{"id":62935,"date":"2015-03-17T00:00:04","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T00:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=62935"},"modified":"2017-10-22T01:03:30","modified_gmt":"2017-10-22T01:03:30","slug":"feature-moonspell-03-15-pt2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-moonspell-03-15-pt2\/","title":{"rendered":"MOONSPELL – A Dying Breed, Part Two (March 2015) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Moonspell (l-r): Aires Pereira, Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paix\u00e3o
and Miguel Gaspar<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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New experiences additionally exist on the Extinct<\/em> platter, Moonspell musically venturing elsewhere in certain instances. \u201cI think a new place we went was to create more different arrangements, especially with two songs,\u201d the composer submits. \u201cThe opener \u2018Breathe (Until We Are No More)\u2019, and \u2018Medusalem\u2019 \u2013 which we added a real Turkish orchestra to, just to have a little bit more of this mysterious One Thousand And One Nights<\/em> flavour. That turned out to be really good, and a really good combination with our music. We always liked these oriental-driven scales. It\u2019s a big influence for us here in Portugal, folk music, so we decided to create these songs. One of them is more of a gothic rock song \u2013 \u2018Medusalem\u2019 \u2013 while the other song is the album opener, which is a very moody song and has a lot of atmosphere in it. I think we just hit the right note with our music when we played with the Turkish orchestra, though, with the way they play and the way they do their crescendos. The way they approach music was really definitely fitting with our music. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we tried as well was to keep a certain flow in the music in a way, and to create a special moment within every song. I think that our music sounds a little bit more alive and honest these days, because it doesn\u2019t have this wall of sound guitar \u2013 it doesn\u2019t have too many layers. We thought hard about how to make it crystal clear, to make songs that actually don\u2019t sound in your face but can insinuate their way into your attention. That was more the kind of album that we were looking for, already when we were starting writing it. I think when Jens jumped into the picture to produce it, he really took this intention of the band a little bit further and in a much better and focused direction.\u201d <\/p>\n

The \u2018Jens\u2019 in question happens to be Jens Bogren, Extinct<\/em> having been completed with the producer at Fascination Street Studio in \u00d6rebro, Sweden. \u201cWe definitely wanted to use someone we had never worked with before, and obviously Jens is a producer that is at the top of the list for any band because of his client list,\u201d Fernando explains. \u201cI have a gut feeling that because we were a little bit different from what he has done… We probably had more in common with the stuff that he did with Katatonia or Opeth, even though Extinct<\/em> was a lot different from those songs. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s produced much more aggressive bands like Kreator, and Arch Enemy, and Amon Amarth. I checked around with Amon Amarth and Kreator, actually, and they gave us really good references for him. They said that he was a guy who really pursued an idea to the end and got really involved, but I think not a lot of these bands worked with him the way we did. That was to call him up, to tell him about the music, and send some demos. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe immediately fell in love with the project, and the music. He was definitely a fan of gothic; he loved our 1996 album Irreligious<\/em> (July 1996), and the follow-up Sin<\/em> (February 1998). He was definitely very interested in doing something a little bit out of the box, and working with a band from Portugal. He was really interested. When he came to Portugal and listened to us play and interacted with us more, he definitely got just really, really even more into the album. He actually worked with us in also creating the song structures, and also helping out with everything \u2013 like ideas. He was a very involved producer. His team over there \u2013 David Castillo, himself, and Tony (Lindgren) \u2013 they\u2019re true professionals, but they were more than that for Moonspell, especially Jens. They also had a great human factor going on. <\/p>\n

