From São Paulo, Brazil, High Moonlight recently gave us the pleasure to talk about and get to the heart of its unique sound…
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
The band High Moonlight was formed in the late 90s among some friends of the school. All we wanted was to play a good old rock in roll as high as possible, that’s what united us in the beginning. The grunge scene was high at the time, bands like Nirvana, Alice and others dominated the rock scene of the time, we did not like that sound and we wanted to play the good old Heavy / Rock of all time.
We heard Dio, Sabbath, AC / DC, Rainbow … so they were the bands that inspired us. At first we were just a trio, guitar, bass and drums. Like all bands, we used to play several covers of bands we used to sing (Uriah Heep, Dio, Rainbow), but the goal was always their own songs.
Have you been or are involved in other bands?
No, I’ve never been involved with other bands. My focus has always been High Moonlight.
What inspired the band name?
I have always enjoyed mystical, magical, supernatural and related things. That was precisely what I wanted to address in my lyrics. And the moon is a very mystical symbol, both for wizards, enchanted beings, wolves and Lycans, so I chose it as the name of my band and added the word “High” to magnify it even more. High Moonlight is a tribute to this historical and mysterious symbol that is the moon and all the mystical beings that exist or existed and are part of our history.
Do the same ideas and intention still drive the band from when it was fresh-faced or have they evolved over time?
Yes. I still preserve the same principles, the same ideals and the same goals since when I decided to take the music and the band seriously. The initial change was in relation to the members that have been changing over the years.
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
At first I made heavy metal with a mix of progressive, the songs were longer. Over time, I have been refining my playing technique and understanding the type of sound I wanted to play. Today my music comes down to an authentic heavy metal and a lot of quality and good taste. All my songs revolve around many original and creative riffs.
Has it been more of an organic movement of sound or more you deliberately wanting to try new things?
No. My sound is defined and based on heavy rock or simply heavy metal, some call it Hard rock but I do not consider it that way.
You have already mentioned some inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
At first I listened a lot to Rainbow and Ronnie James Dio. This did not impact my sound but it always helped me a lot when composing, because I always wrote or composed my songs wondering what it would be like to have Dio, as a vocalist that is, singing my songs. Blackmore also showed me how to create things out of the ordinary inside Rock n Roll.
Is there a particular process to your songwriting?
First I create the riffs, then I compose the whole song and then I write the lyrics on top of what I just played. Nothing too complicated or different. This is my creative process.
Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?
I do not hear much heavy metal when I’m in the process of writing. Instead I prefer to listen to Eastern culture or classical music.
Could you give us some background to your latest release?
Our first EP that is available (for now) only on SoundCloud and as a demo, is a compilation of seven compositions that define well the High Moonlight, both sonorous and thematic. It is a Heavy Metal / Rock n Roll of the best quality possible and really innovative. It’s a way of telling people that it’s still possible to make quality music and good taste and that Heavy Metal, Rock n Roll still has a lot of firewood to burn, you can believe!!! I’m sure that after hearing “Arcturians”, “Storm” or “Inovaya” for example, many will say, “Dude, what’s this sound ?! I’ve never heard anything like it” or else: “Rock is still alive, that’s very good!!!”You can be sure!
Give us some insight to the themes and premise behind the songs.
The lyrics deal with mystical themes, conspiracies and adventures. The sound is based on creative riffs with great melodies and beautiful guitars solos. Worth checking out, yes!
Do you go into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
Yes. I’m already in the studio with the songs developed in their final stage, practically defined.
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably a favourite aspect of the band?
Simply play and do shows. This is the living side that motivates us to move on. We do not play for money or fame, we just like to play and period.
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it?
I do not intend to please anyone with my music. Touch, compose and record for personal satisfaction. That’s what keeps me going as a musician. I’m happy when people share the same musical tastes that I hear and hear, sing and praise the band.
My space as a band is still searching and it is through communication vehicles like this that things happen little by little. Whenever I can try to spread my work around the world anyway, I just need people to pay attention to what I’m talking about and start listening to my songs so they can know and evaluate the work.
