Moonspell
Sin/Pecado

"Sin/Pecado" is one of the most controversial albums in the career of Moonspell, the Portuguese musicians, loved and praised time after time by increasingly passionate fans, yet equally detracted and ignored by certain purists "of the genre" who understand music in a one-dimensional and static way, without considering the evolution that certain genres undergo and the necessary artistic maturity of musicians who, it is so logical that it feels shameful to write about it, compose according to the moment, circumstances, and diversity of views, regarding the many aspects of life and art.

In this sense, Moonspell, with their egocentrism, have done nothing but follow an evolutionary and complex path that, in time, led them to evolve in an avant-garde environment, then to retrace their steps, and then to evolve again. In all this to and fro of sound, there have been works more deserving than others, no doubt, but each work, as controversial as it may have been, contains within itself the seeds of a unique intelligence and class.

From "Wolfheart" and "Irreligious" with their dark and catastrophic stain of cynicism mixed with paganism that has much in common with the purely Mediterranean tradition, to works like "The Butterfly Effect" or specifically this "Sin/Pecado", which reaffirm and bring to listenable and melodic levels the depressed and introspective attitudes of the band. "Sin/Pecado" has always been considered the "turning point" album, with the previous period characterized by "Irreligious" and subsequently by "The Butterfly Effect"; and the change is immediately obvious and clear as day: no gurgling and ferocious bayonet assaults, no sulfurous atmospheres of night forests, but rather, the depiction of Mediterranean characters and folklore scorched by the sun. Like five Lusitanian storytellers, Moonspell present here their clearest side that perfectly delineates the tribal affiliation of the band.

Songs like "Handmade God", "2econd Skin", and the wonderful "Abysmo", frame a misleading inspiration that has given way to a scorching and traditional dawn, compared to a dark and impenetrable night of the early works. Melodies in abundance, synths, seductive voices, choirs, and EBM touches emphasize introspective and, seemingly, distant concepts: death, sensuality, solitude, anxiety, and the malaise of living. Visionary and hallucinatory episodes are also present, as "Magdalene" itself demonstrates, and "Mute" emphasizes, with its insistent chorus and the mystical, lyrical bond with the land that ties Ribeiro and associates to the lands bathed by the Mediterranean Sea. This album needs to be listened to, providing ample room for discussion, having sparked controversy and acid comments, but as far as I’m concerned, I consider it as a little gem that has little to do with the general production of the band, yet it carries within its folds a massive dose of charm and, above all, it is very well cared for in details and impeccable production.

Certainly, not an album for headbanging, not a claustrophobic gothic cliché, but originality, I am convinced, also passes through this album.