Moonspell

Moonspell
Moonspell Live in Klub Studio, Kraków, Poland 2007
Background information
Oreigin	Brandoa, Amadora, Portugal
Genres	Black metal, fowk metal (early) Gothic metal, doom metal, daith metal (later)
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Century Media (1995–2005) SPV GmbH (2005–2008) Napalm Records (syne 2011)
Associate acts	Daemonarch, Rotting Christ
Wabsteid	www.moonspell.com
Members	Fernando Ribeiro Miguel Gaspar Ricardo Amorim Pedro Paixão Aires Pereira
Past members	(see belaw)

Moonspell is a Portuguese hivy metal baund. Formit in 1992, the group released thair first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year afore the release o thair first album Wolfheart. The baund quickly gained status an became ane o the maist recognizable metal baunds frae Portugal.

Moonspell reached the Portuguese tap first wi thair album Sin/Pecado, an wur, alang wi Metallica an Iron Maiden, the anerlie metal baund tae reach the first place o the Portuguese chairts efter the release o thair album, Memorial, in 2006. Wi Memorial, Moonspell an aw became the first Portuguese hivy metal baund tae hae a record certifeed gowd status. Thay are vera popular in Germany an aw, whaur Memorial entered at 68t in the Tap 100 Chart.

History

Early days (1992–1994)

Awtho thay haed been playin syne 1989 unner the name o "Morbid God", the baund became Moonspell in 1992, the same year thay released the promo track "Serpent Angel".

Breakthrough (1995–1997)

Efter the release o mini-album Under the Moonspell, Moonspell signed wi Century Media for sax CDs. Wolfheart wis recordit in Germany wi producer Waldemar Sorychta an wis released in 1995 an wis follaed bi a European tour. Awtho the album haed little or nae recognition at the beginnin. Durin the tour, guitarist Mantus quit the baund an wis replacit bi Ricardo Amorim.

For 1997's Irreligious, the baund again recordit wi producer Waldemar Sorychta. While the previous album wis considered black metal, this ane fell intae the genre o gothic metal. The sang "Opium" became the first Moonspell single. It quotit ane o Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms, Álvaro de Campos, on his poem "Opiário", an its muisic video featurt the character o poet writin in a bar wi the baund playin. Alang wi the release o the album in a convent, the Convento dae Beato, thare wur factors that helpit the baund sellin 10,000 copies o the album in thair hameland.

Efter conflicts wi the baund involvin lawsuits, bass player Ares left the baund an wis replacit bi Sérgio Crestana.

Experimentin (1998–2000)

Sin/Pecado (Pecado means "sin" in Portuguese) wis released in 1998. It haed a bigger experimental natur than its predecessors. The sang "2econd Skin" wis released as a single. At the time thay released the ane an anerlie Daemonarch album, Hermeticum. Daemonarch wis a side project componed bi aw Moonspell members except drummer Mike Gaspar. The album wis seen as a return tae thair black metal ruits an its leerics wur aw written bi ssngster Fernando Ribeiro atween the age o 14 an 16.

Sin/Pecado wis follaed in 1999 bi The Butterfly Effect, recordit in Lunnon an producit bi Andy Reilly. This album is considered tae be vera experimental in natur as well. Featurin "doun-tuned guitar riffs, eerie synthesizer passages", the album wis mainly componed bi guitarist/keybuird player Pedro Paixão an wis no vera well receivit bi metal creetics.

Darkness and Hope an The Antidote (2001–2005)

Fernando Ribeiro during a live shaw in Spain in 2006

Darkness and Hope wis released in 2001 an wis producit bi Hiili Hiilesmaa, producer o Sentenced an HIM. The album reached 79t on German chairts an special editions included covers o Madredeus, Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" an Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart". "Nocturna" wis released as a single an muisic video.

In 2003, the baund released The Antidote, wi Niclas Etelävuori frae Amorphis playin as a session muisicker on the bass guitar. The album wis released wi a beuk wi the same title written bi Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto. Baith the CD an beuk share the same concept an story an each sang in the CD is sister tae a chapter in the beuk that enhances the story in the leerics. "Everything Invaded" wis released as a single an muisic video. The baund toured extensively aroond the warld, playin at Rock in Rio Lisbon in 2004, a concert that brocht them tae mair mainstream attention in Portugal. Frae this album on, the tours featur Aires Pereira on the bass.

Durin 2003 the baund recordit a cover o the jazz staundart "I'll See You in My Dreams" for the soondtrack o the Portuguese short zombie horror film o the same name. Thare is an offeecial muisic video which wis filmit in ane day durin the production o the short an unner a €2,000 budget. The sang wis an aw issued as a single in 2004, featurin the full an editit versions.

Memorial, Under Satanæ an Night Eternal (2006–2009)

Memorial wis released in 2006. Recordit wi the producer o thair first three albums Waldemar Sorychta, who an aw recordit the bass guitar pairts, it wis the first tae be released unner thair new label SPV Steamhammer. The album toppit the Portuguese album chairt on its first week an an aw brak intae the German Tap 100 at nummer 68. Memorial achievit gowd status in Portugal efter sellin 10,000 copies, makkin Moonspell the first Portuguese hivy metal baund tae achieve that.

Awtho the album is hivier than the previous, it wis vera well receivit an its release wis featurt in various Portuguese news broadcasts. A new release o the album wis released in December 2006 an featurt a DVD wi live performances an the muisic videos made for the album. Muisic videos for "Finisterra" an "Luna" wur released.

The baund then wirkit on releasin a DVD oreeginally entitled Lunar Still/13 Years of Doom, but haed some issues o a legal natur an wis been forcit tae delay the release, oreeginally expectit in September 2005. It wis pushed later tae 9 December 2008 wi a new title: Lusitanian Metal.

On 2 November 2006, Moonspell wan an MTV Europe Music Awaird in the category o Best Portuguese Act.

The Great Silver Eye, a best-o album, wis released on 26 Juin 2007.

In 2007, Moonspell released Under Satanæ, a re-recordin o early sangs.

The newest album is cried Night Eternal. It wis released on 16 Mey 2008. The lead single aff the album, Scorpion Flower, featurs Dutch sangster Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, nou Agua De Annique).

Moonspell performit the "Blackest of the Black" tour wi Danzig, Winds of Plague, Dimmu Borgir, an Skeletonwitch.

Moonspell toured Europe wi Cradle of Filth, Gorgoroth, Septic Flesh an Asrai ("The Darkest Tour: Filthfest") in December 2008, an teuk pairt in a European tour wi Cradle of Filth an Turisas, dubbit the "Darkest Tour:Filthfest 2", in Aprile an Mey 2009.

In Julie 2010 it wis reportit that the Portuguese Postal Service wad release "a collection o stamps that represent the maist significant rock moments an records frae Portugal," which includit Moonspell's first album, Wolfheart.

Alpha Noir an Ómega White (2010 onwards)

Moonspell at Kavarna Rock Fest 2011.

In Julie 2010, vocalist Fernando Ribeiro revealed the baund wis wirkin on a new album, which he describit as "the maist excitin, sexiest, daurkest, hiviest an catchiest stuff we'e written in ages!". In December 2011 Moonspell signed wi Napalm Records, an Ribeiro released the follaein statement:

"Signing with Napalm is a firm step into cutting all bullshit and work with people who truly believe in us and respect our longevity, while helping us to embrace those who have been arriving in the last years to start with us yet another kingdom of darkness under the moon. Our new album is a statement. Our blood is the ink. Your skin, the scrolls upon we will write. Napalm Records, our messenger. Be ready."

In Januar 2012, Moonspell revealed the title o the new album tae be Alpha Noir, wi a release date o 27 Aprile 2012 an a special edition set tae include the album's "muisical twin", Ómega White. The baund's press release citit Bathory, King Diamond, Onslaught, early Metallica, Testament, an Artillery as influences for Alpha Noir, which wis describit as "an incendiary album". Ómega White wis insteid describit as an album o "pure atmosphere an shadae", an homage tae Type O Negative an The Sisters of Mercy an seemilar tae Moonspell's seicont album Irreligious. Alpha Noir an Ómega White wur baith producit an mixed bi Tue Madsen, who haed previously wirkit on the baund's Under Satanæ an Night Eternal records.

Baund members

Current members

• Fernando Ribeiro (Langsuyar) – vocals (1989–present)
• Miguel Gaspar (Mike/Nisroth) – drums (1992–present)
• Ricardo Amorim (Morning Blade) – guitar (1995–present)
• Pedro Paixão (Passionis/Neophytus) – keybuird/guitar (1993–present)
• Aires Pereira (Ahriman) – bass (2007–present)

Umwhile members

• Luís Lamelas (Malah/Fenrir) – guitar (1992-1993)
• Jorge Fonseca (J.M. Tanngrisnir) – guitar (1993-1995)
• Duarte Picoto (Mantus) – guitar (1992-1995)
• João Pedro (Tetragrammaton/Ares) – bass (1992–1997)
• Sérgio Crestana – bass (1997–2003)
• Niclas Etelävuori – bass (2003–2006)
• Waldemar Sorychta – bass (2006–2007)

Discography

Studio albums

• Wolfheart (1995)
• Irreligious (1996)
• Sin/Pecado (1998)
• The Butterfly Effect (1999)
• Darkness and Hope (2001)
• The Antidote (2003)
• Memorial (2006)
• Night Eternal (2008)
• Alpha Noir / Omega White (2012)
• Extinct (2015)
• 1755 (2017)
• Hermitage (2021)

Compilations

• Sin/Pecado + Irreligious (2000)
• Wolfheart/The Butterfly Effect (2001)
• The Great Silver Eye (2007)
• Under Satanæ (2007)

EPs

• Under the Moonspell (1994)
• 2econd Skin (1997)

Demos

• Serpent Angel (1992)
• Anno Satanae (1994)

Freemit airtins

• Offeecial wabsteid