Dedicated to the one and only “Frikipalo:” Yania Rivero

American Full Moon 2023 Tour

30 years of MOONSPELL

VINTERSEA + OCEANS OF SLUMBER + ELEINE + MOONSPELL

Scout Bar, May 5th, 2023

We received the bad news about MOONSPELL’s American tour cancelation with deep sorrow last year. However, we felt great joy when the band announced the current tour this February; it was a follow-up to an extensive Latin American run. Immediately, I looked up the date for Houston, and it coincided with the May 5th celebrations, which was a good reason to invite some friends from other cities to hang out and have some fun days in my H-town.

It was a very important day for Portland’s eclectic extreme metal act VINTERSEA. That very same day saw both the official release of the fourth album Woven into Ashes, released by M-Theory Audio, and the tour kickoff. VINTERSEA hit the Scout Bar stage as a four-piece because Riley Nix, guitarist, couldn’t make it that first day of the tour. They started pretty early for a Friday night, so we missed some songs, and they didn’t play for long. They basically reviewed a couple of songs from the previous album Illuminated, and the remaining ones were from the freshly baked Woven into Ashes.

VINTERSEA is a band that delivers interesting music and recreates different styles very naturally, and that’s where the merit lies. Without a doubt, Avienne combines her blackened vocal lines with the clean ones majestically. And you can tell when a vocalist like her is outstanding by checking out the band’s live performances; what you hear on the album is what you get on stage. But she’s not the only shining star: The remaining band members are also worth noting. They all manage to create that perfect balance between black, death, melodic passages, and progressive adventures. This is a band we all need to pay close attention to because they have managed to build good songs and well-structured albums. Let’s see if they keep it like that in the future and don’t move to the clean progressive side.

And talking about taking a different direction in music, H-town-proud OCEANS OF SLUMBER took the stage as a four-piece also, with the basic format of Dobber on drums, Cammie on lead vocals, Semir on bass and backing vocals, and the new acquisition, Chris Jones, on guitars. The band took a bold turn with its fifth album, Starlight and Ash, for which Cammie recorded all vocals; the guttural ones and the blast beats were not incorporated. However, they put out a very intimate and mournful record, and that’s what I felt when Cammie started taking us to the oceanside and close to the water’s edge. I saw the Devil grieving and calling our names with “Hearts of Stone,” “The Waters Rising,” and if I remember correctly, “Pray for Fire” from the previous record, among others. We all started to float on this impressive performance; it was very special and sublime, but we were not “floating face down” because we want and expect more from the band in the years to come. And by the way, congrats on the new acquisition.

It was time for what many of us, in a curious way, were expecting the most. The Swedish band ELEINE was touring the States for the first time. They were promoting their current album Dancing in Hell, and they played most of their repertoire, including “Enemies,” “All Shall Burn,” and “Ava of Death,” but also gave us a preview of what the next album will sound like with the tracks “We are Legion” and “Never Forget.” The four-piece is using the services of second guitarist Victor Jonasson for the tour, but he has played with the band live before, so he’s practically a part of the band. The point is that they sound very tight, and the movements onstage are very well coordinated. It reminded me of a theatrical play, where all the steps are marked. And this is a positive aspect; it seems to me that they take care of every single component on stage.

Additionally, ELEINE is a band that may stand out initially because of the woman that leads them. However, it doesn’t take long to discover that Madeleine is a very talented singer and charismatic frontwoman. You can tell the latter because while she is singing and encouraging the audience, she touches everyone with her eyes. It was quite an energetic show, full of metal riffs, symphonic elements, a mesmerizer with a mic, and an amazing crowd that never surrendered.

How can one describe thirty years of history in a few paragraphs? MOONSPELL went on stage and walked us through their long trajectory with highly acclaimed songs from almost every album. We witnessed eternal tracks like “The Greater Good,” “Opium,” “In and Above Men,” “From the Lowering Skies,” and “Extinct.” For the finale, they couldn’t leave without performing “Alma Matter” and “Full Moon Madness.”

On a personal level, I missed more classics, especially from the first two albums. Deep down, I went to the show hoping to hear more from “Wolfheart” and “Irreligious,” but I totally understand it’s hard to review thirty years in ten or so songs, especially for a band like them. It’s our job to praise Fernando (vocals), Ricardo (guitar), Pedro (keys), and Aires (bass) for remaining together and putting out albums for all these years; and last but not least, the new drummer since 2020, Hugo Ribeiro. It was a magical performance, full of mysticism but with no erotic alchemy, emotional but without a werewolf masquerade, and aggressive but with no vampiria. However, the spell worked, and MOONSPELL’s set will remain immortal in our memories.

In general, the show was awesome, although I was expecting a larger crowd for a Friday night. Cinco de Mayo was still young by the time MOONSPELL had finished its set. It was not even 11 p.m. when they stepped down from the Scout Bar stage. It was time to grab some merch, say hello to the bands, and visit Checkers, our favorite fast-food restaurant in the area, to fuel up. Then, we headed to the Kemah Hotel and charged the batteries for the next day.

Text and photos: Alex Sanchez

Vintersea pic by Yania Rivero

Proofreading: Evan Johnson