You guys have been touring with Marduk and Inquisition in North America. This tour is almost over now. Moonspell has a different music style and even supporters than these two other bands. How has been the mix of the crowds so far?
I asked the same question when we got booked for this tour. Eventually, the whole idea was probably to have an eclectic bill that could approach different sensibilities; not only the black metal underground crowd but also some of the Moonspell crowd which is more into metal, gothic, atmospheric. That’s why we have Foreshadowing (from Italy) on the bill as well.

We asked ourselves all these questions but I think that the only “test” you can have is to go onstage and see what happens. We did test this in the beginning and I think that our difference as a band is actually playing a very positive role on this tour into the crowd because we have a fantastic response. It is a mix of people that already know Moonspell and Alpha Noir/Omega White is also an album that got a good feedback from the crowd and the reviewers in the US. So basically, yeah… the best answer is what we have seen happening every night which is a very, very cool response.

After this tour, you will play some concerts in Europe and you will be back to the American continent to play at “Hell and Heaven” festival in Mexico. What are you expecting for this festival?
Well, honestly that’s a good question because this festival has been announced, cancelled, announced, cancelled a couple a times. One of the times it actually happened we got stuck at the Airport in Madrid, Spain because of a captain that was in a “hush” to go to Guadalajara (laughs). The plane left a little bit earlier than what we expected and we got a late connection. So, we were booked again [for the festival, this year]. We hope it will happen because we haven’t had news for a while.

During this tour we have already played in Mexico City and it seems that we are very expected for this festival in Guadalajara because we have good following in Mexico and it’s been quite a few years since we’ve played that region of Jalisco. I don’t know what will happen but I hope it’s confirmed and I hope it is going to happen because I love to play Mexico anytime.

Last year, in December, you guys played on Barge to Hell. This is your second big metal cruise festival. How was this experience comparing to the previous one (70000 tons of metal)?
I think it was even better this time because the first time we were, as many bands, quite expectant. I know the promoter, Andy Piller, for quite a while. He used to book shows back in 96 when we toured with Type O Negative in Europe. He was booking a few shows and then he moved back to Canada.

So, I was talking to him and I thought, yeah… I think metal sometimes needs these crazy ideas and people really got the concept (both the fans and the bands). I think that’s what made Barge to Hell and 70000 tons of metal such a successful thing… such a viral thing because everybody was talking about it. National televisions go there and there is a lot of coverage and attention paid to the metal cruises.

This time around we knew better. We already knew even some [people] of the crew, the boat (Majesty of the Seas) and it was great… we enjoyed it much more. We did everything that could be done on this boat and also played two shows that I think were really cool. We even met the captain, had waffles with his private chef, and hung out with friends (bands that we normally just see in a rush at the festivals). So, it was one happy metal family while in the Bahamas.

Last year, you have also released “Alpha Noir/Omega White”. This double album was well received in different ways by the media I would say: some liked both, some liked more Alpha Noir and some others like Omega White better. Was this something you guys already knew it was going to happen before the release of this album?
Yeah. But, we know that a Moonspell album never has been consensual since the first albums. So, we kind of got used to it as well. Why does it happen? Because our choice is musical, first and foremost. We were really stuck into doing this concept, into doing this musical experience even for ourselves. But, we kind of know that people feel divided because a Moonspell fan is by nature divided in between maybe more gothic stuff like “Darkness and Hope” and “Irreligiou

s” or “Memorial” and “Night Eternal” which were big albums for Moonspell as well. So on Alpha Noir we tried to create something that was fully reaching every potentiality of the band.

Obviously it was a concept, and obviously we probably won’t do it for next time because it wouldn’t be interesting anymore. But at least, I think, it gets people talking and nowadays there is a lot of talk about albums and stuff that is released but none of it is about the music. At least in Moonspell, people are talking and fighting for their place in the Moonspell’s history and discography and I think that’s very important for the band.

We didn’t make the album intending to have this kind of split or concession of reactions because they are not in our heads or in our power to know about them when we are writing for the album. Then again, I think that nowadays, in my opinion, almost everything about metal can be so predictable. There are different waves of metal music coming on but the bands are very similar to each other in every style. There are probably 2 or 3 bands that do it and then there is a lot of band wagging at all levels (from underground to the mainstream metal). So, I think Moonspell is more placed in this kind of emotional metal from Europe. Some bands like Opeth and Katatonia do really well in the States so there is more attention given to these kid of bands and also as a consequence of not wanting to follow some programmed line of metal or whatever is trendy.

So, like I said, we take options… people respond… that’s music in the end of the day (laughs). For 20 years it has been this story “I like better this period or [that period]”. As long as they like Moonspell, I’m fine with it.

You not only released them separately, you also had two video clips: one for a song from Alpha Noir (Lickanthorpe) and another for a song from White Omega (White Skies). How was this experience of choosing two different songs from basically two different albums with two different video themes?
Well, to choose the songs was quite easy because even though “Lickanthrope” is not the catchiest song from Alpha Noir, it was the song that lyrically and visually had the best feature to be in a video clip, while “White Skies”… we wrote the song and it was such a simple raw gothic metal song. We wanted something really down to the basics. The problem was obviously to convince everyone around that 2 videos would be a good idea. For us, it made sense: two albums, two videos. But, nowadays there is no sufficient air play.

