Interview:	MOONSPELL
Title:	Focused on the inner self

For some, they are Gothic Metal, for others Dark Metal — both descriptions are valid. After more than three fulfilling decades of exceptionally rich presence, the artistically idiosyncratic and versatile Portuguese success story itself couldn't care less about labels.

On October 26, 2024, Moonspell treated themselves and their fans to their first ever symphonic show — with the 45-piece (!) Lisbon Sinfonietta Orchestra conducted by Maestro Vasco Pearce de Azevedo at the MEO Arena in Lisbon.

Now the recording, titled „Opus Diabolicum“, is being released. As frontman Fernando Ribeiro says, he and the band never expected anything like this in all the time since they started in 1989.

Congratulations for your upcoming release … pretty special, the first symphonic show of Moonspell ever. How has the project been received by fans and the media so far?

„Indeed, another step for us in over 30 years together and one we never expected to do. I think the response is very good, Moonspell is used to have split feelings over anyway, so I guess some people are really loving it, the die-hard, true fans following our every move and that’s all a band can wish for. We have no time for hate.“

As you mentioned, you weren't a big fan of Metal-meets-orchestra projects yourself - so how did the event recorded at the MEO Arena in Lisbon develop into a live performance?

„I still am not. I believe most of the so-called Symphonic Metal or shows with orchestras are basically lost opportunities of putting two strong styles (Metal and Classic) together. Most of it sounds pale and soft and one loses the vibe of the try beginning for Heavy Metal back with Mussorgsky’s ‚Baba-Yaga‘, Verdi’s ‚Dies Irae‘ or Stravinsky’s ‚Rite of Spring‘. That’s what we were focusing on with our live record and performance: the power of Metal, the magnitude of an orchestra.“

How did you feel before and during the recorded concert with the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa? It must have been an emotional rollercoaster for you and the band, right?

„We were actually very relaxed as our head was in the clouds, and it took a while to go back to earth. We never thought our little music, with mostly keyboard arrangements could so that big, powerful and authentic. So that enchantment of sorts kept us grounded and everything felt focused and natural.“

How did you find the audience and the atmosphere there - were you able to quickly create an exciting atmosphere and spiritual connection with the audience as a band?

„I surely hope so! These kinds of shows are changeling to the crowds too and sometimes they don’t know how to behave in the presence of classical musicians and different setups. Should I move, start a mosh pit or be quiet and watch? I guess we had both responses but the atmosphere was great, and that’s what counts more in a Moonspell show, not a wall of death, but deep emotions inside.“

„Vampiria“, the great classic track: it must have been deeply moving and touching to celebrate this legendary song from your 1995 debut album in front of an audience 30 years later!

„‚Vampiria‘ got us having mixed feelings about it throughout the years as it’s an old song and sound more dated than most of our repertoire, really. Yet I watched Robert Egger’s ‚Nosferatu‘ lately and I renewed my vows with that song. I even wrote a new ‚vampire‘ song for Moonspell’s new album that is coming out next year! But coming back to ‚Vampiria‘, I loved the vibe of this one on the show and with the orchestra. It took it to a more filmic height and that surprising finale made it even more vampiric and dramatic imo.“

The whole thing was mixed in collaboration with you by the established Englishman Jaime Gomez Arellano, known for his work with Ghost, Grave Pleasures, and Paradise Lost. Did you get along well in terms of your clear ideas and his final implementation?

„He's living in Portugal now and working on out new album closely with us and he could attend the orchestra show rehearsals and whatnot so he was always inside the loop, so to speak. His first mix was very ‚protective‘ of the orchestra and I didn’t feel it to be the way. So I called him up and told him ‚this is Moonspell, a Moonspell album, our songs, so take care of us first and then the orchestra will find it‘s way.’ That’s exactly what he was looking for too but he wanted it to sound orchestral, I said ‚fuck that, this is rock and roll‘, and in the end it came out alive and strong unlike the many mixes I heard from other metal meets orchestra projects. This one bites and tears, and that’s what we wanted.“

You’ve said: "This is a work of passion. Truly the work of the devil (opus diabolicum): imperfect, unfinished, untamed." How do you rate the final (sound) result yourself?

„I love it. It’s a live album full of human error and vicissitudes in a time where everything is put through the machine to be clean and listenable. Not ‚Opus Diabolicum‘ not Moonspell. We won’t be tamed! No overdubs, no fixing, it’s just what we played with love and deliverance, sometimes I’m out of tune, or the cello could be fixed but not rally, we wanted as faulty as the devil works of Tartini, or Paganini.“

How did the previous selection of songs played live go, and was putting together the set list there rather tricky or rather easy for you?

„It was a compromise between band, arranger (Filipe Melo) and maestro (Vasco Pearce de Azevedo). We had a lot in mind, we wanted to base the beginning of the show on our already orchestral album ‚1755‘, we wanted some important Moonspell songs too in the setlist and we had to be careful with orchestra rules as they don’t play more than a certain length of time and number of songs. Of course we would love to have seen some other songs getting the orchestral treatment yet one couldn’t get overcarried by that. So we went for the flow, like an opera, a theatre show that told a story, a narrative and I think we were successful at that.“

How did you get the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa to play along with your selected songs - did you actually rehearse together, or was it done individually for logistical and other reasons?

„Easy. Maestro Vasco is known in Portugal for accepting challenges and he has an appetite for different experiments so to speak. This was tailor made for him, the Moonspell experience. Also, his orchestra is not a conventional one. It doesn’t exist ‚formally‘, it comes together for some projects like this one and that adds a zest to it, I guess. He hires specific musicians not only for their skill but also for their personal temper so we had a tight motivated unit. We practised two time all band plus orchestra and one more in the day of the show for sound purposes. The orchestra rehearsed like 3 times by themselves and Moonspell practises regularly so everybody was more than ready!“

You've been around as a Metal band for more than 30 years now - did an orchestra musician from the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa reveal himself to you as a Moonspell fan?

„Yes, that sounds scary even! Many were already fans, others became fans. The loved every minute of it and so did we. Love was in the air!“

Anything you would like to add

„Stay tuned for more Moonspell soon. Give it a shot on the forthcoming new live album as we talked above and of course we can’t wait to give you new music in 2026 and I’m pretty sure your readers will love it as the next Moonspell will be the most gothic album we do since many years! Thanks for your support! Goth bless you all!“

© Markus Eck, 16.10.2025

Photo Credit: Rui Vasco, Joana Marçal Carriço

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