Moonspell - Under Satanæ review
| Band: | Moonspell |
| Album: | Under Satanæ |
| Style: | Symphonic black metal, Gothic metal |
| Release date: | October 16, 2007 |
| A review by: | Dream Taster |
01. Halla Alle Halla Al Rabka Halla (Praeludium / Incantatum Solistitium)
02. Tenebrarum Oratorium (Andamento I / Erudit Compendyum)
03. Interludium / Incantatum Oequinoctum
04. Tenebrarum Oratorium (Andamento II / Erotic Compendyum)
05. Opus Diabolicum (Andamento III / Instrumental Compendyum)
06. Chorai Lusitânia! (Epilogus / Incantatam Maresia)
07. Goat On Fire
08. Ancient Winter Goddess
09. Wolves From The Fog
10. Serpent Angel
Portugal's foremost band has been known to follow no rules. After a thundering Memorial in 2006, the band took some time to revisit their acclaimed debut EP Under the Moonspell and re-record the entire thing anew along with a few rare tacks from the infancy years of the band. The result was released with the name Under Satanæ and the least I can say is that it was an ingenious idea.
Despite being a big fan of the band, I have to admit that my album of reference had always been 1996's Irreligious. Therefore, I never dug deeper into their black metal phase. And now, this "compilation" is there to pinpoint how much of a mistake I made. After a long career based on a dark atmospheric gothic sound, Moonspell manages to surprise once more with a terrific rendition of their melodic black metal first EP. The dark atmospheres are still there and the guitar work of Pedro Paixão and Ricardo Amorim is fantastic. Front-man Fernando Ribeiro is having a lot of fun on vocals, and he is his usual monster performer. The additional female vocals are enthralling as well and give more depth to the sinister side of Moonspell music.
Just for 'Tenebrarum Oratorium', Under Satanæ is worth it. It's melodic, complex, absorbing, gothic, aggressive and oriental and above all truly unique. But this album is really coming strong as every single track is a fresh take on Metal.
After the entire Under the Moonspell track-list, the band goes back in time to play some of their material coming from their first demo Anno Satanæ (hence the title of this compilation). Finally, their only song recorded under their original moniker Morbid God called 'Serpent Angel' closes this record.
With Under Satanæ, Moonspell brought forth one of the best re-recordings ever. This "compilation" is sure to be one the most sought after ones in a long time. It should bring the fans of their old sound and the fans of their more recent sound together to celebrate the unique talent of Moonspell.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 9 |
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Written on 25.12.2007 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments
Comments: 10
Visited by: 171 users
| FrostbittenIlham Account deleted |
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
This means that I should buy this album for the $10, which it costed in my favourite shop...
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| Opium Account deleted |
Opium
Account deleted Written by [user id=18405] on 26.12.2007 at 01:12 From memory I don't think you've heard their BM era, you should try it  Cover art shouldn't even matter 
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| Dark Blood The Avenger Posts: 1435  |
It's little things like this that makes me proud of being portuguese. I don't like the first works of the band either, but this CD got me by surprise the first time I heard it. It's by far one of their best works. Amazing stuff! 
---- It is humanity who must pay homage to the greatness of the Universe... not the Universe to the human narcissism. 
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| Christ_13 Account deleted |
Christ_13
Account deleted
yehh, this album is fantastic!!! at first i didn't like the idea of the re-recording because i like very much the originals (and still prefer), but they did a good work.. in fact, one of the best re-recordings ever!! recomended to who don't know the originals and to who like the a more "produced" sound.. 
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| tallha.gillani Account deleted |
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| Gothic Crow Posts: 19  |
Words for what?... They are portuguese! My favourite band! Big hug from Portugal, in special for Fernando! (Forte Abraço Fernando! Quando quiseres tomar um copo em Aveiro, diz algo!)  P.Marçal
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| Visioneerie Urban Monster Posts: 810  |
Looks like an interesting album indeed, i might check it out. I would actually prefer if Moonspell would have stayed to their black metal roots but thats just me.
---- Any man can stand adversity, but to test his character give him power - A. Lincoln
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| Richard Elite Posts: 4862  |
The original Under The Moonspell was excellent - Black Metal but with so many influences from their own country's traditional music and stuff, which set them apart from the Scandinavian bands. It's good that they still acknowledge this old material even though they changed style.. Not sure what the point is in actually re-recording it though. Your review does make this re-recording sound worth a try, but how can a band completely recreate that old atmosphere?
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| Hamird Lieutenant Posts: 2564  |
91 to 93 was the best era of Moonspell. and in 2006 this band came to that era with Memorial and with Under Satanae they recovered their best songs .... some folk/doom metal song which were great ... i love it and it my 10 
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