Quality is something really important for us. I would prefer not to release a video than to release something cheap or amateur looking. So, we did a lot of effort. We invested a lot of our own money; we got a lot of “favors” from friends of ours in Portugal and I think that the two videos are really well done.

We also did it because we like to make videos. The perfect opportunity to let your imagination go wild is on the video clips. We worked with a Portuguese director, everything was made in Portugal and I think they did a great job. “Lickanthrope” was very hard to record (with the makeup and the werewolf stuff). “White Skies” was a very easy going video. The concept was basically to get inside a girl’s room while they are listening to Moonspell (laughs). It’s a very classic video, it’s even a bit “poser” but we like it.

Let’s talk about you now! Books and movies: anything you read/ seen these last few months that you really liked?
Lots of stuff... I read a couple of week ago “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain (the chef). He has this famous show called “No Reservations” and he went to Lisbon so I got interested and read his book. It is about being a chef, the hidden scenes in the kitchen… I like food so I read it (laughs).

What have I seen lately? Possession. The Sam Raimi movie. I really like horror movies and I really like possession movies. I’ve seen them all: the good and the bad. I think this one is actually very good.

I’m reading now “Fall of Giants” by Ken Follett. I know he is a very commercial author and “more obscure” author… but that’s what I’m reading now. I really like him from “The Pillows of the Earth” and “World without End”.

Another book that I’m reading (I left it in Portugal because it is very heavy) it is the “Hellhammer” biography by Tom Warrior. It is a great book for any metal fan. It is called �

�Only Death is Real”.

I’m also trying to watch “Lincoln”… I really like historical movies. I also saw a couple of movies in the plane: Argo (that was a cool movie). I also have the new Taratino to watch.

There is a lot of good wine in Portugal. Any favorites?
You know, there are many regions in Portugal. There are countless brands of wines. My favorite region is Douro. Douro is near Porto which is the second biggest city in Portugal. It is kind of a bit stronger … it has a good body like Californian wines… and it is soft but heavy.

There are many brands. I like one called “Duorum”. They have nice reserves. Once, they even sent my wife and I a box of those wines because we said in an interview that we liked the wine (my wife is in a band also).

About your lyrics: do you have any specific mindset you have to be in to write?
One of the best things that I have in my life is writing lyrics. I really like it. It is a process that cannot be fully explained but the sensation of putting words together and [when] they start to form a story, is a great thing. I really like books. I work with writing the lyrics for Moonspell but I also work with book publishers in Portugal, translating some stuff… I really like [that] industry and its opportunities.

I actually, to be honest, never had a “mind set” or this “perfect place” to write. I always felt that if you are trying to search for a perfect atmosphere to write, you will lose it. I think that the perfect atmosphere happens actually inside. And [it can] happen anytime like right now. I always carry a notebook. The lyrics of “Vampiria”, I wrote it on the way to the university (when I studied), in the subway. It is a very mystical song and it ended up to be a song that people always connect to. It has a certain epic… vampiric aura.

So, I don’t have to have the red wine, the candles and the old type writer. Being a writer, I have good friends who are professional writers… it is kind of cool because some of them even have writing offices where they go everyday. I think that wouldn’t work for me (laughs) I would do nothing in the office. I think writing is also about being pleasurable… nothing to do with the outside but everything to do with the inside so, I can write everywhere. For me it is more a question of time than space or mindset. I’m always ready to write a lyric if I have an idea …and they come up all the time, you just have to be observant of things.

What are the plans for Moonspell for the rest of the year?
We will be basically touring. I think that’s the big plan for this year… it is to kind of pick up more from where we left in 2012 (we already did a lot of touring in Europe). So, a couple of days after this tour [North America] is over we will be flying to Inferno festival in Oslo. That will be really cool… We have played there before, it is a very nice indoors festival for 1500 people. Something very exclusive… Satyricon is playing, Deicide is playing so, its going to be a good lineup as well. And then after a couple of more days we are going to do a mini-tour in Finland with Swallow the Sun, only 3 dates…

And then, we get back on tour, 10 or 12 days after, in Europe with Insomnium. We are going to do a headlining tour. We already toured Central Europe so this time is more focus in France, the UK, Spain, Holland, Germany and other countries.

And then it is Summer Festival season up until September at least. We are going to do Graspop, Hellfest, Summer Breeze, Masters of Rock in Czech Republic… we are going to do a lot of festivals which is a good sign because we did quite a lot of festivals last year but this year they want to have Moonspell back and that’s great.

And then, in the second half [of the year] we have many plans and offers for Australia, for coming back to the States, for going to South America (we’ve been in South America already with this album). So, we got to consider what is best for the band. I think that we should definitely consider coming back to the States.

Any messages to the SOM readers?
First and foremost I would like to thank you for the interview and also tell the readers to check out our album. [We are] probably not the most conventional metal band around but we have a different kind of sound, a different kind of music and maybe the readers would like to pickup our album out.

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interview réalisée par Deesse_de_la_nuit

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xavier74 - 29 Mars 2013: thanks a lot Moonspell
thanks a lot Déesse de la nuit

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