Moonspell - Under Satanae

Fuck, Moonspell is badass. One of the reasons I've been going through all this music so quickly is so that I could get to some albums that I've been just dying to listen to, with this being one of them. Moonspell had a weak point when they released Darkness and Hope in 2001, and 2003's The Antidote only had a couple good tracks, but they came roaring back with Memorial, a great return to their black metal roots. I know these guys can be evil, their mostly unknown side project Daemonarch was absolutely terrifying. When I heard that Moonspell was going to re-record an album full of their pre-Wolfheart material and demos, I was super excited. Even though I never heard any of this stuff, it being stuff written slightly before the Wolfheart era, and after just having released Memorial, and calling the album Under Satanae, predicted something very menacing.

The album does not disappoint. This is classic Moonspell gothic metal, with the emphasis on the metal. I wish all goth metal was this good. Predictably, this album sounds like a mix between Memorial and Wolfheart. It is a very interesting listen though, with complex leads and interludes, and just pure evil elements. Fernando Ribeiro probably does the best voice of Satan with his death voice. If you ever had any interest in Moonspell, get this album.