The band High Moonlight began their work in the late 90's. At first it had a first name which was Evil Side and then Boots Goblins. The sound was more heavily encased in blues than metal itself, but they would soon begin to develop more precise and objective ideas. If at the beginning the idea was to play covers of bands such as Sabbath, Dio, Purple and others, the focus now is also to focus on their own songs. As with almost every band at the beginning of their journey, it was never easy to maintain a solid lineup at the beginning, so the hardest thing was having members committed to serious and focused work. With Robert Wagner on guitar and always in charge of the band, along with bassist Edson Mad, and other guest musicians, the band kept rehearsing and playing in small bars for a while. Several passing members have joined or contributed in some way to the band over the years. In the early 2000s the band had to cease activities returning years later with a new lineup. In 2016 comes the first major opportunity for the band in their journey so far, which was to participate in the compilation Roadie Metal-volume 8 (Brazilian Heavy Metal Bands). Big names in national metal have already gone through this collection, Torture Squad, Claustophobia, Heaven's Guardian, Fatal Scream are some of them. During this period bassist and friend Edson Mad had to leave the band for personal reasons. Robert, founder, mentor and tireless member, went on with High Moonlight and the song chosen to be part of this collection was "Inovaya". “The version available on this album is a Portuguese version, but in the current versions the lyrics are in English and will continue until the definitive recording on our upcoming first album” (Robert Wagner). After this period with the band having only one fixed member in their lineup, Robert decided to focus on new compositions for the band, thus releasing (randomly on some digital media) some other songs in order to establish the band's name. increasingly in the national heavy metal scene (even underground) and also not losing touch with people who already enjoyed the little recorded and available material, could also win new listeners and fans of the heavy and quality music that was gradually developing. High Moonlight's main feature is its authentic, punctual, striking and creative guitar riffs (something that most bands have put aside a bit these days). Adding to that beautiful (and heavy) vocal melodies and inspirational solos, that's it! This is the formula that composes and defines the band's sound, without any obligation to the big bands of the world metal genre. The lyrics cover conspiratorial subjects (aliens, occult government, existentialism), epic or intergalactic battles, and sometimes themes of contemporary pop culture as superheroes. Currently the HML has been reformulated and has Robert Wagner and Robert Vek on guitars and Chris dos Anjos on vocals, Barrier on drums and Luciano on bass. Currently the band is preparing for the release of their first official EP through the label Roadie Metal. The EP should feature three or four songs leading up to the release of the band's first official studio album. In addition, she will be participating in another collection later this year (this time digital) by the same label with the song “United by sound” giving a preview of what to expect in the upcoming releases of what promises to be a great force for the national metal and worldwide. At the end of the year is confirmed the participation of the band in another heavy metal collection (Rock soldiers) with a new song. As described in the song that bears the band's own name: “lengends never die” (High Moonlight).
Check out my chat with Robert Wagner below:
Emmy: How did the name come about?
Robert: 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.
Emmy: How would you describe your genre to someone who isn't familiar with your music?
Robert: My songs are compositions that have as remarkable characteristic the construction of powerful riffs and beautiful vocal melodies.
In other words, it is exactly what rock or heavy metal was when it came into the world and that most bands today have forgotten (main ingredients that are riffs, melodies and weight)
Emmy: How did the band form?
Robert: The band was formed by friends from school and neighborhood. In the beginning we played only cover but it did not take long for me to start creating our own compositions. The band has always gone through several formations, consolidating only in the current formation.
We are in three: Robert Wagner (guitar), Roberto Veck (guitar), Cris dos Anjos (vocals).
Emmy: What are some of the artists that influence you?
Robert: My main musical influences are bands like Black Sabbath, AC / DC, Megadeth, Rainbow and Dio.
I really like guitarists with Ritchie Blackmore, Jason Becker, Ross the Boss and Tony Iommi.
Emmy: If you could tour with any artist or band (still active or not) who would it be?
Robert: I would love to play alongside Dio and Megadeth. These would be the bands that I would like to have the opportunity to be together onstage.
Emmy: What's your favorite show you've played?
Robert: It was at a festival for copyright bands at the end of last year in a city in Brazil. It was great because we were treated as an artist and the audience was really enjoying our music.
Emmy: What's the future hold for the band?
Robert: We will be part of another official compilation this year that will be released on the Roadie Metal label on various streaming platforms. Soon after we will have an EP released in the same format and by the same musical label later this year as well. In the other is only what I can advance for now, other news I still cannot speak because there are still some details to be able to state about, but I can say that with each passing day our music has reached as many people as possible and it only motivates us more and more.