OK, so maybe Portugal's MOONSPELL is the be-all-and-end-all for well-polished gothic metal now, but this was not the case way back in 1992. In an attempt to remind metal fans of their black metal roots, they've re-recorded their debut album "Under the Moonspell" along with their demo "Anno Satanae", hence the name of this CD. Also included is the track "Serpent Angel", their earliest song from back in their MORBID GOD days. Even the cover art is nearly identical to that of "Under the Moonspell". But the question is, does all this nostalgia work?

Yes, yes it does. While "Under Satanae" is a far more complex and sinister beast than most new-school MOONSPELL fans may be expecting, the marriage of modern production and blatant satanism keep the original material genuine while keeping the band's sound familiar for everyone (especially since the campy vocals of Fernando Ribeiro remain intact). What this material showcases is a band that, as many young bands do, packed as much as possible into every track. For those of us that may be hearing this stuff for the first time over 15 year later, this makes for a far more interesting experience!

Take, for instance, "Tenebrarum Oratorium". In this track we have a commanding mid-paced riff interchanging with blast beats and a female choir, which give way to an eerie acoustic/flute/synth interlude with a hauntingly erotic vocal exchange between Ribeiro and a female guest vocalist… this of course giving way to two more tempo changes, more classic horror movie-style synth, more from the female choir, some snazzy lead guitar licks from Ricardo "Morning Blade" Amorim, the return of the original riff and blast beat trade-off, and finally a strongly traditional Latin outro with hand claps, tambourine and acoustic guitar for a sort of "Dia de los Muertos" send-off. Whew… you got all that?

What's also important to point out is that this is not the first time that MOONSPELL has done a retrospective album - there was also the old-school black metal project DAEMONARCH from a few years back. This makes it all the more refreshing that this is a band that is able to branch out into an accessible style, yet still has enough balls to maintain their satanic persona, even if from a commercial standpoint it may not be the wisest of ideas. For that, MOONSPELL is a band that deserves respect, so those who think they're only a band for 15-year-old gothic girls need to experience first-hand the godless pandemonium that is "Under Satanae" to find out just how wrong they are.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: www.moonspell.com

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