Search - Moonspell :: Wolfheart

The definitive Goth album

bottleHeD | 05/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Moonspell's early releases, the demo "Anno Satana", and the mini-album "Under The Moonspell" were essentially black metal releases that had gone down very well with fans of the genre.



However, for this debut album, "WolfHeart", Moonspell adopted a more distinct and innovative Gothic style. It remains till date, the best Moonspell album, with its success stemming largely from the amazing vocals of Langsuyar, i.e. Fernando Ribiero and the highly original folk-inspired music.



Mostly guitar-based, the music has excellent keyboards accompanying it, which make for some real eerie atmospheric sounds. Birgit Zacher provides the female vocals on tracks like "Love Crimes". This offers a total contrast to Fernando's powerful vocals. All the songs have a certain exotic appeal to them, which makes you want to play the album over and again. The lyrics deal with legends and lore of the night, werewolves, witches, love and lust, and the eternally enchanted.



The album opens with "WolfShade (A Werewolf Masquerade)", and it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album to follow. The intro manages to lull you before the vocals rip into the song. Though the guitar tone sounds very raw, the keyboards are very well rendered, and the latter half of the song has some excellent musical composition, with Fernando's vocals alternating between some clean singing and growling.



The two songs that follow, "Love Crimes" and "Of Dreams And Drama" work as one. Following the same theme, the songs are some of the most underrated of all of MoonSpell's works. Blending some hypnotizing melodic rhythms with heavier riffs and some mesmerizing displays of well placed keyboard interludes, they showcase the amazing song-writing skills of Fernando Ribiero, which focus on not a particular instrument, but rather on the entire feel and structure of the song. Some more of this is present in the instrumental that follows it, "Lua D'Inverno". It features the interesting combination of the flute and the guitar, and even though it is pretty short, it works really well as an interlude.



"Trebraruna", a song about the goddess of Love and War, is sung in Portuguese. In the words of Fernando, "The evident contrast between war and love and the feminity involved in the cult of this deity inspired us on the building of a somewhat praise song". The goddess would have been flattered by the intention, but not too pleased with the outcome. The song ends up sounding too whimsical and listless. Possibly the only song the album could have done without.



Another concert favourite is "Vampira". It starts off sounding a bit corny, with Fernando droning on about his "only love and true destiny", but it soon changes gears with some real bone-crunching riffs and deep, powerful vocals. The venomous scream at the end is bound to send a real chill up anyone's spine. The album is finally wrapped up with "An Erotic Alchemy", and the amazing "Alma Mater", one of the biggest fan-favourites.



This was the album that introduced me to Goth genre, and pretty much got me hooked. It is a pity that Moonspell never came up with anything later to match the intensity of this one, but then again, I guess that is what makes Wolfheart stand out.



A definite must-buy."

Under The Moonspell

N. Jacinto | Moita, Portugal | 03/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Portugal's ultimate metal Band. And there are few bands as good or better then them. In their style they are... the very best!"

Wolfheart by Moonspell

Ronald J. Green | 03/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great cd by the group Moonspell, enjoy listening to their music several times a day.



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