There are bands that (should) command the respect and admiration of the entire metal scene, regardless of individual tastes. One of these is Moonspell. They have never been provocative in their attitude or statements and they have always been artistically restless, having demonstrated a wide range of different sounds and influences throughout a long career that began in 1989 as Morbid God, with their current name adopted in 1992.
In the brief conversation we had with their singer, Fernando Ribeiro, during the Rethymno Rocks! 5 Festival, he told us that the next album would be gothic metal—very classic, very melodic, very dark. The first singles pleasantly surprised us, somewhat confirming that description. And when I say somewhat, I mean that “Far From God” is more rock than metal. The guitars are very melodic, getting heavy in a few spots and completely absent in others. The keyboards create a dark atmosphere that pervades the entire album and the vocals follow the music, as they are primarily clean.
One might ask, did we expect them to come up with something predictable? Of course not. It’s in their nature to experiment and branch out—not just from album to album, as was the case with their two previous releases, “1755” and “Hermitage”, but also from song to song within the same record. Listen, for example, to how different “Cross Your Heart” and “Our Freedom To Fall” are—yet they don’t feel like strangers to one another but rather parts of a very well-crafted and carefully considered whole that preserves Moonspell’s musical identity intact. It’s no easy feat to achieve this—that is, to avoid stagnating while also staying true to your roots at the same time.
So, our beloved Portuguese band has worked their magic once again. “Far From God” is their thirteenth full-length album, which finds them once more experimenting with different sounds with their characteristic ease and confidence. A unique album, one that incorporates elements from their earlier works yet doesn’t resemble any of them, an album truly worthy of bearing their logo. They’ve never disappointed us in the past and they certainly don’t now. Stop and listen, there is hope.
