The Antidote

The Antidote is a proper return to form for Portuguese goth metal masters Moonspell, after a couple of albums that saw the band wavering between disparate musical influences and battling with internal struggles between band members. The 6th LP did not come without some line-up drama, either, as bass player Sérgio Crestana was asked to leave the band shortly before the album recordings, due to musical differences between him and the rest the band. Reduced to four members (Fernando Ribeiro, vocals; Ricardo Amorim, guitars; Miguel Gaspar, drums; Pedro Paixão, keyboards and guitars), Moonspell found the strength to regroup and summon up an inspiration and enthusiasm that were somewhat lacking on Darkness and Hope, their 5th full-length released two years prior.

On Darkness and Hope, Moonspell were perhaps a little too busy distancing themselves from the electro/industrial experiments of The Butterfly Effect to get back to the sound of Wolfheart / Irreligious. In the process, they seemed to have forgotten how to enjoy writing and playing music, resulting in an album that sounds restrained and slightly deflated. The Antidote is altogether a different beast. It brims with energy and excitement, and it strikes you immediately as an ambitious piece of work that the band truly seems to believe in. Conceived in collaboration with one of Portugal bestselling writers, José Luís Peixoto, the special edition of the album was even released with a volume of short stories (Antidoto) written by Peixoto, which already gives an idea about the scope and ambition of the project.

Both the book and the album explore dark themes centred on the concept of fear. The obscure and uncomfortable feeling is masterfully captured by the music, which combines raw explosions of adrenaline with more contemplative and obscure atmospheres. The music is very dynamic, madly oscillating between peaks of heaviness, with lacerating growls and massively headbangable riffs, and more atmospheric sections where eerie keyboard sounds and gently strummed acoustic guitars accompany Ribeiro’s whispered vocals. This gives the album a very special and unique sound, suspended between black metal, gothic metal, a touch of doom, and even some rock / post-rock influences. There is also a strong sense of adventure permeating throughout the album, with the band unafraid to take unexpected turns, like when they introduce tribal rhythms into their sound (“From Lowering Skies”), or languid Floydian interludes (“Capricorn at Her Feet”), or nearly ambient litanies that are more similar to ritual recitations than a rock song (“Lunar Still”). Although we are not at the levels of experimentalism of Sin/Pecado or The Butterfly Effect, with this record Moonspell once again confirm they are simply unable to write dull and run-of-the-mill albums, as the flame of creativity always pushes them to explore new soundscapes and influences.

The Antidote is a remarkably guitar-oriented album, which is great after two records (The Butterfly Effect and, to a lesser extent, Darkness and Hope) where Ricardo Amorim was relegated to a minor role in the band. On The Antidote we actually have two band members playing guitar, Amorim and Pedro Paixão, who here plays rhythm guitar, giving Amorim freedom to write for himself more explorative and venturesome guitar lines. There is plenty of awesome guitar parts on the LP, from the incredibly expressive solo on “Everything Invaded”, to the waves of distortion that lull their way through “From Lowering Skies”, to the juxtaposition of restless acoustic guitars and wall-of-sound post-rockish riffs on the title-track. The new material also features some outstanding drum parts, very dynamic and imaginative, that push the music in vaguely tribal directions on tracks like “From Lowering Skies” and “The Southern Deathstyle”. The drums are well-supported by bass player Niclas Etelävuori (at the time playing with Amorphis), who despite being a session man features quite prominently on several tracks of the album. Ribeiro’s vocals are another highlight. The singer keeps getting better and better with each new album. Here his lacerating growls and Nick Cave-like crooning are both excellent, and I also like his experiments with spoken/whispered vocals that are perfect for the album’s obscure and mysterious mood. Paixão’s keyboards are perhaps the only instrument that takes a backseat role on this record somewhat, as his contribution is mainly to add texture with eerie sounds and samples. The album sounds great, with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa conjuring up a very organic, clean but at the same time raw and powerful sound.

The first half of the album is phenomenal. As the tracks from “In and Above Men” to “Capricorn at Her Feet” bleed into one another, I am simply floored by the energy and dynamism of the material, which grabs me both at an instinctive and cerebral level. Up to “Capricorn at Her Feet”, The Antidote is a 10/10 records. Unfortunately, the second half is not up to the mark. Things start faltering a bit with the interesting, but overlong “Lunar Still”, which combines ambient music, recitation and metal. The following two tracks are however what really kills the mood for me. Both “A Walk on the Darkside” and “Crystal Gazing” are very bland pieces of music. The former only offers an interesting guitar riff at the beginning of the song, while the latter is saved by a moderately catchy chorus. But in either case this is too little to save the two songs from mediocrity. I really wish these tracks were left out of the album because they disrupt its flow and ambience, especially since they sound so uninspired compared to the rest of the material. Things get back on track with the album closer “As We Eternally Sleep on It”, which is again at the level of the first six songs in terms of energy and adventurousness. This is not enough, however, to redeem the drag of The Antidote’s second half, which is a pity given how fresh and exciting the first part of the album is.

Despite its unevenness, The Antidote is a great record, containing some of the best material Moonspell have composed since Sin/Pecado. One of the things I appreciate the most about this record is that, while it is not as experimental as Sin/Pecado or The Butterfly Effect, it is also not a simple “let’s get back to the sound of the origins” affair, which was perhaps the syndrome that had restrained the band’s creativity and energy on Darkness and Hope. The Antidote is instead determined to carve its own path in the band’s discography, rearranging the traditional building blocks of the band’s sound (black metal; gothic metal/rock; progressive rock) in a new guise and, in the process, reinventing the band’s musicality. As such, The Antidote stands out in Moonspell’s discography as one of their most organic, fresh and imaginative albums to date.

Preliminary note: I’m not a diehard Moonspell fan. Been to a concert once, have an old t-shirt (which I used to like a lot) and a couple cds in my collection, nothing more. As a teenager, I loved Wolfheart and Irreligious, but now they don’t speak to me anymore, I’m afraid. I still like Butterfly Effect (an intrepid experiment, even if not totally successful) and sometimes can turn on Darkness and Hope, which I don’t, however, think is a masterpiece at all. As to the later albums by the Portuguese, I don’t find them really fascinating.

But what Antidote is to me is quite hard to describe with words. It’s not enough to simply say that it is one of my favourite albums in metal. Or is it? Anyway, I must explain what is so special for me about this release.

First of all, the sound. It’s not by chance that I mentioned here my attitude to the previous albums. One thing that I really disliked about Moonspell until Antidote was the sound of keyboards. I never liked this gothic approach, those cheap ‘string’ synthesizers sounding like crap. Clean vocals were not always persuasive either, especially on early works.

That’s over on Antidote. Keyboards have become transparent, almost imperceptible (with a few notable exceptions, among which is ‘Lunar Still’), while some more samples and noises have been introduced, creating a unique atmosphere, dark and chilly. Listening to the album in the middle of the night is highly recommended: you get a chance to have shivers all over your body. Ribeiro’s vocals are excellent as well; growls are hysterical and wicked, clean vocals deep and touching, and the recitatives insightful as never before.

In terms of sound production, Moonspell is at its most benign with Antidote. Everything sounds just the way it should: crystal clear drums (with excellent cymbals), haunting keys, and thick and somehow crunchy guitars. Noteworthy is the way the vocals are recorded. In quieter parts you can hear Fernando smacking his lips while singing, which makes it all sound very intimate and warm.

A couple more words about the atmosphere as it is the album’s highlight. The creepy sounds of a breeze blowing directly from a tomb (so it seems), underground waters gurgling silently like a whisper, a lonely shot cutting the frosty air (this silver bullet from ‘The Southern Deathstyle’) – all of these are the true accompaniment to Antidote, without which it wouldn’t be the same. And unlike many metal bands, they don’t sound as if it was a horror movie parody. They are eerie indeed.

I can’t avoid mentioning the album’s artwork, which shows its author’s exquisite taste and fits the music perfectly. The minimalistic cover and the colour range of b/w with a note of gold is something of a miracle. What's more banal than a skull on the cover or white letters on a black booklet? Yet this skull and these letters you shall never forget. The pinnacle is probably the booklet’s first page; all black with the only tiny inscription, “The horror of beauty, the beauty of horror”.

And on top of it all, the real book by José Luís Peixoto that you can find on CD, together with the ‘Everything Invaded’ official video (rather ordinary) and some more interesting stuff. Peixoto’s short stories are collected on Antidote to show their connection to the lyrics and album’s concept. A rare case for a metal band nowadays, isn’t it?

