The lyrics for As We Set The Skies Ablaze are, for the most part, inspired by a quarter of a lifetime of music, movies, television shows and, of course, books! 

On that note, here we leave you a handful of authors and works that represent some of the many literary inspirations behind this album - just in case you find yourself in dire need of some mind fodder.

Yuval Noah Harari

Arguably the biggest inspiration source in As We Set The Skies Ablaze, Yuval's work is essentially an in-depth analysis of who we are, where we came from, and where we might be going as a species. His multidisciplinary works are very harmonious mixes of history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, biology and many other ‘ogies. I can say with confidence that his works significantly changed my worldview, and might very well change yours. Although the sentiment behind his work is more or less transversal to the entire album, Everlasting Horizons, Blood Of The Titans and A Treatise Of Human Nature were the most directly inspired by said work, approaching more directly the ambitious theme of the experience of being human - with all its wonders and horrors. The whole point of As We Set The Skies Ablaze is to remind us of mankind’s potential to reach beyond the stars, and to occupy our rightful place as masters of knowledge and sworn defenders of all life on Earth. However, this can only occur if we happen to survive the threat of ourselves in the process.

Recommendations

David Attenborough

Doesn’t take much insight to realize that our new album has a very strong environmental message, mainly personified by our single Epitaph, which addresses the dire need of battling against the obliteration of our species due to climate change. Like many other fellow biologists, my love of nature and environmental awareness started early on via the very iconic sound of David Attenborough’s voice on Animal Planet. After a lifetime of grand works in film, radio, television, literature and activism, he remains one of the most influential thinkers concerning the conservation of biodiversity, and his main message is clear – by saving the world’s ecosystems and minimizing our carbon footprint, we are saving ourselves in the process. Like we said at the end of the music video for Epitaph – protest, vote, rise. 

Recommendations

George Orwell

Novelist, political commentator, traveller and antifascist guerrilla fighter, old George definitely lived a busy life. Far from merely being a voice for humanist values, he is the avatar of political dissent, and one of the best analysts of totalitarianism. Works like 1984 and Animal Farm are near-perfect blueprints of how political fanaticism dehumanizes one to the point of relinquishing all forms of critical thinking, becoming a mere cog within extremist political machines by relinquishing the disguised blessing of doubt and uncertainty. In our video for Valley Of Dying Stars, you can see his masterpiece 1984 in the scene where both I and the video’s protagonist are reading by the fountain. Orwell's works were key inspiration for writing The Anatagonist and Shadows Of My Dissent, echoing his iconoclastic and revolutionary sentiment.

Recommendations

Richard Dawkins

The atheist revolution he started with The God Delusion ushered in a new era of questioning dogma that helped entire generations escape the mental vice grip of organized religion. Besides that, he is an amazing communicator that brought science to the main stage, being a main player in keeping evolution in – and creationism out – of science classes in both Europe and USA. Particularly, The God Delusion was one of the main inspirations for the antitheist message of the album’s title track. I know Dawkins has been in hot water lately due to some very outdated - which is to say flatout transphobic - views on sex and gender, but keep in mind that if I looked for moral perfection in all authors, this would be a very short list.

Recommendations

The Russel-Einstein Manifesto

Now, I am not an avid reader of either Albert Einstein’s nor Bertrand Russel’s works. However, I am familiar with the contents of their manifesto denouncing the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and calling for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict. Albeit not really a book, it is way ahead of its time, in the sense that it calls for the end of nuclear weapon stockpiling followed by progressive denuclearization, due to the risk that the nuclear standoff poses as a direct threat to all human life. About 70 years later, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s constant threats of nuclear deployment prove the importance of this work. You can easily find this text online for free!

Enjoy my friends, help spread the knowledge, and of course, 

Join us.

You are expected.

written by Ricardo Pereira, lead singer of Moonshade

Let us tell you a brief history of Tomorrow. 

Deeply inspired by Yuval Noah Harari's 'Homo Deus', this song speaks about Mankind's possibly infinite possibilities for cultural, scientific and technological evolution, if we only manage to not find ourselves extinct in the process. 