\u201cJens always kept it very interesting for us, always keeping us enthusiastic about the songs. Sometimes we got cynical; we thought that he was questioning our abilities, but Jens was always there with the right word at the right time with the right persistence. That was even though he\u2019s very ruthless with his schedule. We worked for hours; it didn\u2019t matter if we worked until 2am the next morning, because we would be there at 7am (laughs). He was that kind of a producer, but we like to work hard. We also like the emotional side of a production. Everything was quite perfect, both here in Portugal and when we went to Sweden to record all of the album there. All of the band was there for 35 days, so it was very old school in that respect. It wasn\u2019t just us trading WeTransfer links, and being on Skype. No, everybody was there and really into it. That definitely had a positive effect on the final result of Extinct<\/em>, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moonspell\u2019s approach towards cutting material has shifted back and forth through the years. \u201cIn the early days \u2013 up to 1999 \u2013 we were always there, and then I think that we just followed the lead of the time,\u201d the vocalist recalls. \u201cSometimes the producer didn\u2019t want the whole band there; sometimes they just wanted the singer there, or the drummer there. There were a couple of albums where I think we should\u2019ve worked more together as a band, because I think that\u2019s when we do our best albums, but I think that there is a balance to be reached. For instance, Alpha Noir<\/em> and Omega White<\/em>. Even though Tue Madsen mixed it and recorded the drums, we did all of the tracking ourselves. I think that when you do it yourself… <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019ve always worked with producers. We remembered the importance of Waldemar on shaping our sound for Wolfheart<\/em> and then Irreligious<\/em>, for instance. I kind of felt like breaking away a little bit from this logic, and trying to find a balance. Definitely, an involved producer will be the one that will get that done, and that will also make the band come more together. That was the plan for Extinct<\/em>. We had guitar riffs, and I was already there singing whatever was to be sung and then taking it to other ideas \u2013 to other songs \u2013 and so forth. I really like to work like that. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a little bit more of a strain on our personal relationships, between all of the tours. Sometimes people just like to write in the peace and quiet of their home and call the rest of the band on Skype and send some riffs, but I thought that we\u2019ve done such good stuff when we\u2019ve played together that \u2013 even though we are probably older, and our patience is not what it used to be when we were 20 years younger (laughs) \u2013 it definitely worked. <\/p>\n

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Moonspell (l-r): Aires Pereira, Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paix\u00e3o
and Miguel Gaspar<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u201cEveryone sacrificing their personal lives to be in the studio \u2013 15 or 20 days without recording \u2013 rather than just going for their parts. Many people just fly in after 20 days, but I wanted the whole band to be there from the first take. We really focused on the album, and weren\u2019t distracted by anything that we had in our real lives. I believe that that was a great experience for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extinct<\/em> marks an immediate return to a single full-length affair, as opposed to the previous double-album offering of Alpha Noir<\/em> and Omega White<\/em>. \u201cIt was actually something we were about to do, because I think Alpha Noir<\/em> and Omega White<\/em> were a musical experience for us that kind of allowed us to close a cycle for Moonspell,\u201d Fernando judges. \u201cThat was a compendium of many, many things of our two main orientations, especially during the last few years \u2013 the more metal, aggressive sounds, and the more let\u2019s say atmospheric sounds, the more gothic sounds. This time around, that brought us a really cool feeling, to start off with the new album. There wasn\u2019t really a lot of strings attached to Alpha Noir<\/em> and Omega White<\/em>, and so we could start… <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say anew, because there\u2019s a lot of repertoire and connections with the past as I told you, but we knew exactly that we didn\u2019t want to split Moonspell into two again. We just wanted to create whatever kind of mood that Extinct<\/em> would have in each individual song, while trying to also have a body of songs that could work really well with the album. When we try to find a setlist for the album, we always try to make things flow and to also have a little narrative. It was quite a natural process for us, and a natural idea that we would go back to creating a lot of moods inside the same song \u2013 just like the album opener shows, from the beginning of the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extinct<\/em> exhibits various musical influences, as well as the aforementioned Type O Negative. \u201cI think it\u2019s a far cry for some people, but Bathory is always a great influence for Moonspell \u2013 especially for Ricardo,\u201d the frontman credits. \u201cI can hear that on a song like \u2018Extinct\u2019, and I think that Sisters Of Mercy are a pretty obvious influence for this record as well. We love them. They were a perfect 80s, early 90s band; the imagery in the lyrics, the way they could do something that rocks but was still really dark. Also, our other influences were more symphonic instruments \u2013 instrumental influences like working with a Turkish orchestra. I think that we have our basic sound, which definitely ranges from metal riffs and rock riffs into a more baritone gothic vocal with keyboard arrangements. <\/p>\n