Finally, the music itself. There’s nothing new about the fact that Moonspell never release two similar albums. Still there is always a certain thread running through all their works. On Antidote, there is this melancholy that can be found on Butterfly Effect (songs like ‘Can’t Bee’) or Darkness and Hope, but it would be wrong to compare. Antidote stands alone because it is almost totally deprived of any gothic feeling, so present on nearly all other of Moonspell’s albums. A great shift on Antidote is that it’s mostly guitar-dominated and melodically resembles more a rock album (there is practically no pure metal riffing). Nevertheless, it is heavier than its predecessor, the guitars being well-distorted, drums aggressive, and growls occupying an important part on the vocal territory. Speaking in genres, it can be called doom, the way Discouraged Ones-era Katatonia is doom. Modern doom, so to speak, or a heavy version of melancholic rock with a couple gothic-metal inclusions.

There is one more thing about Moonspell’s music that makes Antidote so special. I’d call it their romance charm. By romance, I understand here the culture that is radically different from northern European Germanic culture. Moonspell have this flame that is hard to find in other _dark_ metal bands. Their major merit for me is this ability to combine the Nordic darkness with their native sensitivity. It is vital to grasp this essentially incomplete nature of the album, its liveliness (as opposed to mechanicalness), in order to get the full impact of it. Compositionally, the songs are rather simple and repetitive, and the guitar solos and vocal parts show no exceptional diversity. Nevertheless, they are all deeply emotional and sincere, and that’s what makes them so sublime.

Antidote is frightening, yet hope-giving, cool but warm at the same time, and sombre and profoundly poetic (it would be enough simply mentioning that unexpected quote from Oscar Wilde in ‘Capricorn at Her Feet’). Should I continue any further? Antidote is a true masterpiece, unparalleled and unrivalled not only in Moonspell’s discography, but in the contemporary metal scene in general. It’s a pity that it is often so unjustly underrated, as it deserves the highest praise.

10/10. Highly recommended.

The fans of this band can be divided into three groups: the ones that have been there since the beginning (a la Wolfheart and Irreligious), the ones that came in during the experimental period (The Butterfly Effect and Sin/Pecado), and those that came in when they hit a more mainstream sound (Darkness and Hope). Although I could sit here and act like I'm the longest standing and most devoted fan, I hadn't heard of them until Memorial came out. But I digress. The fans of the early work (Under the Moonspell - The Butterfly Effect) are so fond of it, that they are convinced that nothing else could possibly be better. Any Moonspell album with good production quality, to them, must be compensating for something. So, they expect a bad album when they begin listening, and they pick on and blow out of proportion the weak points in order to confirm their suspicions. They don't like the later work because they don't want to.

Now, this is truly the only explanation I can find for such little attention toward such a great album. It's not the slightly cheesy, cliche-filled, and eye-rolling romanticism of Darkness and Hope (which failed to be more than an album I could enjoy as a quick, shallow, listen) and it's not quite so dime-a-dozen gothic metal like Memorial or Night Eternal (which, while being good, tread no new territory). It's a happy medium that somehow transcends everything on either side of it in a way I didn't know possible.

It starts out with a heavier number, In and Above Men, which opens with a slightly ambient and overdriven guitar chord that quickly shoves you a fast double kicked section with a heavy riff leading into Fernando's brilliant vocal performance. The growls are one of the unique parts of this album that add a certain touch that makes it what it is. This is one of the tracks where Fernando really shines, but there are plenty of lovely almost vampiric growls throughout the album that separate it from imitators. This was the last album that Fernando used a balanced combination of his bass croons and cookie monster growls, as Memorial features almost a complete lack of singing.

As you could expect with anything Moonspell-related, the drums stick out and soar above the rest of the album. There seems to be an almost tribal feel in From Lowering Skies and The Southern Deathstyle, which allows Miguel to really show off his skill with primal, yet complex drum parts and quick (tastefully quick) double kicks. There are also some nice fills to sink your teeth into in tracks like Crystal Gazing. Although they're turned up pretty loud, if they were any softer, they wouldn't be done justice.