Humans are, essentially, star dust that evolved to be aware of itself and what surrounds it, which, albeit fascinating, beckons some confusion as to who, or better yet, what we are. Knowledge liberates. Understanding the world and the universe creates greater bonds of empathy and respect with everything around us, allowing us to better understand our place in the cosmos.   

The book that inspired this song

The greek philosopher Eratosthenes was, to our knowledge, the first man to prove that there is no such thing as “the firmament”, that the Earth orbits the sun, and that the stars are actually other suns, possibly with other Earths orbiting them. Along with Galileo, Copernicus, all the way to Newton, Einstein and Hawking, the great journey of human understanding carries on uncovering the secrets of the Universe, from the quark to the possibility of a multiverse, and whatever lies beyond. 

The Big Bang, namely the singularity theory, and the discovery of the relationship between time and space, beckon the corrolary stating that God was unnecessary for the creation of the Universe, further enforcing that via the fact that Time did not exist before the the Universe. The power of science and knowledge are enough to kill a god just by existing. And that’s the power we should harness to become more than what we are. 

Thor and his flying charriot pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr 

Before, in our collective imaginations, Thor would fly throughout the entire world on the back of his magical wagon, in his hands the might of lightning and thunder. Apollo would heal incurable diseases with a simple touch. In the great three abrahamic religions, Jaweh had knowledge about the whole world at his grasp. Now, the average human flies accross the world, greatly benefits from the miraculous evolution of modern medicine, and has the entirety of human knowledge, literally, in the palm of his hands. 

Thus Mankind evolves, at its own pace, into the deities it once worshipped, banishing obscurantism via the spirit of the Promethean myth, bringing fire unto itself. We are no longer mere humans, but something more, and still aspire to take the throne of Gods. 

From ape to man, titan to god. From Homo erectus to Homo sapiens, and from modern humans to Harari’s Homo deus. The horizon of human knowledge is everlasting, boundless, a neverending journey who requires no destination, as its value is intrinsic. 

May we set the skies ablaze, and as the flames subside, gaze in awe at the vastness of the Universe's Everlasting Horizons - with all its wonders and horrors. 

Join us. 

You are expected.

It all begins with two ancient greek legends. 

Sisyphus was the human king of Ephyra. Defined by Camus as the archetypal absurd hero, this trickster figure was famous for his ruthlessness, slyness and deceitfulness. He commonly murdered travellers and guests in order to prove himself. His desire for earthly riches led him to cheat the gods over and over, and when they tried to punish him, Sisyphus enchained the spirit of Thanatos (Death), so that during this imprisonment, no human being died, including himself. Naturally, when the gods freed Death, his first victim was Sisyphus. 

There is a selfish, self-serving factor to the Sisyphean myth, as well as an arrogant factor in him trying to cheat Death. However, the most famous aspect about him was not how he lived, or how he died, but what happened after his death. For his sins, Sisyphus was condemned to push a gigantic boulder up one of the steep hills of Tartarus, only for the rock to fall down, and him to start all over again, ad aeternum. A futile, kafkaesque task, almost as absurd as trying to cheat Death, regardless of what Sisyphus’ ego told him. 

Then there was Prometheus, the great titan god of Fire. This second trickster figure also defied the gods, albeit with a completely different intent. By stealing fire from Olympos and giving it to Humanity, he is credited with the creation of technology, knowledge, science, art and civilization. In some versions of the this myth, he is also credited with the creation of humanity from clay, which is poetic, given that, arguably, the prime factors that make a human are exactly the aspects brought about by fire. Prometheus is known for his intelligence, compassion, and for being a champion of Man, despite not being man himself. 

When Zeus came to know about Prometheus’ treachery, he was also damned to eternal suffering. He was chained to a rock, and every day, an eagle would descend from the heavens and ravish his liver, which would grow again overnight, only to be devoured again the next day. 

