After a quarter of a century, what is there left for a band to do? If you are Moonspell, you put out a live three disk cd with accompanying three-hour long video that includes a documentary and three albums played in their entirety live. Vocalist Fernando Ribeiro, drummer Mike Gaspar, Pedro Paixao on keyboards, guitarist Ricardo Amorim, and bassist Aires Pereira present the epic Lisboa Under the Spell (Napalm Records). Continue reading
With a career that has spanned a quarter of a century, at this stage Moonspell need very little introduction. They have garnered a strong, almost cult-like, following (especially in mainland Europe) due to their gothic, melancholic yet immediate brand of metal which has never been afraid to revel in a sense of theatre and pomp. At this late stage of their career, and following the successful Extinct, which was arguably their most immediate and anthemic album to date, it wouldn’t be surprising that a follow up would tread a similar path. Instead, latest album 1755 (both Napalm) is an unexpectedly adventurous affair. Continue reading
Gothic Metal is more associated with the fantasy genre, so it is perhaps unsurprising that Fernando Ribeiro is not often asked about his political views. A recent post on Moonspell’s website, listed things the band hates, one of which was German Chancellor Angela Murkel. We asked Fernando if he hoped that Portugal follows in the footsteps of Greece regarding the deficit?
“Portugal has been in a crisis, the social democratic government have made things very hard here. It is very hard for musicians in Portugal. We pay the highest tax charges in Europe, our civil rights are being questioned, this government changed all the processes and we feel we are digging deeper into the trench between the very rich and poor. The IMF (The International Money Fund) has imposed all these measures on us which are making things more difficult here. There are not enough beds in hospitals and the government wasted the money on submarines to keep us and the Greek’s in debt. I hope we get a government that does what the Greeks are trying to do because this deficit is crippling us. We don’t want to be caught by these vultures anymore.”
ROSS BAKER