How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date? Do you see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success or is it more that bands struggling with it are lacking the knowledge and desire to keep it working to their advantage?
I think that ended with creativity in general. But unfortunately it was the way that humanity resolved then I followed what? We need to adjust to these new conditions if we want to play our songs, there is no other way, but this for me is only degrading music in general.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
I thank you for the opportunity of this interview and I hope that people who read this can give a check on my work. I’ll leave the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/High-moonlight-1969283040044628/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-478894939
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9zSetoGXolPDAtl9eM5PWw
Pete RingMaster 12/04/2019
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
Drive follows and it too simply seizes ears from its first wiry throes before opening up its kaleidoscopic landscape, one tempestuous and as unsettled as it is creatively magnetic but a maelstrom of enterprise fluidly consuming and exciting ears. Classic hues join modern and progressive essences as the song blossoms by the twist and turn, Pickin’s vocals a strong and emotionally disturbed match for the cauldron of sounds around him. Both the opening pair of tracks has an inherent catchiness to them which is just as instinctive within next up Call Of The Judderman. Initially there is a common wiring between the third song and its predecessor, a core asylum of sonic endeavour but it soon unveils its own unique character and presence across three minutes of compelling confrontation.
The EP swiftly grabbed ears with opener All We Are, the EP’s lead track which does exactly that, leading the release in sound, adventure, and enterprise. As rhythms place a sturdy hand on the senses, guitars cast a dextrous web of riffs and sonic endeavour, a formidable fusion quickly commanding attention. Things relax a touch as Underdown’s vocals add their melodic tones, the song hitting a lively stride inflamed with pop punk boisterousness. Carter’s bold swings drive the captivating encounter with relish, the guitars shaping its body for the equally alluring vocals with Firmin providing potent backing to Underdown’s lead.
The album carries the raw jangle of early Orange Juice, the pop disharmony of Josef K, and the sonic dissonance of Swell Maps whilst lyrically and vocally Finucane again embraces the inspirations of Mark E Smith and Lou Reed but all essences warped and mutated into its creator’s own imaginative and individual proposition. Vanishing Island opens up with War on Pain and immediately is baiting keen attention through a rhythmic pulsation swiftly joined by the inimitable tones of Finucane, his vocal delivery as maverick as his music. As the song expands with real catchiness to its swing infested hips, drone inspired melodies weave patterns in its sky colouring the route to the subsequent turbulence which from a simmer bubbles up and over.
Alongside and around it, the goodness is just as potent as epitomised by tracks like I’ve Had Enough and Superslider from Tagas and Venus Overload respectively. The first is a lively simmer of electro pop rock, a bubbling slice of melodic radiance echoed in similarly warm vocals, a track which just nags at the senses with its teasing harmonics. Tagas is a solo project, an intimate exploration and reflection of its creator and the track here an embrace of melancholy and warmth with a great early Depeche Mode hue to its temptation. The second of the two is a band which released a self-titled album back in 2012 from which their contribution to the sampler comes. Their sound is a collusion of experimental and noise rock, a challenging and rewarding mix which had us mesmerised. It is raw, abrasive and persistently compelling with a great whiff of Buñuel to it.
It is a start which had attention and thought deeply enthralled, the body soon as tightly engaged as Switchblade Romance followed. With its initial wiry groove enough alone to entice further eager scrutiny, the guitars of Aaron Foy and Philip Smith entangled and enthralled with ease, the senses lashing swings of drummer Rob Hadley pining down an already keen appetite as the track rises to its striking feet. Like a blend of Fear Factory and Fuckshovel, the song quickly burrowed into the psyche, providing a lingering creative toxicity ensuring many swift returns even in the face of the inescapable lures of its successor Slaves To Causality. Less grievous in its breath but just as virulent in its grooving, the third track soon placed a firm hold on attentiveness, the tantalising voice and touch of Daniel Carter’s brooding but infectious bass to the fore. Again LC enticed as inescapably as the resourceful sounds around him, the track maybe not as unique as the previous pair but equally as magnetic.
