Dark Moor is a Spanish

symphonic power metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. Formed in 1993, they produced three full-length albums before undergoing a line-up change in which three members left the band to form their own project, Dreamaker. Afterwards, the band continued under the same name, recruiting suitable replacements in time for their eponymous 2003 album. Since 2002, guitarist Enrik Garcia has been the band's sole remaining founding member.

Background

Dark Moor was formed in 1993 in

, Spain, and recorded their debut album, '' Shadowland'', in the summer of 1999. Dark Moor played live supporting Demons and Wizards on their Spanish tour. Dark Moor began the recording sessions for their second album, '' The Hall of the Olden Dreams'', in August 2000 at New Sin Studios with producer Luigi Stefanini. During these recording sessions, the band recorded their

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of "Halloween", which was included on the CD ''The Keepers of Jericho part I - A Tribute to

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weik ...

'' (Arise Records). Their EP '' The Fall of Melnibone'' was released in June 2001. This EP was a limited edition; 1500 copies were released and only for the Spanish market. Dark Moor began the recording of their third album, '' The Gates of Oblivion'', in Autumn 2001 at New Sin Studios. Dark Moor signed with the major label

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...

for the Asian release. The band played 18 gigs at festivals such as Rock Machina, Viña Rock and Nit De Reis. After the first part of the tour, keyboardist Roberto Peña left the band and they were forced to finish the tour with a guest musician. In August 2003 Dark Moor recorded four new exclusive acoustic tracks along with a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

, to be included in ''Between Light and Darkness'', which was released in April 2003. Due to differing points of view regarding the musical direction for the next Dark Moor album, vocalist Elisa Martin, guitarist Albert Maroto and drummer Jorge Sáez decided to leave Dark Moor to start a new band. The two remaining members of the band decided to start a search for new members. After the auditions, they accepted vocalist Alfred Romero, guitarist Jose Garrido, and drummer Andy C. In August 2003, the band started recording their fourth album, ''

Dark Moor Dark Moor is a Spanish symphonic power metal band from Madrid. Formed in 1993, they produced three full-length albums before undergoing a line-up change in which three members left the band to form their own project, Dreamaker. Afterwards, the ...

'', at New Sin Studios in Italy. Following a month of recording sessions, the album was mastered by Mika Jussila at

Finnvox Studios Finnvox Studios is a recording studio located in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, Finland. It was founded by Erkki Ertesuo, Kurt Juuranto and Lejos Inc. in 1965 and is the longest running studio recording facility in Finland. The original multi-track re ...

. On 23 November 2006, the band announced the departure of their drummer on their official website, due to "incompatibility with his other musical projects." He would go on to play drums for Saratoga. His replacement, Roberto Cappa, was previously in the Spanish

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band Anima Sola. In January 2009, their seventh album '' Autumnal'' was released. The band made an announcement on their website, dated 4 June 2010, that their eighth album was in the works. It featured Berenice Musa as a guest vocalist. The album is titled '' Ancestral Romance'' and it was released in November 2010. On 18 June 2013 the band released their ninth album ''

Ars Musica {{Notability, date=June 2020 Founded in 1989, Ars Musica is an annual contemporary music international festival that takes place in Brussels during several weeks, usually in March. Nowadays, Ars musica is one of the biggest world festival for con ...

'', with the Japanese limited version including a bonus CD with five bonus tracks. They toured Mexico and Asia the same year, as well as few dates in Europe in 2014 to support the new album. Dark Moor started recording their 10th studio album, '' Project X'', on 27 July 2015 and released it in Europe on 6 November 2015 on

Scarlet Records Scarlet Records is an Italian independent record label based in Milan. It is most notable for featuring two side projects from Soilwork front-man Björn "Speed" Strid, as well as bands like Agent Steel, Royal Hunt, Skyclad, Eldritch, Hatespher ...

. On 21 July 2018, Enrik Garcia, guitarist and founder of the band, announced via Facebook that their next album would be called ''Origins'' and that, after the parenthesis they did with ufology themes on ''Project X'', they would return to their habitual themes; ''Origins'' will be about the Celtic world, also adding Celtic instruments on their new songs. This album was released on 12 December 2018.

Members

Current members * Alfred Romero (2003–present) - vocals * Enrik Garcia (1993–present) - guitar * Dani Fernandez (2004–2008, 2015–present) - bass * Carlos Delgado (2021–present) - drums Former members * Javier Rubio (1993-1998) - guitar * Iván Urbistondo (1996-1999) - vocals * Roberto Peña (1994–2002) - keyboards * Elisa C. Martin (1999–2003) - vocals * Albert Maroto (1999–2003) - guitar * Anan Kaddouri (1998–2004) - bass * Jorge Sáez - (1998–2003) drums * Jose Garrido (2003–2004) - guitar * Jamie Mylles (2004-2006) - guitar * Andy C. (2003–2006) - drums/keyboards * Mario Garcia (2008–2015) - bass * Ricardo Moreno (2015) - bass * Roberto Cappa (2006–2021) - drums

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Shadowland'' (1999) * '' The Hall of the Olden Dreams'' (2000) * '' The Gates of Oblivion'' (2002) * ''

'' (2003) * '' Beyond the Sea'' (2005) * ''

Tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

'' (2007) * '' Autumnal'' (2009) * '' Ancestral Romance'' (2010) * ''

'' (2013) * ''Project X'' (2015) * ''Origins'' (2018)

Singles and EPs

* '' The Fall of Melnibone'' (2001) * ''Between Light and Darkness'' (2003) * ''From Hell'' (2003) * ''The Road Again'' (2013) * ''Birth of the Sun'' (2018) * ''Vivaldi Summer Storm'' (2022) * ''Héroe del Mar'' (2023)

Demos

* ''Dreams of Madness'' (1998) * ''Flying'' (1999)

References

External links

*
Dark Moor
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{Authority control 1993 establishments in Spain Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from Madrid Musical quartets Spanish power metal musical groups Spanish symphonic metal musical groups Scarlet Records artists