EPK – Moonshade – Ma Meilleure Ennemie (Stromae & Pomme Cover) (2025)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“We all share a ton of respect and admiration for Stromae’s work and are huge fans of Arcane. Understandably, we were quite captivated by the emotional weight and cultural resonance of the show, particularly by the scene featuring Ekko and Powder dancing to Ma Meilleure Ennemie. We decided to make more than a simple tribute, and really try to push the song’s boundaries, by partially stripping away the trip-hop shell and rebuilding what’s left in our unique brand of heavy metal. The original is epic, and we like to think we made it sound larger-than-life – because to us, there’s no other way.” – Moonshade
Band: Moonshade
Single title: Ma Meilleure Ennemie
Song info: This is a cover song of the worldwide trip hop anthem by Stromae and Pomme, featured in the Netflix hit show Arcane.
Release date: November 12th, 2025
For fans of Heaven Shall Burn, Arch Enemy, Insomnium, Dark Tranquillity, Omnium Gatherum
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‘The band takes the style to the 2020s’ – Decibel Magazine
‘A very solid and commendable slab of melodic death metal.’ – Man Of Much Metal
‘Completely devoid of fillers’ – Hardline Magazin
‘A work for all lovers of melodeath’ – The Dark Melody
‘The Portuguese upsets have a bright future ahead of them’ – Angry Metal Guy
‘Melodic Death Metal of the first order’ – Metalutopia
‘An excellent melodic metal record’ – LOUD!
‘Full of addictive melodies’ – Metal Release
‘Candidate for album of the year’ -Sounds From Apocalypse
‘A Dark/Melodic Death Metal masterpiece that truly convinces’ – Metalunderground
‘More than mastering Melodic Death, the band makes it their own’ – Acta Infernalis
‘Its only flaw is that it ends too soon’ – World of Metal
‘If you like melodeath, you will like this album’ – The Green Man
Band: Moonshade
Single title: Ma Meilleure Ennemie
Song info: This is a cover song of the worldwide trip hop anthem by Stromae and Pomme, featured in the Netflix hit show Arcane.
Release date: November 12th, 2025
• Originally written by: Stromae, Pomme, Alexander Seaver, et Luc Van Haver
• Single Artwork by: Rui Carneiro
This single was produced, mixed and mastered by Afonso Aguiar from Titanforged Productions (Analepsy, Dark Oath), and is part of a 3-song EP titled Angels, Blood And Enemies, to be released on February 18th, 2026. The single cover artwork was done by Rui Carneiro (Lorna Shore, Polaris, Chelsea Grin).
Band Lineup:
Bruno Martins (Bass)
Daniel Rodrigues (Drums)
Ricardo Pereira (Lead Vocals)
Pedro Quelhas (Guitar)
Luís Dias (Guitar)
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About The Single Artwork:
This piece was based on the classical painting “Archangel Michael Defeating Satan” by Guido Reni. We felt like it represents the title of the EP from which this cover is a part of, namely: Angels, Blood And Enemies, piecing together the three cover songs it will contain – you are welcome to try and guess the remaining two. It was made by the amazing Rui Carneiro, who previously worked with Lorna Shore, Polaris, Chelsea Grin, etc, as well as in the remaining two artworks associated with Angels, Blood And Enemies.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
This single belongs to 3 3-song EP made up of cover songs reimagined in Moonshade’s style, titled Angels, Blood And Enemies.
About the cover single:
We all share a ton of respect and admiration for Stromae’s work and are huge fans of Arcane. Understandably, we were quite captivated by the emotional weight and cultural resonance of the show, particularly by the scene featuring Ekko and Powder dancing to Ma Meilleure Ennemie. We decided to make more than a simple tribute, and really try to push the song’s boundaries, by partially stripping away the trip-hop shell and rebuilding what’s left in our unique brand of heavy metal. The original is epic, and we like to think we made it sound larger-than-life – because to us, there’s no other way.
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Fun Facts – Story Angles:
1. Why this song?
The entirety of the band either plays League of Legends or has played at some point, and this initially made them connect with Arcane. They quickly found out that the show was way more than fan service, being an amazing piece of art that inspired them greatly in many ways, one of which was the brilliant soundtrack between many artists outside of metal that different bandmembers love, Stromae’s Ma Meilleure Ennemie stood out, particularly due to the scene featuring Ekko and Powder. We happen to have two huge Stromae fans in Moonshade – Pedro and Ricardo. We were also thinking about doing a metal version of a song for a while, and we never seemed to agree on one, until this one came along – it was a natural fit!