The guitar work isn't astounding, but it does the job it's intended for by coming together with the bass perfectly to create a certain atmosphere instead of having songs with similar, typical structures. Which bring me to the real meat and potatoes of the album -- the atmosphere. Instead of simply consisting of several similarly and typically structured songs, everything appears to be thought out well and come together as parts of a whole with a logical progression (this is understandable as it's a concept album based on a book with the same name). Where the instrumentation isn't particularly prodigious, the writing makes up the difference. The album contains an ambiance many an artist tries and fails to create and end up with tastelessly high volume keyboards.

The first half contains many more memorable and catchy numbers to mosh to, while the second half contains the deeper and more inspiring numbers. The title track, Lunar Still, and Capricorn at Her Feet carve unique sound scapes and truly stand out as yet another feature to hook first-time listeners, while Crystal Gazing and A Walk on the Darkside start out simple and grow to be the most memorable tracks on the album simple because of their atmosphere.

If you're all about insanely fast guitar solos, speed of sound drums, gore lyrics, or the folky glory of Moonspell's older material, it's probably best to stay away from this album. Fan of their earlier work or fan of Grindcore, approach this album with an open mind and you surely won't be disappointed.

After meandering around in arguably lighter wares after the release of (the brilliant) “The Butterfly Effect” the 2003 release of 'The Antidote' was impart an "antidote" for several fans of this Portuguese act. The production was miles ahead of anything they had done up to this point and it promised to leave a better taste in the mouths of those put off by 'Darkness & Hope'.

The first song starts out with a deceivingly simple, soft and slightly overdriven guitar that rapidly changes into the entire band playing double time to the thunders double bass charge. The guitars are heavier than they were on 'Darkness & Hope' and darker. Apparently Moonspell was content to leave the radio formatted songs off this. There are loads of leads but only one real solo. Aside from this, there isn't a whole lot here that the band hasn't done before.

They had to borrow a bass player for their live outings because they've had problems keeping them. On this album the guitarists took up the challenge, unfortunately they have it follow the guitars. The drums are one of the two saving throws for this album as they are bombastic, creative and tight. One thing you can never take away from Moonspell is their tighter than tight drumming. As per their standard there is some keyboards thrown in.

The vocals are amazing with Fernando seemingly growling the entire album. The lyrics are based on a book that Fernando co-wrote with a famous Portuguese author. This is the bands second concept album (the first was ‘The Butterfly Effect').

The most flagrant downside to this is that after track three all the songs blend together. Despite the production, this is a terribly boring album. Fernando also struggles with his accent on the albums one hit "Everything Invaded" (quite possibly one of the best songs of all time).

A sense of been there done that can be felt throughout the entire recording. It’s as if they were trying to take their more uninteresting moments from past releases and fattening them up a bit in the hopes that it would make for better record. Sadly this isn't the case as "heavier" doesn't always equal "better".

So many cds, you would think our friends would have a dvd or box set or best of cd.

Well anyways, this album offers alot, greta music, A cool video, and A very interesting read(the mulitmedia offers a view at the english version of the novel which inspired this album.)
Track one starts out very nicely you have a slow opening in the track then onto the sterotypical style of double bass used by the drummer(A slow yet steady beat) This A very catchy song(it is about fear and how it is "in and above men"..how do I know this? Read the multimedia each track on the cd is based after a chapter in the book. This song plays out nicely then goes straight into the next track without any stop in the song(in fact at the concert it was pretty cool and got everyone pysched)


The next track from lowering skies is one of My favorites, Through out most of the song there is this cool, tribal like, drum beat, and the slow droning of the bass guitar is clearly heard entering and leaving. the vocals are kind of like whispers and very lamentic, but during the chorus they pick up to a shout of "From lowering skies"......seeing is not beliveing!

it would be pointless to ruin the rest of the album with lots of talk so here it is in short.

In and above men-great, A key track
From lowering skies- slow, ambient, depressive, gives a feeling of trance
Everything invaded- ambient, changes tempo often, excellent solo
The southern death style- energetic, one of the heaviest tracks.
Antidote- very ambient, slow, very peaceful, most melodic track
capricorn at her feet-A good track but nothing special
Lunar still-alot of synths, very slow, A great song
A walk on the darkside-A pretty interesting track, vocal variations are plentiful
Crystal gazing-An ok track but nothing that sticks out
As we eternally sleep on it- one of the better track, a very good outro track as well.

compared to alot of the other albums this one seems to be a little lesser, but that may be due to the changes.

there is alot less synths, alot more harsher vocals(at least compared ot D&H)
no portuguese lyrics at all, not even in spoken word like on the last album.

yet with all these changes the cd still gets a high rank from me, all i n all its a worth the buy and easy to find at that.

some of the better changes, alot heavier for those who like it that way, the solos are a little more complex, and the album is more focused in concept form.

