On disc: Moonspell

 
- Wolfheart
  
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
- Darkness And Hope
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- The Great Silver Eye
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

The Great Silver Eye

(Steamhammer - 2007)



 
 

 

The Portuguese band Moonspell is around for 15 years and release now a best-of in their anniversary year. Through the years their music changed a bit... In the early years it was black / gothic metal, later instead of black metal elements they used folk and lately they go for gothic metal.

The songs are in chronological order and so they kick off with Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade) I think it's a good idea to present the songs this way, coz so you see the development the band made in 1 frac12; decade. And so the first track shows their black metal infused gothic. So they take you on a trip through their career including songs like Alma Mater, Opium, Lustmord, Nocturna and Finisterra.

A cool collection, but it would have been great to add some songs which were only released as bonus or something like that, coz their fans will have the albums anyway. So this is more for people who want to learn more about the Portuguese.




Track list:



Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)

Vampiria

Alma Mater

Opium

Raven Claws

Full Moon Madness

2econd Skin

Magdalene

Soulsick

Lustmord

Firewalking

Nocturna

Everything Invaded

Capricorn At Her Feet

Finisterra

Luna
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Darkness And Hope

(Century Media - 2001)



 
 

 

The Portuguese band is returning with their 5th album called Darkness And Hope. This album is a symbiosis of the best of their history, it has the dark and heavy sound of the first 2 albums and took some sounds from their latest releases.

A good example for their walking on the edge is Firewalking or Nocturna. Fernando Ribeiro became a better singer during the years, life and experience made him change. Listen to Heartshaped Abyss and you'll hear a more emotional Ribeiro who learnt to use phrasing to give the songs a more depth.

An very outstanding track is Os Senhores da Guerra which is a cover version, but it sounds like one of their own tracks! The Portuguese lyrics make it sound interesting and to me it seems that Fernando Ribeiro is emotionally more effected... Perhaps it's just because he's singing in his mouth tongue. I hope this won't be the last time we hear Moonspell in Portuguese!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Wolfheart

(Century Media - 1995)



 
 

 

Gothic death metal from Portugal?!?! Yes, from Portugal! The sextet is named Moonspell and they do a mixture of Paradise Lost, Type O Negative and Tiamat without being copycats. They have their own sound which can be heard on tracks like Tebraruna and Wolfshade. Atmospheric sounds combined with Portuguese folk elements will bring joy and opens up new dimensions.
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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