\u201cI sound like I\u2019m making my own review (laughs), but this is definitely the way that Moonspell sounds. Within this, we always try to play around with the mood swings of our songs. As you know, we like to keep many moods in the songs, but we don\u2019t like to do it in such a way that it\u2019s like collecting stamps in a book or something like that. When they happen, we like for them to have a kind of context as well, and we work really, really hard at making things sound well together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further Moonspell full-lengths may include Jens Bogren behind the production chair. \u201cI would work with him on another album, definitely,\u201d Fernando reveals. \u201cWe really liked the experience, and I think he served our music with a really excellent sound and an excellent production. So, I definitely think we could contact him to make a new album. It\u2019s not too far away to speak about a new album, even though this one isn\u2019t even out. I think that when you\u2019re doing something you like and you had such a great experience in the studio, you honestly wanna go back in a way. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot tell how long it will be until a new album after this one, but I remember having a lot of ideas for new songs and lyrics while I was just closing out some of the songs for Extinct<\/em>, so I think we would like to keep this creative flow. We\u2019re not a band that likes to do an album and tour forever until we lose the spark and all touch with reality by touring too much and always playing the same songs, so we will definitely come up with a new album. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. It could be two years or it could be four years, but it won\u2019t be more than four years. It depends on if we really have something to tell. I think we are that kind of band that will have a long discography, with many, many albums. There\u2019s some other bands that have just a couple of albums and it\u2019s great for them, but I think that we\u2019ve always had this drive and need to create and always progress as a band. New albums are always the best (laughs). It\u2019s massive to do it, definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moonspell\u2019s studio album discography to date is already more vast than that of the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted line-up of Black Sabbath. \u201cYeah, and many, many other bands,\u201d the singer laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s always a bizarre thing, to think that you\u2019ve done more albums than many other bands who you love. We\u2019ve done more albums than Celtic Frost and I think we\u2019re just reaching as much albums as probably Bathory (laughs), so you never know. Times are different. Things nowadays are always faster, and I think Moonspell is really restless when it comes to new ideas. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that we get bored about the past; it\u2019s just that we feel it\u2019s something that is really special for our band that really keeps us together. I think that we should be receptive all the time towards creating new music, because everybody really likes it in Moonspell. It\u2019s a very special period for a band. I was telling you about Wolfheart<\/em>, when I listened to it on my Walkman. I did the same now, but on my computer, with Extinct<\/em>. <\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s always very emotional in a way, to come to the end of an album and remember all of the days and all of the doubts, and stuff like \u2018Will I ever write another lyric?,\u2019 or \u2018Now I\u2019ve just completed ten lyrics, I\u2019m totally worn out.\u2019 Sometimes that\u2019s not really the story, but that\u2019s what people tell to the press (laughs) \u2013 to maintain this thing that it\u2019s so hard to write an album, and that you exhaust yourself. Obviously give everything that you have, but obviously the next day there\u2019ll be something else. It\u2019s good for you when there\u2019s something else, that you don\u2019t have to work the hell out of, but appears by itself. So far, that\u2019s fortunately happened to Moonspell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extinct<\/em>\u2019s cover artwork was designed by Seth Siro Anton. \u201cSeth Siro Anton is a great friend of mine,\u201d Fernando tells. \u201cWe\u2019ve teamed up a couple of times for artwork. I really like his style; I really like the way he mixes horror and beauty, and I think that that really connects with Moonspell. We used him again to give this continuity to our artwork. I think he really gets the meaning of Extinct<\/em>; even though there is this softer approach let\u2019s say on the music, there\u2019s a very heavy and personal universe. <\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, there\u2019s a message on the album that\u2019s dark and disgusting, in a way. I think he represented that quite well on the cover, because it\u2019s a cover that was a little bit controversial, but it\u2019s exactly what happens to nature when it gets deprived of one species \u2013 it\u2019s kind of an amputation, as well. Seth is a strong visual artist. Maybe his stuff isn\u2019t pleasant for people to look at, but I think it\u2019s a great representation. We\u2019re totally happy with this artwork.\u201d<\/p>\n

