Yesterday I made an entry about World Music for @psos new challenge: Music A to Z Challenge #M but there were two Metal bands that I really wanted to feature, as well... so here is my second entry. This one goes to the Metal heads! 😈
Images Sources: Attention Deficit Delirium | Twitter
- 2 Bands starting with the letter M:
1) Moonspell
Style: Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Country: Portugal
This is a local band that reached international success, having played in some of the biggest Metal venues and festivals of the world.
Led by Fernando Ribeiro, the vocalist and main composer of the songs, Moonspell was a turning point for the Metal scene in Portugal. Even for those who aren't Metal fans, this is a band to be proud of, for making the name of Portugal even more known abroad... and paving the way for many bands after them.
It is also a very special band to me, since I remember - clearly as if it was yesterday - when the only two only other Metal heads at my school's class invited me to go to a Moonspell concert. I was a teenager and never had been to a live show before. This concert marked my life as, from that moment, I never left Metal behind... My life would have been totally different if it weren't for those two goth dressed girls. 😊
Alma Mater is a song about our native country, basically an ode to Portugal... and here's a live version played in Lisbon, Portugal. You can see how all the fans truly relate to this track:
The song is subject to interpretation, so I leave you with the words of the band about it:
Undoubtly one of our most epic songs and definitely one of your faves. Being so many times asked to explain the meaning of the song I would still like to refuse since my lyrics are there to be open to your own research and interpretation. Nevertheless I can help you out saying that this is truly an universal song that anyone can identify with hopefully.
The title means in English something like Mother (Mater) / Soul (Alma) and the chorus is translated into:
Turning our backs to the world
We are proudly alone! [*]
Ancient Glory
Return to us!
[*] - This sentence was used by a Portuguese dictator A.O. Salazar that was the leader of a fascist dictatorship that ruled Portugal from the early 20’s to 1974 the year of the national revolution. He told that when he could not get support for the war against the ex-colonies in Africa. Even if Moonspell uses it on one of our stronger tracks it does not mean we agree with the historical and political meaning of it. It is just a strong, poetic sentence that we took off from its original meaning into a completely different context. We feel ourselves like that in a lot of things we do both in Moonspell and in our daily lives.
Now you can figure out why I call this an universal song. Instead of me explaining it just figure it out by yourselves and subvert the normal tendencies of music itself. We are maybe a (de)formative band but never an informative one!
2) Mortad
Style: Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Country: England
This band haven't released many records but I particularly dig the frontwoman Somi Arian.
Her voice is really powerful and might scare you a little bit. 😁
At the moment she is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and award-winning filmmaker specialising in the impact of technology on the digital native generations. (Source)
She was born in Iran and fled the country because she felt that she would be persecuted in her own country for the music she liked and her thoughts about Iran's Political Leaders.
She moved to England where she formed Mortad and used the band to express her views about Iran's society and political scene.
The song is called The Voice and it is dedicated to Neda Agha-Soltan, a young Iranian woman who fought for freedom in Iran during the protest of the 2009 Iranian presidential election... and was killed by the Iranian regime during those protests. She only asked for the people's votes to be counted. 😢
Viewers discretion is advised, since the video includes some graphical and real images about those protests in Iran. Without further ado, here's the videoclip for The Voice:
I hope you have liked these 2 bands. 😁
If you want to join the challenge, visit the announcement post, here: Music A to Z Challenge #M and use the tag #a-zmusic.
See my previous entries here:
- A) The Agonist & Arch Enemy / Atakama & Amely Sky [Metal]
- B) Багира & Blind Ivy [Metal]
- C) Conquer Divide & Cripper [Metal]
- D) Dark Tranquility & Dead Sara [Metal / Rock]
- E) Eths & Expellow [Metal]
- F) Fine Fine Titans & Frantic Amber [Metal]
- G) Green Jellÿ & GWAR [Comedy Rock / Comedy Metal]
- H) Hiromi Uehara & Haggard [Jazz / Metal]
- I) In Evil Hour & Infected Rain [Punk / Metal]
- J) Jinjer & Joss Stone [Metal / Soul]
- K) Koalas Desperados & Katzenjammer [Reggae / Hip-Hop / World Music / Folk Rock]
- L) LaScala & Louna [Rock / Alternative Rock / Fusion]
- M - Part 1) Mayra Andrade & Mariana Aydar [World Music / Popular Brazilian Music]
