Text by Patricia C. Figueiredo
The Portuguese band Moonspell arrived in Brazil after touring numerous South American countries in March, bringing a slightly longer setlist than what Latin American fans have seen so far. The repertoire celebrates the band's entire history, as they commemorate their 30th anniversary with this tour.
At the opening, the Blumenau-based band Pain of Soul promptly warmed up the still somewhat timid audience that was slowly arriving at Bar Opinião. The gothic metal has been around since 2000 and, curiously, has only released two albums. I say curiously because seeing the band live, it's easy to be impressed by the melancholic melodies, the heavy and melodic guitars, and the power of Daniele , which ranges from deeper tones to the lyrical vocals so appreciated in the style. The band also features the guttural vocals of guitarist Mailon to complete the elements that make Pain of Soul a band worth listening to and discovering. The audience seemed to have seized the opportunity for just that, because even though it was a calm crowd, they applauded the band from Santa Catarina with gusto.
About half an hour later, it was the turn of the Chilean band Weight of Emptiness to take the stage. On stage, Juan Acevedo and Alejandro Bravo on guitars , Mario Urra on bass, and Mauricio Basso on drums immediately proved that the band has the elements of death, doom, and black metal. The heavy and melodic sound, but with strong influences from progressive metal, quickly becomes contagious. Vocalist Alejandro Ruiz makes a dramatic entrance to the sound of the mystical introductory melody “Mütrümtun (The Calling),” appearing in a black cape, hooded, and with half his face painted black.
Having quickly captured the audience's attention, they wasted no time in delivering the heaviness of songs like "Defrosting" and "Wolves" from the album Withered Paradogma, released this year, and the title track "Weight of Emptiness" from their debut album Anfractuous Moments for Redemption . Alejandro even spoke a little English, but realized that Spanish was more welcome by the audience, who encouraged him to speak their own language. In fact, the entire band demonstrated great charisma with the audience, interacting with them several times and being rewarded with many headbanging and fists in the air throughout the show. The Weight of Emptiness show leaves no doubt as to why they are one of the rising metal bands in Latin America.
After a brief intermission, almost punctually at 9 PM, Ozzy Osbourne , a song also recorded by Moonspell , signaling the show's start. Hugo Ribeiro (drums), Pedro Paixão (keyboards and guitar), Ricardo Amorim (guitar), Aires Pereira (bass), and Fernando Ribeiro (vocals) take the stage. The wolves arrived and were warmly received by the audience. "The Greater Good" opened the show, but it was with the sequence of "Extinct" and "Opium" that the crowd began to jump and sing along, continuing until "In and Above Men" and "From Lowering Skies," both from the album *Antidote* , considered the band's best. Soon after, another addition to the promised exclusive setlist for Brazil: "Em nome do medo," from the album *1755 *.
During the show, we could see all the dynamism that Moonspell has. Pedro leaving the keyboard, picking up the guitar and then returning to the first position; Fernando enchanting with his vocals as sharp as on the albums; Aires, Ricardo and Hugo tearing it up. The band has an incredible synergy that captivates from beginning to end. “Breathe (Until We Are No More)” and “Scorpions Flower” were songs that also thrilled, followed by the two other additions of the night, which were “In Tremor Dei” and “Todos Os Santos”.
Perhaps these were no match for one of the most anticipated songs of the night: “Vampiria,” with the stage lights all in red, created that dark atmosphere that is so appealing to the band, and right after, Alma Mater, for those who hadn't yet headbanged or jumped, understood that this was the moment. Fernando didn't fail to present this song as the result of a process the band went through at the beginning of their career, when they felt alone and faced loneliness and even envy because of the band's sound, commenting that many stopped talking to them and turned their backs on them, and that's why it was very “comforting to see all these souls and all these beautiful faces” at the show. Later, the vocalist also commented on Brazilian bands that play a lot in Europe, such as Sepultura and Krisiun , highlighting the importance of supporting extreme metal, and even threw in a “we're in this together” chant.
A nearly two-hour show, and I'm sure no one noticed the time passing, ended with "Wolfshade" and, of course, "Fullmoon Madness," which couldn't be missing. The spell of this unorthodox, full-moon night was complete; Moonspell fulfilled the expectations of an audience that eagerly awaited to see them and that won't forget this show anytime soon.
