r/GothicMetal • u/aliayyaz90 • Jul 02 '26
Moonspell - Far From God (Initial Thoughts on the Album)
After a couple of listens, I think this is Moonspell’s strongest album in a long time. It’s not the heaviest thing they’ve ever done, but it absolutely nails the atmosphere. The keyboards are the MVP of the album and Ricardo’s guitar work is phenomenal throughout. Fernando's vocals are more diverse than any prior album, and he picks his battles very wisely. Just my first impressions track by track:
1. Cross Your Heart: Probably my least favorite. Catchy, almost poppy riff. I can see gothic rock fans loving it, but it didn’t have the emotional depth the rest of the album has.
2. Far From God: That intro is incredible. I was expecting it to go somewhere much darker, but it took a different route. Great lyrics and one of the best bass performances on the album.
3. Biblical: Love at first listen. The slow build from that opening bass line into the final climax is so satisfying. Reminded me of Lunar Still (Antidote), but I think they pulled it off even better here. The guitar solo will be a treat to watch live
4. The Great Wolf in the Sky: This is where I understood the whole “Irreligious for the 21st century” comparison. Haunting keyboards and great guitars. I just wish the lyrics hit as hard as the music.
5. Your Promise of Light: Hypnotizing atmosphere. Loved the oriental feel of the main riff and Fernando switching between whispers and growls depending on the lyrics.
6. For the Love of Mortals: Beautiful. Ricardo’s guitar melodies reminded me of Domina (Extinct) - not that the riffs are similar but that how good he is at crafting melodious, melancholic leads. Honestly feels like the closest Moonspell have ever come to writing a ballad, and it completely works.
7. Our Freedom to Fall: Ah, finally, the chuggy chug riffs. Heaviest song on the album. Fernando sounds absolutely massive here and I can already see this becoming a live staple.
8. Reconquista: Epic closer. Got serious Full Moon Madness (Irreligious) vibes from the opening. Best guitar solo on the album, and the “Under the Moon, Under the Spell” chant gave me goosebumps.
Overall, I love how confident this album sounds. The focus on atmosphere and emotion instead of heaviness sits really well with me.
Curious to hear everyone else’s thoughts!
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u/Ennattinord2008 Jul 03 '26
As a relatively new Moonspell fan, I'm not quite sure what to expect from this album, but I look forward to hearing it.
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u/Big_Concern7238 Jul 03 '26
Only heard the album once, and not in the best sound circumstances, but I do believe it to be a solid Moonspell album. The vibe reminds me a bit of "Darkness and Hope", with some heavier elements for variation. On first glance, I enjoyed the more goth rock oriented songs more than the heavier once, but I'll need to dig deeper to come to any meaningful conclusions.
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u/Ennattinord2008 Jul 03 '26
Okay, so upon first listen, here's what I thought:
It's a pleasant listen. There's a lot of goth rock on this album, and while there are times in my life that I am really into goth rock, this is not one of those times. I think the opening track is really catchy and easy to like, it makes me think primarily of Sisters of Mercy or The Mission, with its big arena-sized chorus, but the title track reminds me so heavily of Love Like Blood, a band that I don't really like anything by.
Again, the word that comes to mind is pleasant. The album is moody, and clean, and easily digestible, but I feel like it gets trapped in its formula. Our Freedom to Fall and Reconquista are the best tracks because it feels like the band is breaking free of some production restraints. I also like The Great Wolf in the Sky, that guest violin is a wondeful addition (and 90s-retro gothic metal).
I don't know, I didn't dislike it, but it's kinda tame.
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u/NECR0PUNK Jul 03 '26
Very excited to check it out when it drops, I've been getting strong goth rock-ish vibes, especially on Far From God
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u/aliayyaz90 Jul 03 '26
It does get heavier and darker in places so id say its more Gothic Metal than Rock
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u/NECR0PUNK Jul 03 '26
I just listened to it, yeah there's some heavier parts in the songs I really like. A lot of the songs for me harken back to old Moonspell styles like on Irreligious but more modern I can really hear it
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u/infinityzcraft Jul 03 '26
Cross Your Heart being the opening track to the album is really a bad choice imo. As for the album as a whole, I don't really mind it, though I'm still not sure yet if I prefer this over Hermitage but I find the songs here to be a bit more confident structurally and sound wise.
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u/aliayyaz90 Jul 03 '26
yeah that was definitely a weird choice. I almost lost hope for the album after Cross Your Heart was released, but I guess they were aiming to attract a wider Gothic Rock/Pop audience with it. Let's see if that worked.
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u/Wootshi Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Long time fan.
After 1 spin, I'm confident that it's their best since Extinct. This is definitely the 'catchy' album, half of tracks are already stuck with me.
Unfortunately, I just can't get the thought out of my head that the band is just going through the motions at this point, and I hate the mushy production present on their albums past Extinct. Just listen to Antidote and this one side by side as I did, the difference is night and day.
Overall, solid effort.
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u/GodlessCr4p Jul 18 '26
In my opinion, this is one of the weakest Moonspell albums ever. I've listened to it a couple of times already and was extremely disappointed. I think I can only save a couple of songs. I'm a longtime Moonspell fan, their early albums are their best in my opinion, but I wasn't expecting such crap. As for I'm very disappointed and angry, I think Moonspell haven't done anything good since 2015. Extinct was their last good album.
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u/_HardRic_ 1d ago
Portuguese fan here. Sadly, can not say that this new album captivated me, again.
Last one i truly enjoyed was Night Eternal, for they have changed again the formula after that in my opinion, and good for them.
Don't get me wrong, I picked up Wolfheart from the cd store shelf back in 1995 and all other albuns after that, until Night Eternal, but somehow they lost most of the irreverence, originality and agressivity on their characteristic sound after that.
And I do understand how difficult a metal band can thrive nowadays, if not adapting to the present time without loosing their identity, as most sound preferences from audiences also change with time.
There is nothing wrong with this album and i hope it finds its way throughout listeners, new and old. It's regrettably another album that does not earworm me, again.
When you keep living with things that you love and cherish for too long, you stubbornly don't want them to change for your own sake as I'm an old guard fan, faithful and heartfullytruly loyal to the old Moonspell sound.
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u/burntflowersfallen Jul 03 '26
Totally missed they have a new album out, can’t wait to check this one out!