I’m not a big Moonspell fan. Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard they’re back in top form with their recent releases, but I still haven’t heard them. In fact, I never listened to the band back in their Wolfheart heyday, so I recently checked that one out – and was terribly bored by the whole thing. I found it theatrical, unconvincing and terribly dated (and maybe that’s okay, some albums just don’t age well). And that’s how I feel about this unexciting piece of Italian goth rock, except that this is a new release.

Musically, this is pretty tame stuff. Aside from a bit of energetic chug here and there, this is generally closer to hard rock than metal. Some Cradle of Filth-style riffing and attitude comes in on “Hope” and “Sad Moon,” and it’s accompanied by some growling and snarling. Still, it feels less like a natural fit with the rest of the music and more like the band had something to prove by including it.

I suppose I’d give this all a pass had the vocals not been so, well, distracting. They’re thick, almost baritone, but like the music, not very convincing. At times it sounds like Meatloaf covering The Sisters of Mercy, but at other times – and I’m not just saying this to be mean – they actually reminded me of Jason Segel doing his Dracula puppet musical in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It’s just impossible to take seriously.

Maybe you Moonspell fans will be irritated enough by my comments to check this out anyway (you can also invite anyone who’s stayed with Tiamat past A Deeper Kind of Slumber), but when it comes to all things goth and mournful, I’ll stick with Katatonia and Rapture.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments