Updating Hard Blast´s contact list I was surprised by the huge number of excellent bands Portugal has. The country is not known as a rock cradle although the level of the bands is very high. Brazil and Portugal are linked through history and culture; we speak the same language and most of the Brazilians have Portuguese roots. In the rock scene it´s common to see Portugal welcoming what comes from Brazil, so why not promote the opposite with a more opened intention: show a little of the Portuguese metal to all those who wish to research and try to keep it as a boundless thing?
Enjoy and stay rock!
MOONSPELL
The true beginning of this deep and excellent metal band was the year of 1992, after 4 years of a non stop search for what its leader Fernando Ribeiro would consider really perfect – not only in relation to line-up but also music making and the entire atmosphere.
By reading the band´s biography on their official website www.moonspell.com, we can immediately see that what´s involved is much more than just heavy metal and good music. The sense of art is really extreme here, he is carefully concerned about what and how things are written and he really makes the image of the band focused on the history and the evolution of the final product. It´s a great work worldwide respected with about 10 releases.
The most recent is Night Eternal and on their website and myspace page you can listen to some tracks. The band is now on tour and dates are available on www.myspace.com/moonspell
Moonspell is: Fernando Ribeiro (vocals), Mike Gaspar (drums), Pedro Paixão (keys), Ricardo Amorim (guitar), Aires (bass – live performances).
MORNING PANIC
It´s really exciting to enter Morning Panic´s page and listen to Jon Cole´s voice singing “It´s just a perfect day to die in L.A.” You feel like opening some cold beer or drinking a shot of Jack Daniels while playing snooker, wearing leather clothes and smoking cigarettes. Does it sound cliché? Well, I think it sounds like rock! Real hard rock songs based on the true rock n´roll atmosphere, played with great guitars and terrific vocals.
Their debut album isn´t ready yet but listening to the 3 available tracks on www.myspace.com/morningpanicrock rock fans will surely feel delighted. This band is awesome!
Line-up: Jon Cole (vocals), LX (guitar), Joly Vegas (bass), Phil (drums).
TRAGIC COMIC
This is a very interesting band that makes a progressive rock with hard rock and heavy metal influences. Beautiful songs, nice lyrics and a very good line-up counting on: Ne (vocals), Patrao (bass), Ozzy (guitar), Carlos (guitar), Indy (keys) and Semi (drums). The female vocals are done by the singer Diana, who is not part of the present line-up. Her voice is clean and beautiful, so as Ne´s voice and the arrangements are very rich. It´s really worthwhile to listen.
The band exists since 2003 but only in 2007 they could release their first album “Welcome to My Show”. The success of the work was so huge that in just a couple of months copies were sold out.
Tragic Comic is now on studio recording their second album which might be ready later on this year. Check them out at www.myspace.com/tragicomic
THEE ORAKLE
For those who like the European style of making doom, Gothic metal, this is the band! The beauty & the beast style made with those doom riffs carrying a strong thrash & death metal influence. Their debut album, “Metaphortime”, brings songs carefully written each one of them as a chapter of a book. Lyrics talk about the Alchemy story based on true research and true facts. Vocals are shared by Pedro Silva and Mika Cardoso and the connection between them sounds really good. You can check their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/theeorakle
Thee Orakle is: Pedro Silva & Mika Cardoso (vocals), Daniel Almeida (bass), Fred Lopes (drums), Ricardo Pinheiro (guitar), Luis Ricardo (keys) & Romeu Dias (guitar).
REQUIEM LAUS
The band Requiem Laus is for those who like fast, punched and aggressive death metal, highly influenced by thrash metal. These four guys: Miguel (vocals & guitar), Daniel Pereira (guitar), Ricardo (bass) and Gabriel (drums) go straight to the point with their music.
The album Eternal Plague is the band´s first full length release and the audience really seems to like it. Besides death and thrash metal, there is a strong black metal influence full of fast drumming and killing guitars.
On their page on myspace you can listen to some tracks, watch videos, download files and buy the CD. Check them out ´cause they are fucking good! www.myspace.com/requiemlaus
FACTORY OF DREAMS
This is not actually a band, it´s one of the projects from the multi talented musician Hugo Flores, together with the beautiful singer Jessica Lehto, owner of a very sweet voice that catches our memory to great singers such as Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering). The music brings a mix of electronic influences with the Gothic style, some progressive and metal, of course.
The upcoming album “A Strange Utopia” has already some tracks on myspace and there you can get all information about Factory of Dreams and Hugo Flores´ other projects.
Female fronted metal band with beautiful and melancholic songs. Lead singer Rachel Grech with her beautiful and powerful voice does a great job. It may sound a bit like Within Temptation with nice keyboards arrangements and several backing vocals. Heavy guitars help us to punch the air and bang our heads. They explore more the atmosphere with vocals and orchestration, there are no virtuous guitar solos but melodies are great.
With 2 albums already released they have just finished the third one, not yet debuted since the band is now searching for a new label.
The line-up is: Rachel Grech and Joseph Grech (vocals), Toni Farrugia (guitar), Mario Ellul (guitars), Sean Pollaco (bass), Alison Callimeri (keys) and Angelo Zammit (drums). Check them out at www.myspace.com/weepingsilence