We are all doomed, in the end. In our case, doomed not to eternal torture, but to the deafening silence of the great void. This being said, how do you want to live your life? And more importantly, how should we, as a species, conduct this great experiment that is Man? Do we want to live selfishly, focused on own happiness above all else, mindlessly hoarding and relishing in earthly possessions which will soon come to mean nothing when we pass? Or do we want to spend our lives using the titan’s gift for contributing to a brighter future that we will not get to see? 

You should know that, eventually, Prometheus was freed by Hercules, yet another of Man's Champions.

Sisyphus, however, keeps pushing that rock to this day. 

Four long years of hard work and devotion begin to peak at this very moment - the shadows of our sophomore album are among us, at last. 

As a species, we began by worshipping Nature, in order to ravage it in the next breath, endangering the delicate balance of this beautiful Earth, as well as our existence on it. We then imagined new gods and have slowly started to deny them, as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience become closer to our collective grasp. On the way, we created autocrats to overthrow them, and increased the odds of world peace via the looming threat of nuclear winter.  

We are the sons of he who brought us the light of fire - heirs of the great titan aspiring to godhood. To be human is to know, to love, to hate, to grow, to create, and to destroy.  

Thus, this great turmoil of the technological and cultural evolution of civilizations created the greatest story ever told - the story of Man.

'As We Set The Skies Ablaze' is a phylosophical analysis concerning this great adventure of being human, with all its greatest wonders and horrors, as well as the strongest challenges we must face in this path to become the only Gods that have ever really existed. 

Album pre-orders, featuring exclusive new merchandise and limited to 100 packs, are available here.

Tracklist: 

1. Epitaph 
2. Valley Of Dying Stars 
3. Blood Of The Titans 
4. The Shadows Of My Dissent 
5. Artemis feat. Sandra Oliveira 
6. The Antagonist feat. Sofia Beco 
7. As We Set The Skies Ablaze 
8. Everlasting Horizons 
9. A Treatise Of Human Nature feat. Sandra Oliveira 

Besides 'Epitaph', four more singles will be released before the album drops. 

Acknowledgements: 

This breathtaking artwork was made by the amazingly talented designers at Credo quia Absurdum. 

The album was mixed and mastered by our household fader overlord, Afonso Aguiar from Titanforged Productions. 

Drums were entirely composed and recorded by Diogo Mota. Artemis and A Treatise Of Human Nature feature lead vocals by Sandra Oliveira (Blame Zeus, Perennial Dawn), who also contributed with back vocals in Valley Of Dying Stars and Everlasting Horizons. The Antagonist features vocals by Sofia Beco (Phase Transition). Thank you all for lending us your incomparable talent! 

As for everyone else... 

Join us. 

You are expected.

If we look as tired as we look happy, it's because we are. 

Our sophomore album is officially done. Fully recorded, and produced, mixed and mastered. We have also finished a ton of video content so you can feast your eyes as well as your ears over the course of this new musical venture. 

Your first glance into it will come on April 8th. Keep your eyes on our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok), and this page.

This saga spanned this whole pandemic chaos over the course of two and a half years, from the first riff laid down to the last video take. A true labour of love that gathered the talent and efforts of a dozen collaborators in both the multimedia and musical department, kindly lending us their unimaginable talent in order to bring our vision to life, thus filling the gaps of our own knowledge and skill to do so. 

Further details will be revealed in due time. For now, we would just like to thank those amazing people who have been working with us and putting up with our collective madness. 

The wonderfully talented musicians that joined us on our album: 

- Diogo Mota (drums) 
- Sandra Oliveira (Blame Zeus, Perennial Dawn, vocals) 
- Sofia Beco (Phase Transition, vocals) 

The ever-patient geniuses behind artwork, musical production and photography: 

- Sofía Hernandez (photography and multimedia) 
- Titanforged Productions (music production, mixing and mastering, and video) 
- Coalblur (video) 
- Credo Quia Absurdum (artwork)
- Against PR 

Special thanks:

- Nick Grima (booking)
- Sílvia Ferreira (Enchanted Moon)
- Bruno Silva

We are Pedro Quelhas, Nuno Barbosa, Fernando Maia, Luís Dias and Ricardo Pereira. And we have a brand new adventure for you, starting on April 8th.