Bonuses-everything invaded video, 80+ pages from the novel "the antitdote"

The Antidote is already the seventh (or 6th?) album by the Portuguese band Moonspell and it's something really special on the basis that the lyrics and music are based on the works of a promising young Portuguese author named, José Luís Peixoto.

It has never been easy to be a fan of Moospell because with every album they head into a different direction. But what happens on "The Antidote" should satisfy every fan because this album is just an enormous masterpiece of mind-crushing metal, dark melancholy and wonderful harmonies.

The Antidote starts off very brutal and ends very melodic and you can testify to that yourself when you take a listen. The first song "In And Above Men" is the heaviest track on the album with wall of guitars and a thick mood of devastating metal.

And as I've mentioned the following songs are more melancholic and Fernando does a lot clean singing parts and rarely breaks out. For me there is a perfect mixture of dark depression and then sudden brutality and when he starts to scream, the crazy guitars do the rest. In the end the songs get more laid-back with a gothic touch.

For example "Lunar Still" features keyboard sounds and long-termed passages with sparse instrumental use and only whispers. To top it off, on the next track, "Crystal Gazing" they even rock straight ahead and the song still contains its own kind of melancholy. The last song, a seven-minute hymn of melody and harshness "As We Eternally Sleep On It" closes the latest chapter of Moonspell's sound journey. Hang on tight!

Well, having been a Moonspell fan for a long time I've been living in hope that they would be able to recreate the glory of Wolfheart and Irreligious again. Sin/pecado and the albums that followed were not bad, but really failed badly in comparison to the aformentioned two masterpieces. Now, here we have an album which really gets them back on track. It's a lot darker and a lot more agressive if only for the first half of the album. And that is a thing that strikes you first when you listen to the Antidote. The first 4 songs are much more agressive then the rest. It's as if the album has two separate versions. What impressed me the most on this release is the drumming. There are for sure better drummers then Mike Gaspar but I have never heard an album where the drums sound better then this. It's not that fast, nor is it that complicated - it just sounds great. The biggest downside, and I'll have to agree with the previous reviewer on this one - is the voice. Fernando still sounds great, and is still one of my favourite vocalists, but he is not as great as before. There is just no more that chilling feeling like when he screams in Full Moon Madness, or the clean vocals of Vampiria. It's still good, but not that good. Now for the songs :
1. In And Above Men - a great song to start an album. lyrics are very good, and the atmosphere of the song makes it one of the best on the album
2. From Lowering Skies - starts with the best drum beat ever. you have to hear it to believe it. but, other than that it really has nothing to offer. Pretty standard Moonspell
3. Everything Invaded - the only single, and easily the best song on the cd. It has everything, great lyrics, fantastic solo (and solos are one more thing you won't hear a lot on this album), and the overall atmosphere.
4. The Southern Deathstyle - And right after the best, comes the (I won't say worst) least good song. Now, that I write this I can't really recall anything special about this song. This is one of those you forget right after they're over
5. Antidote - with this song starts the other half of the album. It's slow, and has a nice atmosphere. But, altogether - nothing special
6. Capricorn At Her Feet - an avarage song that has an interesting spoken part in the end. Mystic is the best way to describe it.
7. Lunar Still - Now we are on our way up. very good, very mystical song. vocals are great.
8. A Walk On The Dark Side - Another good song, with a well constructed, hypnotising chorus
9. Chrystal Gazing - And just as we started with the best songs on the album, we finish with one of the best. Everything is perfect here. Again an excellent chorus with Fernando's vocals shining brightly.
10. As We Eternally Sleep On It - Another great song, perfect to end the album. Slow, atmospheric, and has very good lyrics. On of the best on Antidote.
Overall, this isn't quite Wolfheart nor Irreligious. That's why it doesn't get more then 90. But it's still a very good album. And a sign that after a couple of weaker albums they're back on their way to the top.