Darkness and Hope

by

Moonspell

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...or if you like your Hard Rock dark, melodramatic, romantic, vampiric... Look no further than the latest by Portugal's Children Of The Night, Moonspell. This album is a real breath of fresh air. So many Goth bands seem to avoid bringing a harder edge into their music, and so many "Goth/Metal" bands are simply not Goth, but Black Metal. Moonspell once again combine their traditional Heavy Metal influence with the brooding, romantic Goth rock which flourished in the underground during the 80's. This is, without a doubt their best album since Ireligeous. They'e toned down some of the over the top theatrics and campiness of that album, but still delivered one of the best Goth albums of 2001. I wasn't the least bit disappointed. Especially since their previous two albums just didn't grab me at all. On Darkness And Hope, Moonspell have brought back the Vampiric charm and wonderfully "witchy" vibes of their earlier sound. (Not when they were a black metal band) This time around however, their 80's Gothic Rock influence really shines through brightly (in a dark way of course). Fernando's rich baritone is stronger and more mature than ever. He still sounds like Dracula. The music, though catchier, is much darker in essence than their last two albums and that is something that I was very pleased with. And yes, they're still writing songs about Vampires, the Night, Goth Chicks, Love, Sorrow, etc.... Goth and proud of it! I can't wait to hear the next album. Oh, and their cover of Ozzy's Mr. Crowley blew me away. I don't see why people seem to dislike it. It rocks!