ALBUM REVIEW: Far From God – Moonspell
Maybe it’s inevitable that a band will turn to look back at their history, if they are lucky enough to have produced 13 albums and stuck around for more than 30 years. Portuguese goth metallers MOONSPELL find themselves in this privileged position, alongside announcing anniversary tours in celebration of their first three records. It’s a chance to take stock of where they came from while still on fine form and releasing, with fair regularity, well-received records.
It might explain why Far From God is being touted as their Irreligious, their beloved second album from 1996, of the 21st century. But any band bringing past glories to mind is indulging in self-flagellation, since good songs alone aren’t enough to keep pace with their most revered work. New material has to contend with three decades worth of fans’ memories and all manner of emotional connections to the classics.
Just take Far From God as it is: eight polished and satisfying goth metal cuts from one of the genre’s pioneers. If there is historical inspiration to be found here, it’s in how stripped back these songs sound. While always reaching for a sense of otherworldly beauty, there is something raw about these compositions, on which the band back themselves to produce something of quality without drawing on anything more than necessary. Opener Cross Your Heart feels like the point a jam session between seasoned vets coalesces into something magnificent. The repeated guitar motif never gets old, its uplifting sound at odds with mournful lyrics about roadside memorials. It’s another solemn banger from a band that specialises in them.
The title track introduces a vampiric theme fit for vocalist Fernando Ribeiro’s Count Dracula-like croon. “On your blood, I feed tonight” is as plain a line as it is dramatic. Ribeiro brings to mind TYPE O NEGATIVE’s Peter Steele and CREEPER’s Will Gould (depending on which generation you fit into), turning the simplest lines into tortured poetry. “Far from God”, sung over and over in the chorus, becomes a captivating mantra. Again, it just works. MOONSPELL have this kind of thing down to a fine art, and if it took casting a glance over their back catalogue to keep them inspired, so be it.
To the record’s credit, it’s a restrained listen. Its intensity is mostly withheld until Our Freedom To Fall and Reconquista round things off. This final quarter packs more of a punch: crunchier riffs, frenetic percussion, Ribeiro letting his brooding bass-baritone become something more intense. It’s neat sequencing, ramping up the drama as Far From God approaches its finale. Along the way, the Middle Eastern melodies on Your Promise Of Light are a standout, as is Biblical’s desperate crescendo, each “our love was biblical” more searing than the last.
Did MOONSPELL really have anything to prove? They’re Portugal’s best known metal act and their discography is enviably consistent. On Far From God, they look to recapture some magic that wasn’t really missing in the first place with another set of goth belters. Whether they join the ranks of Irreligious is up to the listeners. But with a career of this standard, don’t bet against MOONSPELL turning these new tracks of gothic goodness into fan favourites for years to come.
Rating: 8/10
Far From God is out now via Napalm Records.
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