In October 2016, an immortal Century Media Records classic, the gothic metal masterpiece Irreligious by Portugal’s most prominent metal act Moonspell returns on vinyl for the first time since its original release back in 1996. In cooperation with the band, Century Media decided to re-visit the band’s quintessential release as original vinyl editions have been hard to find and are very expensive nowadays.

This 20th anniversary edition includes various additional treats that should make it a real highlight for all the band’s new and old fans worldwide. Irreligious comes housed in a wide spine LP sleeve which includes the 180g vinyl with the album mastered for the format by Patrick W. Engel (Iced Earth, Tiamat, Grave), the entire album on CD, a 4-page LP-sized booklet with an introduction and promo photos by Fernando Ribeiro plus all lyrics. Apart from that, a replica of an original 1996 promotional poster was added resulting in the ultimate edition of this masterpiece.

When Irreligious was released back in 1996, it left the whole metal scene awestruck. The black metal feeling of Wolfheart was more or less gone. Instead of taking the next logical step towards brutality and grimness, Moonspell took a turn to the side and offered eleven songs of beautiful melodies, bewitching lyrics and majestic gloom. Be it “Opium,” “Raven Claws,” “Mephisto” or the monolithic “Full Moon Madness,” every single song on Irreligious was and still is a proof of why Moonspell achieved massive success with this album and beyond.

Moonspell comments: “None of us really thought it through. The possibility of being years, twenty years after, celebrating an album and, why the hell not, a decade of great music, fusion, experiment, freedom. “Irreligious” will always be our highlight, our piece-de-resistance. Not that the other albums were mistakes in any form. Just that we are still sure that with “Irreligious” we helped shaping a style, a new thing in underground metal, something European, classic and mystical, a beautiful beast, laid to birth after an eternal night of passion and doom between metal and goth.”