MOONSPELL – A Dying Breed, Part Two (March 2015) | Features / Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine

Moonspell (l-r): Aires Pereira, Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paixão
and Miguel Gaspar

New experiences additionally exist on the Extinct platter, Moonspell musically venturing elsewhere in certain instances. “I think a new place we went was to create more different arrangements, especially with two songs,” the composer submits. “The opener ‘Breathe (Until We Are No More)’, and ‘Medusalem’ – which we added a real Turkish orchestra to, just to have a little bit more of this mysterious One Thousand And One Nights flavour. That turned out to be really good, and a really good combination with our music. We always liked these oriental-driven scales. It’s 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 – ‘Medusalem’ – 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.

“What 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’t have this wall of sound guitar – it doesn’t have too many layers. We thought hard about how to make it crystal clear, to make songs that actually don’t 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.”

The ‘Jens’ in question happens to be Jens Bogren, Extinct having been completed with the producer at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden. “We 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,” Fernando explains. “I 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 was a lot different from those songs.

“He’s 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.

“He immediately fell in love with the project, and the music. He was definitely a fan of gothic; he loved our 1996 album Irreligious (July 1996), and the follow-up Sin (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 – like ideas. He was a very involved producer. His team over there – David Castillo, himself, and Tony (Lindgren) – they’re true professionals, but they were more than that for Moonspell, especially Jens. They also had a great human factor going on.

“Jens 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’s very ruthless with his schedule. We worked for hours; it didn’t 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’t 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, I think.”

Moonspell’s approach towards cutting material has shifted back and forth through the years. “In the early days – up to 1999 – we were always there, and then I think that we just followed the lead of the time,” the vocalist recalls. “Sometimes the producer didn’t 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’ve worked more together as a band, because I think that’s when we do our best albums, but I think that there is a balance to be reached. For instance, Alpha Noir and Omega White. 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…

“And we’ve always worked with producers. We remembered the importance of Waldemar on shaping our sound for Wolfheart and then Irreligious, 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. We had guitar riffs, and I was already there singing whatever was to be sung and then taking it to other ideas – to other songs – and so forth. I really like to work like that.

“It 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’ve done such good stuff when we’ve played together that – even though we are probably older, and our patience is not what it used to be when we were 20 years younger (laughs) – it definitely worked.

Moonspell (l-r): Aires Pereira, Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Pedro Paixão
and Miguel Gaspar

“Everyone sacrificing their personal lives to be in the studio – 15 or 20 days without recording – 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’t distracted by anything that we had in our real lives. I believe that that was a great experience for everyone.”

Extinct marks an immediate return to a single full-length affair, as opposed to the previous double-album offering of Alpha Noir and Omega White. “It was actually something we were about to do, because I think Alpha Noir and Omega White were a musical experience for us that kind of allowed us to close a cycle for Moonspell,” Fernando judges. “That was a compendium of many, many things of our two main orientations, especially during the last few years – the more metal, aggressive sounds, and the more let’s 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’t really a lot of strings attached to Alpha Noir and Omega White, and so we could start…

“I wouldn’t say anew, because there’s a lot of repertoire and connections with the past as I told you, but we knew exactly that we didn’t want to split Moonspell into two again. We just wanted to create whatever kind of mood that Extinct 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 – just like the album opener shows, from the beginning of the album.”

Extinct exhibits various musical influences, as well as the aforementioned Type O Negative. “I think it’s a far cry for some people, but Bathory is always a great influence for Moonspell – especially for Ricardo,” the frontman credits. “I can hear that on a song like ‘Extinct’, 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 – 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.

“I sound like I’m 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’t like to do it in such a way that it’s 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.”

Further Moonspell full-lengths may include Jens Bogren behind the production chair. “I would work with him on another album, definitely,” Fernando reveals. “We 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’s not too far away to speak about a new album, even though this one isn’t even out. I think that when you’re doing something you like and you had such a great experience in the studio, you honestly wanna go back in a way.

“We 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, so I think we would like to keep this creative flow. We’re 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.

“I don’t know. It could be two years or it could be four years, but it won’t 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’s some other bands that have just a couple of albums and it’s great for them, but I think that we’ve always had this drive and need to create and always progress as a band. New albums are always the best (laughs). It’s massive to do it, definitely.”

Moonspell’s studio album discography to date is already more vast than that of the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted line-up of Black Sabbath. “Yeah, and many, many other bands,” the singer laughs. “It’s always a bizarre thing, to think that you’ve done more albums than many other bands who you love. We’ve done more albums than Celtic Frost and I think we’re 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.

“It’s not that we get bored about the past; it’s just that we feel it’s 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’s a very special period for a band. I was telling you about Wolfheart, when I listened to it on my Walkman. I did the same now, but on my computer, with Extinct.

“It’s 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 ‘Will I ever write another lyric?,’ or ‘Now I’ve just completed ten lyrics, I’m totally worn out.’ Sometimes that’s not really the story, but that’s what people tell to the press (laughs) – to maintain this thing that it’s so hard to write an album, and that you exhaust yourself. Obviously give everything that you have, but obviously the next day there’ll be something else. It’s good for you when there’s something else, that you don’t have to work the hell out of, but appears by itself. So far, that’s fortunately happened to Moonspell.”

Extinct’s cover artwork was designed by Seth Siro Anton. “Seth Siro Anton is a great friend of mine,” Fernando tells. “We’ve 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; even though there is this softer approach let’s say on the music, there’s a very heavy and personal universe.

“Also, there’s a message on the album that’s dark and disgusting, in a way. I think he represented that quite well on the cover, because it’s a cover that was a little bit controversial, but it’s exactly what happens to nature when it gets deprived of one species – it’s kind of an amputation, as well. Seth is a strong visual artist. Maybe his stuff isn’t pleasant for people to look at, but I think it’s a great representation. We’re totally happy with this artwork.”

To promote Extinct’s release, a music video was filmed for the title track with Victor Castro. “We did that music video just recently – it’s being edited right now as we speak.” the wordsmith informs. “Victor is a great guy. He did the ‘White Skies’ video for the Omega White album, and directed our documentary Road To Extinction that came out with the album. For us, we’d 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.

“He came up with this great, great concept that reminds me of these B-movies, like 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) and that kind of stuff. It’s a really cool video clip, recorded at this abandoned industrial complex right here in Lisbon. It’s just a struggle for survival, really. We’re 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’s actually a group that hunts and a group that is hunted.

“It’s 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’s 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’s still important to make videos, to add a little bit of another element to tell the story of the album. I don’t know if people will go crazy about it or if it’s going to be viral, but the one thing I know is that it’s going to be a really cool video and something artistic as well. Just the way Moonspell likes it.”

Proud of all of Extinct’s compositions including the title track, one tune Fernando is particularly proud of happens to be ‘The Future Is Dark’. “That song is quite a special song for me and Moonspell, not only because of the way it evolved,” he augments. “It’s like an open letter to my son, letting him know… He’s young, just two-and-a-half right now (laughs), but letting him know that life won’t be as delightful as it is now. Sometimes there’s 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 ‘Just open the computer.’ I sang all of the song into the computer, and then created a really cool song around the vocal line.

“When we went to the studio, it was even one of Jens’ favourite songs to record. It’s 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’s one of my favourite songs, actually. It’s a very different song on the album – unlike the other songs – but in a way it’s very representative of the spirit and emotion that was living generally through the album.”

Extinct 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.

Interview published in March 2015.

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