ALBUM REVIEW: The Butterfly Effect (reissue) – Moonspell

Portugal’s MOONSPELL took the concept of gothic metal to new heights in the nineties, with a keen sense of experimentation and a solid understanding of the sounds that set the watch for the sub-genre. Their penchant for experimentation is no better exemplified than in their 1999 album The Butterfly Effect. Its loose concept of chaos theory and wide array of textures and moods was initially not well received, and the record gets lost in the shuffle of their decades spanning catalogue. However, the record is set to be reissued on August 7th by Napalm Records for the next generation to discover. The question is how well does it hold up more than twenty years later? The answer is, unfortunately, not as well as one would hope.

The first thing of note right from the start of the opening track Soulsick is the layered synths and guitar crunch that immediately brings the industrial metal groups like FEAR FACTORY to mind. It’s a very similar tone that feels welcome and familiar, and very much sets the record within that moment in time. It’s a tight, precise sound, but one that overbears a bit as the synth tones that pervade this record get a bit lost in the mix. The production throughout is a bit inconsistent, with some tracks luckily bringing the synths up, and others having the vocals buried.

Vocalist Fernando Ribeiro certainly shows off his versatility on this record, with his crooning cleans bringing to mind the late great Peter Steele, and his harsh vocals fitting right in with the likes of Burton C. Bell on tracks like Butterfly FX. The track is dark and moody with its tribal beat and thrumming bass; creating a feeling of dread and trudging through a thick, dark swamp while the whine and cacophony of the percussion devolve into chaos by the end, fulfilling the track’s title of the famous theory. It’s a solidly good track, and that’s the rub with this record. There are great tracks to rediscover, like the excellent I Am the Eternal Spectator, with a deep, slow riff that bangs particularly hard and gives off a COMBICHRIST-esque vibe. There’s more nice vocals from Ribeiro, whose harsh vocals also fit most of these tracks well. It’s a fun, mood setting headbanger with catchy hooks galore.

There’s also tracks like the heavily tribal Lustmord, with its heavy groove and particularly crunchy guitar that gives way to a cool percussion middle section filled with bongos and other assorted drums, and the industrial creep and stomp of Selfabuse, which captures the best of the industrial and gothic metal era with electronically altered vocals and sudden staccato riffs. Soulitary Vice, with its slow and slinky atmosphere brings to mind vampiric club scenes from movies like Blade, and other gothic action flicks of the day, and Adaptables has great electric texture and a guitar and percussion tone that harkens back to NINE INCH NAILS’ Pretty Hate Machine. The transition from light to heavy on this track flows nicely as well, with its electronic thrumming opening transitioning to some crushing riffs and more prominent synths halfway through.

However, the rest of the tracks on this album aren’t as up to par. They either suffer from being repetitive and overall uninteresting, or their experimental nature disrupts the flow of the album and feels very much out of place. The former issue is found in tracks like the aptly named Tired, which starts promisingly with a very eerie soundscape and looping track of Mozart’s Requiem, but after the guitar launches in, the track’s whispered spoken word vocals become repetitive and the song structure has little variation. The latter issue is in Disappear Here, and Can’t Bee, which both play with softer textures and an almost 180 degree shift from the rest of the album, with cheesy hypnotic beats and awkward, ambling transitions. Their sound just doesn’t fit the vibe of the rest of the album in a coherent way, and it certainly removes the listener from the flow previously established. And the final track K is a strange, atmospheric synth track mixed with odd, funk based guitar sounds and non kit percussion hits. It’s an odd and unsatisfying end to the record.

The Butterfly Effect, certainly still feels like it’s earned its criticisms of the past. There are great tracks to mine here, and even more great moments within other songs to pull as well. It’s a record absolutely steeped in its time sound-wise, but its flaws continue to linger with this reissue, with a great many tracks remaining unremarkable, repetitive, and out of place at points. It’s fun for a nostalgic listen to groove along to the few tracks that hit the mark, but most likely one that won’t be revisited anytime soon.

Rating: 6/10

The Butterfly Effect is out now via Napalm Records.

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