Warthur Moonspell's debut album is an interesting blend of disparate forms of metal, taking a gothic metal base and jazzing it up by sprinkling on black metal and symphonic metal influences and lashing all these bits together in a progressive framework, and then cramming on the odd gentle folky moment here and there for good measure.

Although I'm really not into the vocals (with the notable exception of Birgit Zacher's female vocals), on the whole the album is an entertaining listen which shows an excellent command of various approaches to metal, and the band do an excellent job of integrating these various styles without making their compositions sound disjointed or incoherent.

kluseba The new limited edition of Moonspell's "Alpha Noir / Omega White" output represents the two faces of the band, their two pounding hearts, Portugal's best metal band's yin and yang.

Alpha Noir is a dark and pretty heavy record that should please to those who liked the early years of the band with releases such as Anno Satanae, Under The Moonspell and Wolfheart. Fernando Ribeiro only employs growls, shouts and raw dark chants on this first disc. The music hits the same nerve and features some quite fast thrash riffs but also more melodic parts.

The opener "Axis Mundi" varies from harmonic dark chants over slightly blackened growls and musically from thrash riffs in the first minutes to very melodic and inoffensive parts in the beautiful bridge. The opening moments even make me think of Judas Priest's epic "Loch Ness". This song offers maybe the highest degree of diversity on both records and is an excellent song but simply doesn't fit as an opener. It's rather hard to digest and should have resumed the album as a closing track but not as a first strike. The first single "Lickanthrope" is much more simple and maybe too simple after the opener and can't truly convinvce me.

After this controversial first impression, the best tracks can be found later on that disc. The first highlight after a mellow start is the portuguese "En Nome Do Medo". It has a dominating bass line, a very apocalyptic atmosphere and is easily the most intense track on this first record. It's still a quite catchy song even though it's one of the hardest tracks the band has released in years. The guitar solo is very emotional, the bridge quite dark but with catchy riffs and loads of keyboard sounds reminding me a little bit of Crematory.

Another highlight is the quite progressive "Grandstand", a slow to mid paced track that creates a haunting atmosphere and works once again a lot with dark bass guitar tones, melodic doom passages, an excellent heavy metal guitar solo, an amazing middle part with acoustic guitars and Ribeiro's emotional screams. The track sounds like a slowed down version of Dimmu Borgir plus some melancholic elements that could come from Novembers Doom, Paradise Lost or The Old Dead Tree which are three very good references.

In the end, this first part is amongst the hardest material the band has released since their first regular studio output "Wolfheart" and should definitely please to fans of the old days. Some tracks build up a haunting atmosphere and convince with almost progressive ideas but there are also a couple of fillers on this release. Some tracks might eventually grow and request a lot of attention such as "Versus" with its excellent and disturbing guitar work reminding me of Voivod. On the other side, the harder stuff such as the first single "Lickanthrope" or the title track "Alpha Noir" can only partially convince and lack of something truly gripping or original that might make them stand out.

Omega White is the opposite of Alpha Noir. It is a very appeasing record with loads of piano melodies, acoustic guitar passages and only clean vocals. This record might please to gothics and those modern fans that rather liked the calmer stuff of the band and not their black metal roots or their progressive era. On the other side, this record has the same problem as the first disc. The opener "Whiteomega" is surely diversified and contains loads of interesting ideas but it can't fully convince as an opener. It's still easier to approach as "Axis Mundi" and fits to the upcoming tracks on this second half of Moonspell's new release. The single "White Skies", as "Lickanthrope" on the other disc, is one of the weaker songs on this disc and would rather fit on a record by The 69 Eyes. In comparison to the first disc, this album is almost too soft at some points and undeniably commercially orientated. "Fireseason" is something I might expect from bands such as HIM but not from Moonspell. Commercially orientated gothics might aodre this song but fans of old Moonspell might easily feel disappointed. I must though admit that this track has a lot of single potential and should have been chosen to represent this album instead of "White Skies" while "En Nome Do Medo" should have taken the place of "Lickanthrope" on the first disc.

The first highlihts of the record also come in the middle of the record. "Herodisiac" employs some strings that make me think of Apocalyptica and the track develops a very melancholic atmosphere. The support of female background vocals and haunting piano melodies underlines this attempt. This is a truly beautiful gothic ballad. It reminds me once again of The 69 Eyes but it has a lot more magic and variation than "White Skies". The next track "Incantatrix" simply employs loads of beautiful melodies and has a big commercial potential. The track has a peaceful atmosphere with beautiful piano melodies, soft guitar harmonies, appeasing drum patterns and very relaxed vocals. It's a track to wake up to in the morning or to calmly make love to. It has a very positive vibe and a light side even though it contains some gothic trademarks. This track is definitely a highlight on this second disc and I was convinced this would be the best song on both records until I heard the final track after another solid one called "Sacrificial". The album closer "A Greater Darkness" simply is a perfect way to conclude this record. It simply resumes everything this second disc stands for. It's a calm hommage to a fallen friend with almost jazzy moments featuring soft bass guitars, calm piano melodies, some string passages and haunting vocals. It's hard to deide whether "Incantatrix" or "A Greater Darkness" is better as they are both sending shivers down my spine but I would maybe go for the closing track after a first couple of tries. I have no doubt that many tracks on this second disc will even grow on me in the near future.

Concerning the second disc, it sounds more coherent than the first one. It contains maybe one or two more or less convincing tracks in the beginning but the rest of the record has a very appeasing, calm and almost spiritual flow. It's the band's most introspective work and contains many magic moments with piano melodies, string passages and soft female background vocals. This album has not much to do with metal music and sounds like a calmer and more progressive hommage to bands such as Paradise Lost, Type 0 Negative or The 69 Eyes.

In the end, both disc have more ups than downs and are worth to be shared with the rest of the world. The first one would get a rating around eighty percent from me while the second disc is more atmospheric, coherent and profound and would come to a rating between ninety and even ninety-five percent. Both discs remind me of the music of the late eighties and early nineties. The first disc employs thrash and black metal elements from that time while the second one focusses on the growing gothic mouvement and also some electronic and pop elements from that time. Both records have a nostalgic feeling without sounding too old fashioned. The band still knows how to write catchy tracks with magic moments, especially on the second disc. As both records contrast very well and represent everything one can like about Moonspell, I might pardon for a couple of fillers and too nostalgic moments, add two or three points and come to a fair rating of ninety percent. This album is full of potential, has many details that may grow on me and is without a doubt a highlight in the band's discography.

I somehow regret that the band didn't release both albums in a separate way as only truly faithful and open-minded will adore both discs. The metal community might rather stick to "Alpha Noir" while the gothic fan base will prefer "Omega White". I really give you the advice to check out both sides of the band. This release is some sort of best of what Moonspell has always stand for since their early years.

kluseba Don't get me wrong, I really like the studio albums of Moonspell and I have even seen them in concert and I have liked their performance very much. That's why I got so shocked when I listened to this album.

This album lacks of everything that a good live album needs. There is no connection and contact between the crowd and the band, they mostly do not even announce their songs or stop in between them.

You do not hear the crowd at all most of the time, you only hear a tiny and undistinguishable shrieking coming from far away when the bands decides some very rare times to take a little break between their songs.

The sound of the recordings is not dynamical at all, it really bores you to death. The studio versions of the songs are much more fresh, diversified and straight. There are really worlds between the studio albums and this live album.

One of their best songs, the legendary "Alma mater" is cut into pieces on the album, the whole magic and hypnotically bridge and the repeating of the first verse has been cut to shorten this song a lot.

When I bought this album I thought that it would help me to remember their concert and to get an impression of their discography which I didn't know very well at that time. Both thoughts were completely wrong and this horrible album was the reason why it took some time before I approached the band's music again and discovered many beautiful and intense albums. This live album really gives you a wrong and negative impression of the band. I don't understand at all why this lousy crap has even been published, even a lousy demo or a bootleg recording would have sounded better.

I can really not recommend to buy this album. If you are a newbie and you are looking for a first album to know this band better, you should seriously start with their diversified and interesting debut album and classic masterpiece "Wolfheart".

I give half a point out of five points for the choice of the set list and the booklet.

kluseba Wolfheart is easily one of my favourite records of all time. It has anything I would expect from a great metal album. It has a lot of diversity. It has an intense and coherent atmosphere. It has interesting lyrics that fit to the concept of the music and artwork. It has many catchy moments but also some more progressive and epic tracks. It has aged well and grows on you every time you try it out once again. It has its own unique charm and doesn't sound too much like anyone else.

