Music / Mägo de Oz

Mägo de Oz is a Spanish Folk Metal band formed in 1988. It used to be known for the strong Celtic feel to their music, strengthened through their consistent usage of a violinist and flautist, but they have proved to be quite an eclectic band with a wide array of influences. The name for the band was chosen, according to founding member Txus, because "life is a yellow brick road, on which we walk in the company of others searching for our dreams." But don't be afraid, because their music is often much (and we say much) less cheesy.

They are known for their anti-Christianity, love for Satanist and pagan lore, political irreverence, and penchant for self-parody. Most of their albums are of the Rock Opera type and tell elaborate, often bizarre stories revolving the motifs mentioned above.

Once known as one of the greatest exponents of the metal scene in Spain, they are now easily one of their most divisive bands. The main reasons are their regular stylistic evolution (which has driven them away from their Folk/Celtic roots and into genres as varied as Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Gothic Metal and Industrial Metal in music and aesthetics), their explicit embracement of commerciality (generally considered a huge no-no among metal fans, even if earned) and their pandering to mainstream media (to the extent of expressing their wish to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was unheard of there for a Spanish band of their kind). Despite all of this, they are still a greatly successful band with an array of Gold and Diamond Discs and a solid place in the Hispanosphere.

Aside from their activities in Mägo, its leader Txus di Fellatio, second singer Patricia Tapia, and guitar Manuel Seonae, have all their own bands, Bürdel King, KHY, and Delalma, respectively. The band has also mentored melodic folk band Celtian, led by former member Diego Palacio, and symphonic metal band Débler, of which Txus was a producer.

See also Barón Rojo, another influential Spanish Metal band from The '80s and possibly one of the inspirations for this band.

Not to be confused with Mago, a video game.

---

Discography:

• 1994 - Mägo de Oz
• 1996 - Jesús de Chamberí
• 1998 - La leyenda de la Mancha
• 2000 - Finisterra
• 2003 - Gaia
• 2004 - Belfast
• 2005 - Gaia II: La voz dormida
• 2007 - La ciudad de los árboles
• 2010 - Gaia III: Atlantia
• 2010 - Gaia: Epílogo
• 2012 - Hechizos, pócimas y brujería
• 2014 - Ilussia
• 2015 - Finisterra Opera Rock
• 2019 - Ira Dei
• 2021 - Bandera Negra
• 2024 - Alicia en el Metalverso

---

Band members:

• Txus di Fellatio - drums, percussion, chorus (1988-present)
• Carlos Prieto 'Mohamed' - violin (1992-present)
• Jorge Salán - lead guitar (2004-2008, 2023-present)
• Víctor de Andrés - guitar (2020-present)
• Fernando Mainer - bass (2012-present)
• Diego Palacio - transverse flute (2016-2017, 2024-present)
• Francesco Antonelli - keyboards, synthesizer (2023-present)
• Rafa Blas - lead vocals (2023-present)
• Ix Valieri - guitar (2024-present)

Former members (main ones):

• Juanma - lead vocals, chorus (1988-1996)
• José Andrëa - lead vocals, chorus (1996-2011)
• Kiskilla - keyboards, piano (1996-2011)
• Peri - bass (unclear-2011)
• Carlitos - lead guitar (1992-2020)
• Frank - rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (1996-2020)
• Fernando Ponce de León - transverse flute, bagpipes, pito castellano, whistle (2000-2010)
• Patricia Tapia - vocals, chorus (2007-2023)
• José Manuel 'Josema' Pizarro - transverse flute, bagpipes, pito castellano, whistle, bodhran (2010-2024)
• Javi Díez - keyboards, accordion, guitar (2012-2022)
• Javier Domínguez 'Zeta' - lead vocals, chorus (2012-2023)
• Manuel Seoane - guitar (2018-2023)

---

Mägo de Oz and their music provide examples of:

• The Alcoholic: The main character of "El Cervezo (El árbol de la birra)".
• Animated Music Video: The music video "El Arbol de la Birra" is about the band dressing as pirates, as they sail towards an isle full of alcohol, as they sing about how much they love the alcohol and being drunk.
• Bazaar of the Bizarre: The lyrics of "El Mercado de las Brujas" ("The Witches's Market").
• Bragging Theme Tune: "H2OZ".
• Circus of Fear: Ilussia.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: The band's most known vocalist, José, was a screaming showman that sang for party and life. His replacement, Zeta, is a spiritual chamber musician who sings with a broken heart. This change, naturally, caused endless division.
• Creepy Children Singing: "Opus Tenebrae".
• Deal with the Devil: Almost every major album contains one song about a deal with the devil (note that both "deal" and "devil" can take several forms here) or about evil trying to entice the listener. The most famous ones are "Astaroth", "Diabulus in Musica", "El violín del diablo", "Satanael", "Cadaveria" and "El amor brujo".
• Epic Rocking: As referenced in Longest Song Goes Last below, several of their album-closers run well past the eight-minute mark.
• Evil Laugh: Very often in their most devilish songs.
• Gaia's Vengeance: One of the themes present in the Gaia trilogy, to the point that a song whose title literally translates to "Gaia's Vengeance" was the closer of the first Gaia album.
• Heävy Mëtal Ümlaut: On the first a.
• Longest Song Goes First: Their 2024 album Alicia en el Metalverso, the first with Rafa Blas as lead vocalist, opens with "Alicia en el Metalverso" (Alice in the Metalverse), which is the longest track of the album at 12:01.
• Longest Song Goes Last:
  • Mago de Oz ends with "Mago de Oz". (9:16)
  • Jesus de Chamberi ends with "El fin del camino" (End of the Path) (8:53)
  • Finisterra ends with "Finisterra" (15:16)
  • Gaia ends with "La Venganza de Gaia" (Gaia's Revenge) (11:04)
  • Gaia II: La Voz Dormida ends with "La Cantata del Diablo - Missit me Dominus" (21:11).
  • Gaia III: Atlantia ends with "Atlantia" (19:16)
  • Hechizos, pocimas y brujeria ends with "Hechizos, pocimas y brujeria" (Spells, Potions and Witchcraft) (8:22).
  • Ira Dei ends with "Ira Dei" (17:56).
• The Lost Lenore: The main character of "Xanandra" lost his fiancee and hasn't gotten over it yet.
• Metal Scream: They were José Andrëa's (and less Zeta's) signature. The song "Gaia" in special features a spine-chilling metal screaming version of a Big "NO!".
• Nature Metal: The band has many songs (and even Concept Albums, the Gaia trilogy) that have natural themes in their songs, especially referent to Gaia's Lament and Gaia's Vengeance (the latter even it's Title Drop for one one song of them).
• Ode to Intoxication: Basically that's the premise of "El Cervezo (El Arbol de la Birra)".

• Ominous Latin Chanting: "Dies Irae" has the quote "Dies Irae Malleus Malleficarum Est" repeated as a chorus. It is unclear if it pretends to be fake Latin babble or if it is exactly what it means ("The Malleus Maleficarum is the day of wrath").
• Surprisingly Gentle Song: Also roughly one per album. "Love & Oz" was a recopilatory of these, followed up in 2022 with "Love & Oz, Vol. 2".
• Villain Song: "Ángel Caído" and "Astaroth", among many others.

---