Join us.

You are expected.

The pandemic stole our live shows, yet did not break our spirit. 

Over the course of two years, we recorded multiple live sessions in order to bring us to the confort of your home, via amazing online events such as Metal Injection's Slay At Home Festival, Argentina Online Metal Fest, Heresy Fest and Nick Grima's Grim Fest 2021. 

All of this was achieved through immense hard work and dedication, a small token of our appreciation for always standing by our side. Ironically, these live sessions brought Sun Dethroned's songs to thousands of new fans, whom we greet with great joy, as old friends that we simply have not met before. 

With nothing more to add besides a titanic "thank you", here is our new Live Session EP. 

The Eventide Sessions - Live At Moonshade's Headquarters will be out digitally on all major online platforms on November 20th.

Pre-save it here

Join us. 

You are expected.

TRACKLIST 

1. The Flames That Forged Us - Live Session for Grim Fest 2021 
2. Eventide - Live Session for Grim Fest 2021 
3. Upon Your Ashes - Live Session for Slay At Home Fest 
4. Sun Dethroned - Live Session for Slay At Home Fest 
5. God Of Nothingness - Live Session for Argentina Metal Fest 
6. Upon Your Ashes - Live Session for Argentina Metal Fest 

Bonus track: 

7. Lenore - Live at Lisbon 
 

P.s.: After that, we have something else for you. Something much, much bigger. However, one thing at a time. Enjoy the EP. 

Dearly departed,

To say that Moonshade have been busy would be a tremendous understatement, and we can hardly contain the excitement of letting you know what we are working on.

We have nine new songs lined up in the form of a brand new album, and the processes of recording guitars, drums, bass and voice are essentially done. Orchestrations are currently being composed by two multi-talented gentlemen, namely our guitarrist Pedro Quelhas and our drummer Fernando Maia. Despite having entered the band too late for participating in the composition and recording of drums, Maia arrived just in time to improve our songs dramatically through his incredible creative input. Luís Dias, our new guitarrist, has done the same by providing Moonshade with solos and riffs that will lift your spirit with breathtaking melodies whilst dazzling you with technical ability beyond everything this band has ever had before.

The remaining three of us have revamped everything we knew about writing heavy music, as we feel like we owe you the very best we have to give. Overall, writing and recording this was a grueling task that has been streching all of us to the limits of our collective current abilities, and will show you Moonshade as you have never seen it before. However, as challenging as it is, it's probably the most fun we had in ages. 

Concerning lyrics, and as much as I love making up stories and characters, such as we did on Sun Dethroned, this time I decided to get my head out of the clouds and set my gaze upon the barren landscape of our existence, and then a little bit towards the stars, if only to catch a glimpse of where we are going. Expect something painfully real, that, hopefully, will also help you navigate these troubling times. 

May Sun Dethroned's successor prove worthy to your eyes and ears, as we lay our gods to rest. For now.

Yours in spirit,
Ricardo Pereira

Photo by Anna Costa

Dearly departed,

My name is Ricardo Pereira and I am fortunate enough to be allowed to scream bloody gore on my favourite band in the entire universe, and also maybe the best melodic death metal band in my neighbourhood - Moonshade. I am here to officially welcome you, one and all, to our latest invention, taken straight out of 1999 - we decided to start a blog.

Here, we will be sharing several considerations and musings concerning the Moonshade universe, written personally by the band's members, as we cannot afford ghost writers. Possible themes include, but are not limited to: our band, the music scene, gear, our fans, people we worked with, tour and studio logs, commentary on current events, and essentially whatever the hell we want. The frequency of posts will also follow that line of thought.

So, if you have any interest in delving deeper within the world of Moonshade, be our guest.

In fact, you are expected. 

Cheers,
Ricardo Pereira