| Moonspell have always been famous for combining black metal with gothic rock, interweaving the two styles seamlessly. As time went on, the group started to push the boundaries, leaving black metal in the dust, to focus on working their own creation into a viable entity. Last year's "The Butterfly Effect", though highly underrated, was the group's best effort to date at creating gothic rock with slight tinges of the black stuff, as well as sonic soundscapes. That is, until "Darkness and Hope" hits the shelves. So what if there really is no 'black metal' left in Moonspell's sound? All that ever really amounted to in previous efforts were some dark screams and a few blast beats here and there. They're still one of the best acts performing gothic rock and "Darkness and Hope" more than adequately proves this point. Moonspell employ minor key guitar progressions and eerie keyboard melodies to create their sullen backdrop, which is complemented by the singing / speaking of frontman Fernando Ribeiro. The music plods along at a slow tempo, but at times, there is a rock n roll feel that will have your head moving. On one or two tracks, "Firewalking" being one of these, the old Moonspell rears it's ugly head, bringing back the screamed vocals and driving music. Each version (European and US) come with a different bonus track. The US version (the version I'm reviewing) sees Moonspell covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" and doing a pretty damned good job at it. Yea, it's turned into a more gothic song, but it's exactly the way a cover should be done... influenced by the band covering the song, but not to the point where it doesn't sound like the original anymore. This album may push old Moonspell fans even further away as they shake their heads at the path the band has chosen. However, metalheads that have grown annoyed at the stagnant state of underground metal may appreciate "Darkness and Hope", as well as fans of gothic metal. |
