MOONSPELL Frontman: We Are No Satanists

June 23, 2008

Ryszard Nowak who heads the All-Polish Committee for Defence against Sects is reportedly trying to prevent Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL from performing at this year's Hunterfest, set to take place June 28-29 in Szczytno, located in the northeast part of Poland, 47 kilometers from Olsztyn. Nowak is apparently alleging that the members of MOONSPELL are "Satanists" and "fascists" who "advocate human and animal sacrifice" in their lyrics.

MOONSPELL frontman Fernando Ribeiro has released the following statement regarding the matter:

"I am not a Polish citizen so I don't really know how to deal with this.

"I am not a Satanist. I am not a fascist and I do not advocate killing of any kind. I believe in man only with all his faults and capacities. Those who try to backstab the bands and their music and fans are the ones who should review their behaviour and stop acting themselves as the owners of the truth for they are merely censors and in every country and particularly in Poland people are tired of censorhip. Let us live our live, our fantasy, our metal. Leave metal fans and metal bands alone! The show will be great and heartful just like our Polish fans deserve!

"Of course, I will not convert to Christian hipocrisy over a festival; my beliefs are more important than that. I strongly believe metal fans will not stay home because of his warnings. On a personal note I am very, very surprised and concerned this happens in Poland a country which has been so violently punished by fascism and communism in the past.

"See you on Saturday. The night is eternal."

Nowak is no stranger to controversy, having previously compiled a list of artists who allegedly "promote Satanism" through their music and distributed it to various Polish officials in an attempt to get the artists banned from performing in Poland.

MOONSPELL's new album, "Night Eternal", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, the CD entered the national chart in Portugal at No. 3 and in Germany at No. 62.

The follow-up to 2006's "Memorial" was recorded at Antfarm studios in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TRANQUILLITY, HALFORD).

Former THE GATHERING singer Anneke van Giersbergen (who now fronts AGUA DE ANNIQUE) will join MOONSPELL for their appearance at the Graspop Metal Meeting festival on on Friday, June 27 in Dessel, Belgium at 16.30 at the Marquee 1. She will sing the song "Scorpion Flower" as a duet with MOONSPELL frontman Fernando Ribeiro.

Anneke was previously supposed to perform with MOONSPELL at the Rock in Rio 2008 festival on June 5 in Lisbon, Portugal but she was forced to cancel her appearance after coming down with the flu.

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