Tag Archives: Portugal

ALBUM REVIEW: Moonspell – Hermitage

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Every album that Moonspell releases explores a different facet of their Gothic Metal style, sometimes responding to the one before it in a constant tug-o-war between darkness and light. Their thirteenth album, Hermitage (Napalm Records), is no exception. In contrast to the grandiose symphonics of 2018’s 1755, the band opts for a scaled-back, atmospheric approach with more Prog influence thrown in than usual. It seems to invoke the band’s early vibe without going full throwback and also reminds me of Tiamat or Opeth in spots.

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Fight The Power – Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell Talks Politics

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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.”

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ROSS BAKER


The Voynich Code – Ignotum

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In a genre so saturated and over crowded as tech metal, it’s a mammoth task for any fledgling band to make a mark and stand out from the masses. Hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, The Voynich Code have youth on their side as they release their debut release after only a year in existence, and at least show signs of wanting to make their mark on Ignotum (Self Released).

Opener ‘Antithesis’ builds some suspension as it gradually forms with the help of Eastern instrumentation, hinting that this may be a unique prospect at hand, before it erupts into a ferocious but sadly generic take on technical death metal. Those Eastern sounds are present throughout but tend to get buried in the mix, highlighting their technical proficiency but their lack of real imaginative style. Herein lies the problem as they certainly show they are capable and talented but aside from these foreign influences there is little that has not been done countless times before; even vocally this is very one dimensional.

Put their lack of originality aside however and this unquestionably stands up well to many of its ilk, full of aggression and energy especially for such a young band. Far from a misstep for a band just starting out, Ignotum is a strong release, sadly suffering from the sense that they could have done a lot more to become a more recognizable presence.

 

6.0/10

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CHRIS TIPPELL