To promote Extinct<\/em>\u2019s release, a music video was filmed for the title track with Victor Castro. \u201cWe did that music video just recently \u2013 it\u2019s being edited right now as we speak.\u201d the wordsmith informs. \u201cVictor is a great guy. He did the \u2018White Skies\u2019 video for the Omega White<\/em> album, and directed our documentary Road To Extinction that came out with the album. For us, we\u2019d put so much into the lyrics and the songs and the production of the album as well that it was obvious he would do our new video for it. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe came up with this great, great concept that reminds me of these B-movies, like 1990: The Bronx Warriors<\/em> (1982) and that kind of stuff. It\u2019s a really cool video clip, recorded at this abandoned industrial complex right here in Lisbon. It\u2019s just a struggle for survival, really. We\u2019re just guys that are there playing and walking around, like the leaders of the pack (laughs). There is a bit more symbolism to it though, because there\u2019s actually a group that hunts and a group that is hunted. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very graphic and even a little bit violent video, and just really dark and post-apocalyptic. A little bit like the song, which talks about the struggle for survival, the instinct, and also the way that saying goodbye is so desolate that we still want a last kiss. I think that the video just captured all of that. I think it\u2019s gonna be a pretty crazy video (laughs). It was just great to record it. They created such a great scenario for us. I think it\u2019s still important to make videos, to add a little bit of another element to tell the story of the album. I don\u2019t know if people will go crazy about it or if it\u2019s going to be viral, but the one thing I know is that it\u2019s going to be a really cool video and something artistic as well. Just the way Moonspell likes it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proud of all of Extinct<\/em>\u2019s compositions including the title track, one tune Fernando is particularly proud of happens to be \u2018The Future Is Dark\u2019. \u201cThat song is quite a special song for me and Moonspell, not only because of the way it evolved,\u201d he augments. \u201cIt\u2019s like an open letter to my son, letting him know… He\u2019s young, just two-and-a-half right now (laughs), but letting him know that life won\u2019t be as delightful as it is now. Sometimes there\u2019s not enough light for everyone, and we need to share. I just wrote this song after I had had a terrible night, debating about life, being crazy. I went to the studio, and said to our keyboard player Pedro \u2018Just open the computer.\u2019 I sang all of the song into the computer, and then created a really cool song around the vocal line. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we went to the studio, it was even one of Jens\u2019 favourite songs to record. It\u2019s definitely very emotional, and I think a down to basics song that everybody can understand, but with a very, very dark and kind of minimalistic mood. It\u2019s one of my favourite songs, actually. It\u2019s a very different song on the album \u2013 unlike the other songs \u2013 but in a way it\u2019s very representative of the spirit and emotion that was living generally through the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extinct<\/em> was released on March 6th, 2015 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, other European territories, and Australia, on the 9th in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Denmark, and Italy, on the 11th in Spain and Sweden, and subsequently on the 17th in North America, all via Napalm Records.<\/p>\n

Interview published in March 2015.<\/em><\/p>\n

1<\/a> | 2<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moonspell (l-r): Aires Pereira, Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paix\u00e3o and Miguel Gaspar New experiences additionally exist on the Extinct platter, Moonspell musically venturing elsewhere in certain instances. \u201cI think a new place we went was to create more different arrangements, especially with two songs,\u201d the composer submits. \u201cThe opener \u2018Breathe (Until We Are No […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,278],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-moonspell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62935"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63020,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62935\/revisions\/63020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}