For a band as legendary and important to Portuguese Metal, Opus Diabolicum is something that Moonspell should be rightly proud of releasing. Recorded at the MEO Arena in Lisbon on 26 October 2024, this show provides evidence that when done well, the combination of a Metal band and orchestra can be breathtaking.
Moonspell – Opus Diabolicum
Release Date: 31 October 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
There are plenty of great releases that have emerged in recent years. Septicflesh’s Infernus Sinfonica stands out as a magnificent event, whilst the 2019 Roadburn recording of Triptykon playing Requiem in its entirety with the Dutch Metropole Orkest is another phenomenal release.
“I wasn’t a fan of the Metal meets orchestra efforts myself,” says frontman Fernando Ribeiro. “When I approached Jaime (Gomez Arellano) to mix this beast, I asked him ‘Have you heard S&M and other live with an orchestra Metal bands’ albums?’ We want nothing like that.”
Capturing Moonspell’s anthemic darkness with the Lisbon Sinfonietta Orchestra was possibly something of a gamble then, but the result is majestic. Drawing from their 35-year legacy, the band spans the decades with a set that pleases the hardcore fan but also appeals to those who may dip a little more lightly into the Moonspell pool.
The setlist flows beautifully, the interaction between Ribeiro and the fans warm, his brief acknowledgements of those who travelled to Lisbon from around the world for this event, and those who streamed it are as welcome as the many obrigados he gives to their hometown fans.
Conducted by Vasco Pearce de Azevedo, the orchestra add depth and breadth to songs such as the imperious 1755, opener En Nome Do Medo, the Oriental flavours of Breathe (Until We Are More), the powerful Extinct, and the rousing finale of Alma Mater and encore Full Moon Madness.
It is a dramatic backdrop to the crunching and explosive atmospheric Metal that the Portuguese have practised for many years.
The choral voices give gravitas. The sound is incredible, and the overall experience is a mighty and impressive one. And this is just the audio, for there is a DVD of this, Moonspell’s biggest production, that is also available for purchase.
It was only five years ago that I watched this spellbinding band play to a theatre of 300 socially distanced fans in Baja via a stream during the pandemic. Then, we wondered whether this type of event would ever return.
To hear a band in such prime form perform magnificently in front of their home crowd is a real joy. The only regret here is that this is another of those one-off opportunities that would have been amazing to have attended.
But you can’t have it all, and this recording is a fine legacy of one of the Gothic Metal’s most important bands.
“This is work of passion,” says Ribeiro. “Truly the work of the devil (opus diabolicum): imperfect, unprocessed, untamed. A release made by friends to all the friends we have around this goth forsaken world, and that in an arena in Lisbon or in a sweaty club in Texas, keep the spell going, until we are no more.”
Moonspell release Opus Diabolicum on 31 October 2025 via Napalm Records. For pre-orders, including the DVD/Blu-ray, visit NapalmRecords.com/moonspell.
