Moonspell : "Far From God"

The opening track to the Portuguese band's newest album finds them dropping the metal altogether with a more organic rock sound, and the sung baritone vocals being the dominant. That said, it's also a great song, so I am not complaining about it. There is a more Sisters of Mercy-like bass line to the title track. Though the vocals try to capture more of a Peter Steele-like resonance.  Then things shift to a more Pink Floyd-like atmosphere on "Biblical" that reminds me of what Tiamat used to. This progressive connection takes things in a mroe rock direction. More distorted power chords hit, at first they are not more metal, until the band continues to turn the dial and there is an even more aggressive vocal apporach. 

"The Great Wolf in the Sky" finds the bass digging into create the backbone.   While a haunted longing floats over this song, it's not the catchiest thing they have done so far. There are growled vocal accents that the song builds into. They get credit for not doing this most predictably. "Your Promise of Light" is even darker, with the vocals taking on a lower whisper. This is effective at building tension as long as it's not something they default to. The growled vocals returned, but it's still not heavy enough to make it into one of the death metal month posts. 

While they are not part of the Peaceville scene, this could have come from that era, as it is a dreary style of dark ambient hard rock, which bands like Katatonia evolved into. "For the Love of Mortals" works off the melancholy vocal melody that is one of the album's catchier moments. "Our Freedom to Fall" is a doomier pace brand of downtrodden rock with crooned vocals that feels stronger than past releases. The harsher vocals are delivered with a little more power here. Though the music is more emotionally heavy than it is heavy metal. The last song employs an aggressive vocal approach that reminds me more of Tom Warrior's vocal style in Celtic Frost, yet the guitars do not seek to replicate that band's overt metal riffage. Instead, they drone on a more sorrowful chord progression. I will give this album a 9.5. Fans of dark European rock should give it a spin. Out July 3rd on Napalm Records.

pst232