Lisboa Depois de Morta

Part of the band bio reads: for fans of Moonspell and Paradise Lost - well colour me intrigued, moreover this band are not only highly regarded by Moonspell vocalist Fernando Ribeiro, but the new album is being released through his Alma Mater Record label. In their bio, Fernando sings praise for the band’s musical vision and use of Portuguese roots within their music.

Opening with an acoustic guitar and solemn drum beats is Desagregacao and the “For fans of..” recommendation is spot on, allegedly it’s Neo folk metal, I’ve heard a few folk metal albums over the years but I feel this is probably one of few that really works, the acoustic guitar, played (presumably) with authentic Portuguese influences flows well with the background of a doom metal foundation, I’ve heard other folk metal albums where, certainly to me, the folk elements seem to be at odds with the metal sound but this is not one of them.

It’s a theme that runs throughout the whole album alongside the use of the Portuguese language, another great example of this is Um Mal Necessario, a track occupied by a band proud of its heritage, keen to bring it to the fore within their music. There’s a haunting hypnotic quality to O Pacto, as a tribalistic drum beat and minimalist guitar sound play background to a whisper of a vocal melody, all in Portuguese with choral harmonies, it’s befitting of the dark tone of the album.

I’ve only touched upon a few tracks but these feel characteristic of the album and the feel that the band are going for, it’s a great example of how metal can be infused with another albeit different genre, that sympathetic songwriting can balance the differences and make them whole, this is definitely one to check out.