Brandoa, Lisbon  PORTUGAL
Label: SPV/Steamhammer Records
Genre: Gothic / Black Metal

We’re not worried too much about it because we’ve had good relations with people over the years and I don’t think too many people can say any bad things about us.  We’ve always been a hard working band and always try to do things in the best quality we can with what is given to us, so I think that’s beneficial. We’re going to focus on the music, the fans, the touring, and making ourselves better each time by playing every day, which is an awesome opportunity, and put out a new album, hopefully get a new record label that will stick up for us and make us prominent in America, which hasn’t happened much, even though we were on Century Media.

When we were getting big with them, they were still a small label.  Once they got bigger, we had changed musical styles on Butterfly Effect and Darkness and Hope.  When we reached the style we are at now, which combines the past and future, we changed labels and we hadn’t gotten much of a push with promotions or interview opportunities.  Fernando and I are usually getting behind the push for interviews, going, “We’re available for interviews.  Where’s the press, the street teams,” and that didn’t happen on this tour because we don’t even have a label to support us, but we’re here, fans are coming out, and if we got the extra push, all the better.

Peter: After this leg of the Night Eternal tour, are there any other shows lined up in the future?

Mike: After this tour, we hit Mexico and then some South American countries.  There’s a lot of flights to catch for those shows, so getting ourselves ready becomes hectic, as we have to shower, get packed, catch the flight, try to get some rest, do sound check, and play the show.  It gets a little crazy, but it’s worth it, as the fans come out and treat us well, which makes us humble. We’ve always had good relations with the Latin community, since we’re from Portugal and can understand Spanish.  In fact, it’s easier to understand than the Spaniard Spanish, even though they’re our neighbors. [Laughs]  After that leg, we go back to Portugal for a show in Lisbon, where we played Rock in Rio with Metallica and Apocalyptica.  The show will be our first headlining show in Lisbon since Halloween of 2007, when we played in support of Under Satanae, which was the re-recording of the demos, and it was a very special show with projections, dancers, and backup singers, props, and other things.  For the first time in the band’s existence at that show, the fans had nothing to say about the show.  Normally, they say things like, “Oh, you could have done this,” and “You could have done that,” but they didn’t have any complaints, so the show was fucking awesome.  In Portugal, there isn’t much of a Halloween spirit, so we try to bring it to them more each time.  We did a Zombie Walk that began at the historic point near the Lisbon harbor and did the walk for about an hour.  Everyone that participated did the walk to the Coliseum, where Fernando and I picked the ten best costumes and they got in for free.  It helped in our preparation for the headlining show here, and in December, we’re going to hit Macedonia for the first time, and then Bulgaria, which is probably our first time there, as well.  We’ll take the holidays off and then focus on our new album in 2010.  We have an option to tour with Arch Enemy in December, but will probably turn it down because we had played so many shows the past year or so.  We’ll see how it all goes with the new album, record label, and reactions from fans and press from the tour.  We’ll control what we can and leave the rest to nature. [Laughs]

Peter: Are there any words of wisdom that you would like to leave for the reader?

Mike: We’ve been doing this for pretty much our entire lives, so I’d say put all of your dedication and passion into what you do and what you love and never give up.  Eventually, things will happen for you if you keep a positive attitude.  Don’t let the little things by because there may be opportunities and you don’t want to close your mind to them for any reason, be it fear, apprehension, or anything else.  It’s also good to keep a good support system in friends and family, as they can also provide some help along the way.

Peter: That’s some sound advice.

Mike: I would hope so. [Laughs]

Moonspell's Mike Gaspar

December 9, 2009

Interviewer & Photographer: Peter

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CURRENT LINE-UP:

Fernando Ribeiro: vocals
Ricardo Amorim: guitar
Pedro Paixao: keyboards & guitar
Mike Gaspar: drums
Aires Pereira: bass

DISCOGRAPHY:

Goat on Fire / Wolves From the
Fog EP (1994)
Under the Moonspell EP (1994)
Wolfheart (1995)
Irreligious (1996)
2econd Skin EP (1997)
Sin/Pecado (1998)
The Butterfly Effect (1999)
Darkness and Hope (2001)
The Antidote (2003)
Memorial (2006)
The Great Silver Eye: Best of (2007)
Under Satanae (2007)
Night Eternal (2008)
Lusitanian Metal (2008 - LIVE)

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