Moonspell
Opus Diabolicum
Napalm Records
Readers may wish to offer corrections, but has there ever been a live album put out by a band who are not a force in such an environment? Truly, live albums can act as a great leveller: no studio trickery, just the band, their music and a space full of expectant fans. Unless you are Portugal’s Moonspell, then you can also add a forty-five-piece orchestra to the fold for their live record, ‘Opus Diabolicum’. Kudos, though, to the Portuguese gothic metallers for not simply using the Lisbon Sinfonietta Orchestra as aural filler, but embracing them wholeheartedly into the band’s live sound. Hell, openers “Tungstennio” and “Em Nome Do Medo” are almost entirely the orchestra! Yet, just when you begin to wonder, “1755” brings the metal to give proceedings an edge, whilst the driving “Extinct” adds further muscle with some galloping riffage. “Everything Invaded” carries with it a grandiosity that beholds the band’s considered balance of metal and orchestra, yet it is “Alma Mater” – with vocalist Fernando Ribeiro opening chant – that steals the show. ‘Opus Diabolicum’ does a fine job of capturing the mood at the MEO Arena last year, and admirably combines the two sets of musicians in an opulent crescendo that is evidently lapped-up by the crowd. Clearly, that night was a “had to be there” moment, and Moonspell’s latest live album will aid those fans unfortunate enough to miss out to get a taste of the event.
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Review by Lee Carter