Albums

Album Review: Moonspell

[Album: Night Eternal]
[Label: Steamhammer]

Veteran Portuguese gothic metallers Moonspell’s latest opus, ‘Night Eternal’, suggests they been reminded of, and returned to, their black metal roots. Their previous release, ‘Under Satanae’, featured a clutch of re-recorded versions of their earliest work, and the black, brutal influence is obvious throughout.

Opener ‘At Tragic Heights’ sets the benchmark for the first half of the album; a brooding, foreboding opening leads into a battery of drum blasts, forceful riffs and urgent, aggressive black metal vocals. Keyboards are used sparingly, but effectively, as the song mixes the tempo, switching effortlessly between sinister build-up and the brutal pay-off. It is a tremendous opener; focused, accomplished, and indicative of a band refreshed and enthused.

Fans of the band’s more goth-influenced work should not despair, however. ‘Scorpion Flower’ is a genuine break from the relentless heaviness of the first three tracks. Featuring ex-The Gathering singer Anneke Van Giersbergen the male-female vocal dynamic and ethereal keyboards meld nicely between understated verses and a bombastic, melody-laden chorus. It would be easy to dismiss it is a token effort to appease fans of their previous work, or even to garner extra exposure for the album, given it’s position between two of the heaviest tracks on the album, ‘Shadow Sun’ and ‘Moon In Mercury’. However, it acts as an effective break in the otherwise brutal mood helping to heighten the relentless, intense songs on the album.

From there it all takes something of a dynamic shift. ‘Hers Is The Twilight’ and ‘Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)’ eschew the blast beats of the first few songs in favour of a much more sedate tempo, turning to melody instead of aggression for the main crux. Perhaps it is to be expected that Moonspell refer back to their gothic back catalogue here. Sadly, compared to the dynamic tracks that preceded them, they sound rather tired and plod along without making much of an impact on the listener. Closing track ‘First Light’, however, really brings the album home on a high note; an epic, Paradise Lost-ish mixture of sinister keyboards and intricate guitar work that combines the brutal and melodic dual natures of the band, and veers from the subtle to the pounding to great effect.

This album may appeal, ironically, to those who are not already Moonspell fans. The gothic aspect of their sound plays a part but is cast into the background in favour of a dark, relentless sonic boom of black metal-influenced bombast. Consequently, it is the sound of a band refreshed and vital and a definite breakthrough.

For fans of: Type O Negative, Arch Enemy, My Dying Bride
Band link = Moonspell

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