Linchpins in the fertile gothic metal scene of the 1990s, Portugal's Moonspell became regional favorites with the releases of their first two albums. They took the European continent by storm in 1998 with their chart-topping third effort, Sin/Pecado. Employing a dark and doomy amalgam of steely guitar riffs, lush gothic textures, and harsh yet melodic hooks, the band have continued to find favor both at home and abroad with acclaimed outings like Darkness and Hope (2001), Alpha Noir (2012), and Hermitage (2021).

Founded in 1992 by vocalist and sole constant member Fernando Ribeiro, Moonspell debuted on Century Media in 1995 with the black metal opus Wolfheart. The well-received Irreligious arrived the following year and saw the band pivot to a more goth-metal aesthetic, a stylistic choice that they would refine on 1998's Sin/Pecado. That LP soared to number one in Portugal and saw chart success in Germany, Finland, and Austria. Recorded in London, 1999's experimental, synth-laden Butterfly Effect was the band's first album to chart in the United States, paving the way for later efforts like Darkness and Hope (2001) and the narrative-driven Antidote (2003).

Three years later, the group returned with Memorial, which was produced by Waldemar Sorychta and was the first to be released on the SPV Steamhammer label. In 2008, the group issued Night Eternal, followed in 2012 by the ambitious Alpha Noir, their ninth outing and first double LP, which like its successor, 2015's Extinct, was released on Napalm Records. 2017 marked the arrival of 1755, a concept album about the great Lisbon earthquake, and in 2021 they released Hermitage, which was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Primordial, Ghost). ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi