FERNANDO RIBEIRO: 'MOONSPELL Is A Very Independent Band'

In a new interview with Metal Kaoz, Fernando Ribeiro of Portuguese gothic metallers MOONSPELL spoke about the prevalence of elitism and gatekeeping in the metal community and how his band has sometimes been harshly criticized over the years for exploring new musical ground. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wouldn't say the majority, but a big chunk of the bands, they don't play what they want, really. It's not like MOONSPELL, because there's an agenda, there's a lot of mouths to be fed, so it's independence, and you have to trade independence for success.

"I think that there's a lot of stuff happening. I was even listening to metalcore the other day," he continued. "It's not for me, but I want to understand what's the attraction on it. What attracted me to BATHORY or CELTIC FROST now makes these young kids just with different music that we have to respect have the same feeling that this life-changing experience with the LORNA SHOREs and the HEAVEN SHALL BURN. So I kind of try to tap into that and to understand it, not to be in a show that I don't like, 'cause I have better stuff to do, but to try to understand it.

"But metal still has this part, and it's still very acute in metal and in MOONSPELL," Fernando noted. "I'm not complaining about it, because it's a game and I accepted the terms. It's a pact I signed, but sometimes it's been a little bit too much, I think. We didn't do hip-hop or disco to let ourselves be sometimes ridiculed in magazines and forums, et cetera. I mean, even it's a funny thing, like when we did the DEPECHE MODE cover, 'Sacred', because it had to do with sin, so we went to [the DEPECHE MODE album] 'Music For The Masses' and did the song 'Sacred', we got a lot of heat. But when LACUNA COIL did [the DEPECHE MODE cover] 'Enjoy The Silence', and I think our cover is so much better, they got away with it. When IN FLAMES did [the DEPECHE MODE cover] 'Everything Counts', they got away with it. So yeah, those things leave scars, but you learn from scars much better than a tap in the back.

"I think MOONSPELL is a very independent band," Fernando added. "With all due respect, I don't have to write an album about vampires every time. I don't have to write an album about war every time or about Vikings all the time, and I value that. I value that. Maybe I have a smaller car, but I can definitely play... And I know it's sometimes easy for the fans. Sometimes you give them 'Night Eternal', they're, 'Oh, that is so awesome.' And then you go and give them some other album or some album in Portuguese, but it's just the way it is. And I think I wouldn't change it for anything."

MOONSPELL's new album, "Far From God", will be released on July 3 via Napalm Records.

The band has already shared two singles so far from "Far From God": the title track and "Cross Your Heart".