2. Environmental Call to Arms
Songs such as the single Epitaph stands out as an anthem inspired by urgent environmental advocacy. The band’s singer, Ricardo, does more than just talk, though – he’s actually a researcher at the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), and has published papers concerning the effects of climate change on marine life.
3. We’ll Always Have Valencia
In one of the band’s first shows outside their own country, the promoter failed to mention that the Valencian leg of the Spanish tour would get zero publicity, to the point that even some of the regulars at Pub Sedavi did not know there was going to be a show.
These same amazing people, including the club management and the opening band, started calling everyone they knew, and the night was saved – it ended up being the most memorable night of the whole tour.
4. One Man Show
The band’s founder, Pedro Quelhas, does more than just play the guitar – while having written most of Moonshade’s music, he is the recording engineer for all of Moonshade’s records, and produced the band’s first demo and their debut EP.
5. Return Of The King // Prog Influx
Moonshade’s original bass player, Bruno Martins, left the band in 2013, having returned 10 years later as their current bass player, after going through other famous Portuguese acts such as Kandia. Given that our guitarist Luís also plays in Phase Transition and our drummer Daniel is the founder of Onysus, the band has a lot more progressive influences nowadays, which is actually shaping the original songs they are now writing, to be released in 2026-2027.
Moonshade are (left to right): Bruno Martins (Bass) Daniel Rodrigues (Drums) Ricardo Pereira (Lead Vocals) Pedro Quelhas (Guitar) Luís Dias (Guitar)
Photographer: João Fitas (@joao.fitas)
Whether they are forging brave new worlds for the sake of parable, directly tackling controversial topics such as the anthropogenic nature of Earth’s demise or the evils of political and religious fanaticism, the Portuguese extreme metal act Moonshade remain the echoes of a lost generation.
2014 saw the birth of the ‘Dream | Oblivion‘ EP, followed by their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Sun Dethroned‘ in 2018. These releases were taken to many club and festival shows across Portugal, some featuring the likes of Amorphis, Within Temptation and Heaven Shall Burn. In 2019, they embarked on their first ever international tour across the Iberian Peninsula. When COVID-19 came for their throats, they rabidly fought back by writing new music and performing in online events such as Metal Injection’s ‘Slay At Home’.
2022 oversaw the unleashing of the band’s sophomore album and current magnum opus As We Set The Skies Ablaze. This ambitious, independently released project swep across the globe the globe, including major publications such as Metal Injection, Revolver Magazine and Metal Hammer. Currently, the band is setting national and international stages ablaze with their new work.
The rest is history in the making.
Discography:
2011– The Path Of Redemption – Demo
2015 – Dream | Oblivion – EP
2018 – Sun Dethroned – Album
2021 – The Eventide Sessions – Live Session EP
2022 – As We Set The Skies Ablaze – Album
2024 – Path To Oblivion – Digital Remasters EP
2026 – Angels, Blood & Enemies – Digital EP
Shared Stage With: Within Temptation, Amorphis, Heaven Shall Burn, Omnium Gatherum, Decapitated, Orphaned Land, Rotting Christ, TYR, Wolfheart, Dark Oath
Tours and Festivals:
2025 – Milagre Metaleiro – Viseu, PT
2025 – Insanu Metal Fest – Paços de Ferreira, PT
2024 – Halloween IV – Guimarães, PT
2024 – Shores Of Death – Coimbra, PT
2023 – Ghallaecia Metal Fest – Vigo, SP
2023 – Mosher Fest – Coimbra, PT
2021 – Um Metaleiro Também Chora – Mealhada, PT
2021 – Laurus Nobilis Music Fest – Famalicão, PT
2021 – Milagre Metaleiro – Viseu, PT
2019 – River Stone Fest – Porto, PT
2019 – Moita Metal Fest – Lisbon, PT
2016 – Milagre Metaleiro – Viseu, PT
2016 – Zona Metal Fest – Vila Real, PT
2016 – Morbid Spring Fest – Lisbon, PT
2015 – Pax Julia Metal Fest – Beja, PT
2015 – Hell Sweet Hell – Lordelo Metalfest III – Lordelo, PT
2015 – Vagos Open Air – Aveiro, PT
2015 – Headbang Solidário – Porto, PT
2014 – Warfest – 12th Kill – Figueira da Foz, PT
2013 – Infernal Path III – Porto, PT
2012 – Full Metal Injection – Porto, PT
2012 – Infernal Path – S. M. da Feira, PT
2011 – 16th Modern Music Festival – Gondomar, PT
Endorsements: Solar Guitars
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