| Not
only sun and splendour reside in Europe’s westernmost
city. Since a time that can't be recalled, there has been a
deeply entrenched feeling of longing and gloom existing on old
Lisbon's narrow and shadowed streets. This naturally reflects
in the character, blood and soul of the Portuguese people. Just
listen to the ultimate evidence – Fado - the
genuine Portuguese national song whose name derives from the
Latin fatum, which means fate and destiny.
This emotional heritage intersperses with the
warm and bright tones of a Portuguese tear-shaped Fado guitar,
as it does with Divine Lust’s Melancholic
Metal, both born from an ever-present doomy and desolate mood.
Divine Lust came to life in
1998 with their first live appearance. Since then, about half
hundred shows have been performed, some of those on the same
bill as references to the band and this musical genre itself,
namely Anathema in 2001, My Dying Bride in 2002 and a short
Iberian tour with To/Die/For and Beseech in 2006.
Regarding studio affairs, the band’s curriculum
includes a demo CD entitled Terceiro Pecado released
in 1999 and the debut album Divine Lust which was
launched in 2002. The latter provided the group with a reasonable
amount of exposure. A video-clip from the song Morrigan
was air-played on several TV channels and the band appeared
on national TV stations Sic Radical and NTV. The general feedback
on the album in the press was equally encouraging.
The Bitterest Flavours is Divine
Lust’s long-awaited second full-length. It
was recorded at Medusa Lab Studios and comprises 11 new songs.
Besides band members Filipe Gonçalves (vocals and guitars),
João Costa (drums), António Capote (keyboards)
and Ricardo Pinhal (guitars), this recording was enhanced
by the talent of Paula Teixeira (female vocals), Tiago Flores
(violinist of the strings combo, Corvos), Ricardo Marques
(Portuguese guitar) and Dikk (bass).
Music and lyrics wise, The Bitterest Flavours
is the result of years of artistic maturation and emotional
catharsis. |