Wolfheart has also been a revolutionary album being one of the first extreme metal records coming from Southern Europe. The band is right to be proud to come from a country where metal music isn't as popular as in Central and Northern Europe and they don't hesitate to perform parts of several songs in Portuguese. They also use a few folk instruments which give an epic touch to this debut record without sounding too soft and sweet. On the other hand, there is a big gothic influence in this record concerning the bleak atmosphere and the dark lyrics. Many people consider this album as a black metal record but this style is only one of several subtle elements and influences among others. The band mixes energy and majesty in a unique way without forgetting about originality.

Every song is worth to be listened to and there is no single filler on here. The harmonic and epic introduction to the great opening epic "Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)" immediately drowns us into a mysterious atmosphere and digs us deeper into a bleak majesty when the dark lyrics kick off. The keyboards and choirs may sound a little bit artificial as the band lacked of budget but this gives an undeniable charm to the record and makes it sound more underground and mysterious. In the first track the band already proves all of their talent. The singer switches from dark shrieks to low melodic clean vocals. The track has some chilling moments that focus on decent keyboard melodies, harmonic guitar passages and a surprisingly audible bass guitar line. On the other side, there are also more rhythm orientated mid tempo passages and a floating progressive bridge. Everything underlines the focus on a dark and addicting atmosphere and sounds very coherent. That's only what I say about the first track but I could continue like this for every other song on the record.

There are many magic moments on this album. "Trebaruna" is an amazingly hypnotizing folk track and pleases me at least ten times more than anything most of the so-called modern folk bands from Northern Europe use to play. I mean those guys here come from Portugal and perform dark folk beats as if they have grown up with Viking history and Scandinavian folk tales. The great bonus track "Ataegina" has some great Lusitanian folk elements and is able to mix happy and positive chants with mysterious folk sounds and dark riffs. Who needs Eluveitie now? The female shrieks in the end of "Vampiria" give me goose bumps every time I listen to them once again and are an unforgettable moment in metal history. The Portuguese chorus of the addicting "Alma Mater" is not only catchy as hell but also a true statement by the band.

There are so many whining people that claim that the eighties were such a great decade while the nineties were the downfall of metal music. Every time I listen to Moonspell's "Wolfheart", Amorphis' "Tales From The Thousand Lakes" or Therion's "Theli" I realize that this is not true and that the nineties even seem to have the greater gems. This is one of them and a definite must have for any metal fan of any genre.

Conor Fynes 'The Antidote' - Moonspell (5/10)

Moonspell aren't going to make the music you would find typical of progressive metal. Alot of their stuff is alot more doomy and down-tempo than most, and while there is a bit of a forward-thinking attitude to them, you won't find the sort of stuff played here that the more adventurous bands play. In any case however, Moonspell is a talented band, and they show it through some very solid songwriting and thoughtful arrangements. While alot of this album is pretty dry and has a fair share of flaws, an above-average sense of songwriting ties the album together and makes it whole. There a a large dose of gothic flair here, thrown onto a death metal pallette. The singer constantly switches between a skilled growl and a basso profundo that can get extremely dry at times but after a few listens, it really dawns that this isn't the sort of metal that would benefit from having four-octave wails.

The title track is arguably the strongest track here, although alot of the songs are memorable in their own right. 'In & Above Man' segues seamlessly into the dark almost jungle-sounding percussive intro of 'From Lowering Skies.' 'Capricorn At Her Feet' has one of the most beautiful guitar solo segments you could possibly find on this album, although the rest of the song isn't quite up to par. 'Lunar Still' takes quite a while to get going but it's a dreamy segment that can be wholly enjoyable if you're in the mood for it. The final track, 'As We Eternally Sleep On It' is one of the tightest compositions, and something that doesn't adhere to songwriting convention. It builds up slowly- much like post-rock - and it leads into atmospheric guitar work that caps off the album.

'The Antidote' is tightly composed and produced, but it doesn't seem to really catch my attention in the way a really great album would. There are parts that are amazing, but it seems these are spread like too little butter over too much toast. A good album, but with not enough layering or ambition to make for a truly inspiring journey.