Review Summary: Moonspell’s first album – Wolfheart – is worth its reputation as one of these classics you just have familiarize yourself with if you enjoy black or gothic metal, despite some minor flaws in the vocal delivery on this album and few moments where got
With a track record of 9 full-length albums and a handful of other releases Moonspell has certainly achieved to leave its mark on the heavy metal community in its 22 years of existence. Due to the disturbing lack of reviews of part of Moonspell’s catalogue here on Sputnikmusic I thought it’d be a noble cause to re-evaluate their discography and to perhaps inspire a reader or two to give them a shot. So let’s get crackin’ today on the one that started it all for Fernando Ribeiro and his Portuguese companions: Wolfheart.
Wolfheart was released in 1995, during a period where both gothic metal and the second wave of black metal were gaining momentum. Wolfheart therefore really is a child of its time: both gothic and black metal influences are prominently present, alongside the one aspect that makes Moonspell stand out from the rest of the gothic and black metal crowd: the ever-present touch of Portuguese culture through folk elements. Despite embarking on a European tour to promote the release of Wolfheart, Moonspell initially failed to gain much recognition with their debut album. Contrastingly, nowadays Wolfheart is listed as one of Portugal’s most influential albums of all time, having even been rewarded with a print on official stamps. The question remains however, looking back: how well-done was Wolfheart actually? And is it deserving of the high praise it has been receiving over the years? To cut right to the case: Wolfheart was a very, very excellent album that still sounds fresh for the most part today and is deserving of all the praise it has received and more. Allow me to elaborate.
Wolfheart stands or falls by the ability of its audience to either embrace or reject the atmosphere it attempts to create. Strong gothic influences are present in their overall black metal sound – including chants, female operatic vocals, keyboards and miscellaneous atmospheric sounds – that aim to entice the listener into an occult overarching theme discussing wolves and vampires amongst other gory unpleasantries. Therefore, Wolfheart is a hit or miss album; you either enjoy the atmosphere that is being created or you are alienated by its – admittedly – cheesy and kitsch nature. However, to me Moonspell succeed overall in creating an occult and evil atmosphere that can be embraced and thoroughly enjoyed by gothic metal fans and other open-minded folk alike.
Musically, Moonspell offers a variety of tracks that range from balls-to-the-walls black metal such as “Alma Mater” and “Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)”, gothic – almost ambient – songs such as “Vampiria” and Portuguese folk-influenced tracks such as “Lua d’inverno” and “Ataegina”. Moonspell are at their best on this album when they hit hard – some of the slow goth passages that aim to create an atmosphere get a little stale after a while. Duarte Picoto – who left Moonspell after this album – truly shines on this album and creates some instant-classic riffs (most notable example being of course the main riff on “Alma Mater”). João Pedro’s performance is worth noting too, especially helping slower musical passages to have the maximum dramatic impact with his bass playing. Miguel Gaspar’s drumming is decent overall, shining mostly when the music gains momentum and the double bass is utilized. Pedro Paixão is responsible for the keyboards and the samples and therefore represents the backbone of this albums theme, creating a dark and dramatic – albeit somewhat over the top – atmosphere.
Fernando Ribeiro’s vocal deliverance on Moonspell’s early albums is not as excellent as they are at present day: his clean vocals deep and operatic but at times downright false and his grunting fierce but limited in range. However, Ribeiro compensates every one of his technical shortcomings with unadulterated Portuguese passion and succeeds to sound both convincing and fascinating. Lyrically, Fernando Ribeiro impresses with mostly imaginative and flawless use of the English language, which must not have been an easy task for a born and raised Portuguese of his age and international experience at the time.
Concluding, Wolfheart is an album of epic proportions that offers so much for those willing to embrace the atmosphere Moonspell creates. I can advise no other than to do so if you are not familiar with Wolfheart: underneath its thick layer of occult atmosphere that may shun some listeners away Wolfheart in its core is a unique gothic-black metal classic that has no equal. Complaints such as Ribeiro’s mixed vocal performance and the less impressive execution when Moonspell take things slow for too long are overshadowed by the overall superb musicianship and songwriting on this album. Absolute highlights on this album are “Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)”, “Love Crimes” and “Alma Mater”. For Moonspell, Wolfheart marked the beginning of a musical journey that would have them experimenting and abandoning black metal altogether at first only to return stronger than ever in their heavier form later in their career; but more about that later.
