its contents include a 2004 concert in Katowice, all videos up to “Everything Invaded”, an interview filmed in a graveyard, and live footage from tours between 1992 and 2005.

Style

Moonspell is associated with black metal, gothic metal and metal, and its work moves from folk-tinged black metal through darker gothic and more experimental forms.