moonspell_2009_10

» Moonspell 2009 10 18

Reviewed by JuuKun
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Special guest: Divine Heresy, Secrets Of The Moon, Revocation
City: New York, New York
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
Date: 18 October 2009
Moonspell setlength: 70 minutes
Divine Heresy setlength: 45 minutes
Secrets Of The Moon setlength: 35 minutes
Revocation setlength: 30 minutes

Revocation

Revocation is a band I'm still fairly new to, but I'm slowly warming up to them. A Tech-Death/Thrash trio from Massachusetts, my first exposure to these New Englanders was at the New England Deathfest in August. They're quite a talented trio, and would be surprised if they don't develop some sort of following in the coming years. With a fresh (albeit small) crowd, as opposed to the last time I saw them, the reaction was much warmer, and the band won over most of the crowd by the end of the set. A solid performance from the trio covering both of their albums, but nothing ground-breaking.

6 chalices of 10

(sorry, no setlist)

Secrets Of The Moon

The first band of the tour proper, Secrets of the Moon, were next. They absolutely blew me away, and have a new fan. Their very first US tour, I found myself leaving hoping it isn't their last. They play Black Metal, in a very Enslaved way, with hints of Opeth. Having no exposure to them before the show, I had no idea what to expect, but they were incredible. Supporting this year's new album Privilegivm, they took the stage and kicked off with 9-minute opener "Sulphur." The band continued to ravage the crowd with their four-song setlist, of which the shortest was nearly eight-minute long "I Maldorer". I've never even heard much in the way of buzz for this band, which surprises me considering how good their music was. The band members banged their heads often and moved around a bit, but not much more than that in the way of on-stage activity, though it seemed fitting enough with the Enslaved-type music they played. I was pleased with the sound at the venue, too, which I was a little nervous about considering my lack of familiarity with B.B. King's.

7,5 chalices of 10

Setlist:

Sulphur
Ghost
I Maldorer
Lucifer Speaks

Divine Heresy

I'm not a Divine Heresy fan. I've given them a few chances, but they've never really done anything for me, which is why when it was announced that Samael could no longer do this tour and they would be replaced with Divine Heresy, I was upset. I expected to spend 45 minutes bored out of my mind. I'm pleased to say that was not the case. While my stance on the boring, almost metalcore band stands as it was, atleast they were entertaining live, keeping active as they crossed the stage. Also, the cries for Dino Cazares alone inbetween songs was amusing (I sort of wonder how the rest of the band felt). They had plenty of supporters in the crowd, so they certainly didn't need me to solidify their stance, but it just wasn't for me. After awhile the songs started to bleed together, and I satisfied myself by watching former Hate Eternal drummer Tim Yeung pound on his kit. Though the music is basic, the band is comprised of fairly talented instrumentalists (the vocals are just NOT for me).

5,5 chalices of 10

Setlist:

Facebreaker
Bleed The Fifth
Impossible Is Nothing
The Battle Of J. Casey
Savior Self
Bringer Of Plagues
Monolithic Doomsday Devices
Anarchaos
Failed Creation

Moonspell

For a long time, I have heard nothing but good things about Moonspell in the live setting. One of my favorite studio bands (Night Eternal was my favorite album of 2008), I couldn't wait to see them finally. Formed in 1989 under the name Morbid God and changing to Moonspell in 1992, the band has eight full-length album releases under their belts, and while a few of them have quite many detractors, in my eyes each album has its own brilliance. In a year of intense live bands like Destruction and heartfelt vocalists like Nemtheanga from Primordial, it was time to put Fernando Ribeiro and Moonspell to the test.

As the intro to "At Tragic Heights" off of Night Eternal sounded through the PA, the crowd roared the band onto stage as the spoken-word part flashed on the screen hanging behind the band ('And the first went, and poured upon the earth; and there fall a grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast'). Finally, Fernando took the stage, microphone in hand, and with a triumphant "IT IS DONE!" the song proper kicked in, and slipped into a marathon of my favorite songs. Geared very much towards the first two albums, with a total of 7 of the 14 songs off of either Wolfheart or Irreligious, the crowd greeted each song with open arms. In particular I was pleased to hear "Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)", my number-one favorite Moonspell track, played early in the set.

"Scorpion Flower" was played in the middle of the set, and while I had not expected it in the least, I was very slightly disappointed to hear it played without Anneke van Giersbergen on stage (though her studio vocals were piped in). I think I would have preferred a different song in it's place. After it was done, Fernando told us "This is not a 25 minute set, if you don't mind…" (Probably a reference to the tour they did with Danzig and Dimmu Borgir last year), and announced the next song as a special request from a good friend of the band - "Nocturna."

The main set ended in style, with the classic "Vampiria" (no matter how many times I listen to it, that scream at the end sends chills down my spine!), followed by fan-favorite "Mephisto", and the crowd pleaser "Alma Mater" (which almost everyone in the crowd sang to).

For the encore, the band returned and Fernando promised us two more off of Irreligious, and we were treated to "Awake" and, of course "Full Moon Madness". Though I had fears that they would not live up to the hype, they squashed all of them. They've quickly climbed to one of my favorite live acts that I've seen, and Fernando is second to none as a live vocalist. They played with such passion and such ferocity at the same time. With the setlist, and the superb sound quality, it was truly a night to remember.

10 chalices of 10

Setlist:

At Tragic Heights
Night Eternal
Finisterra
The Southern Deathstyle
Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)
Opium
Scorpion Flower
Nocturna
Moon in Mercury
Vampiria
Mephisto
Alma Mater
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Awake
Full Moon Madness