Moonspell – “Under Satanae” [Album Review]

Under Satanae is the name of the 2007 release from Portuguese Black Metal band Moonspell. The album consists of the re-recordings of previous Moonspell releases, this time under the watchful eye of producer extraordinaire Tu Madsen.

I had never heard of Moonspell prior to receiving this disc and had no idea what to expect. What I found was quite interesting, to say the least. Musically, this is one hell of disc. There are lots of big brawny guitars that propel each song forward, giving them a sort of groove that intrigued me enough to keep listening further. Interspersed throughout each song are some eerie, ethereal, almost ambient breaks that add variety and dimension which I found to be quite enjoying. Had this been an instrumental disc, Under Satanae would have found its way into regular rotation in my CD player.

While I realise the dynamics of Black Metal are a bit different from other genres of heavy metal, the vocals and the subject matter on this disc were a bit too much for me to bear. I found the singers harsh, in your face approach to be too extreme for my liking and the subject matter to be a bit too dark and ominous for me. The disc is riddled with whispered spoken parts that sounded as if they are incantations of some sort. After just a few songs, I half expected to find a being from the Netherworld seated beside me at the computer.

Do not get me wrong, though. I am not a prude by any means. Even though I really dig this disc musically, I just found it to be much too dark and dare say evil for my liking. Fans of this genre or those with an inclination for the darker side of things will probably really dig this.

Under Satanae Track Listing:

01. Halla alle halla al rabka halla
02. Tenebrarum Oratorium
03. Interludium/Incantatum
04. Tenebrarum Oratorium
05. Opus Diabolicum
06. Chorai Lusitania!
07. Goat On Fire
08. Ancient Winter Goddess
09. Wolves From The Fog
10. Serpent Angel

Run Time: 50:30
Release Date: November 6, 2007