Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Moonspell > Night Eternal > Reviews
Moonspell - Night Eternal

Their weakest effort to date - 61%

lukretion, June 25th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Steamhammer

Night Eternal, Moonspell’s eight full-length album, is perhaps one of the weakest records released to date by the Portuguese goth metal band. The reason is simple: it just does not sound like a coherent album, but rather like a collection of disparate songs that are not well amalgamated together. On top of that, a lot of its material is fairly lacklustre, especially when compared to the large majority of songs from the band’s discography. Despite these weaknesses, there are still a handful of strong tracks on Night Eternal that are just enough to save the record from total failure.

So, what went wrong? It’s hard to tell. Back in 2008, Moonspell were enjoying a fairly positive period. They had found a stable and relatively drama-free line-up, composed of vocalist Fernando Ribeiro, guitarist Ricardo Amorim, keyboard player Pedro Paixão and drummer Mike Gaspar (with bassist Aires Pereira still only regarded as live session musician). They had just released a couple of heavy albums, generally well received by fans and critics alike, and after more than a decade with Century Media, they moved to a new label, SPV, with the prospect of a stronger promotional backing. To record Night Eternal, the band flew to Aarhus, Denmark, to work with up-and-coming producer Tue Madsen, whose work they had come to appreciate after recording with him the retrospective album Under Satanae. Niclas Etelävuori from Amorphis was again recruited to play bass, as he had already done, with excellent results, on The Antidote.

Despite the favourable background context, Night Eternal struggles to match the impressive standards of the band’s previous releases. One of the main strength of Moonspell’s albums is that they all possess a very definite and unique sonic identity. Even their least well-received record –The Butterfly Effect – contained songs that were varied and diverse, but at the same time tied together by a common musical identity that made the LP stand out from all other releases by the band as well as the broader gothic metal scene. This ability to write albums that are so different from one another, yet so unique and well-defined, is one of the reasons why Moonspell are such a special band.

Alas, Night Eternal is the exception to the rule. The albums contains two different types of tracks that do not sit very comfortably next to one another. On the one hand, we have songs written in a similar style as the band’s previous album Memorial. These mark a return to Moonspell’s musical roots, with music that is heavier, more extreme and more violent than the gothic metal of albums like Irreligious or Darkness and Hope. The guitar riffs are sharp and fast. Mike’s drumming reaches levels of power and ferocity that have been rarely seen before, and Fernando uses almost exclusively his terrifying growls. Meanwhile the keyboards and the operatic female choirs add tons of dramatic orchestral vibes to the proceedings, pushing the music in symphonic black/death metal territory. Thankfully, the Lusitanians never lose sight of melody, and the combination between savage aggression and sublime melodicism is a major strength in tracks like “At Tragic Heights” and “First Light” (arguably the best track of the album).

However, halfway through the tracklist, the album changes tone, veering towards a goth rock sound that brings to mind The Sisters of Mercy and Type O Negative. The contrast is jarring, and while going through tracks like “Scorpion Flower” and “Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)”, one has the distinct impression to listen to a different album. In a couple of songs (“Shadow Sun”, “Hers Is the Twilight”), Moonspell try and merge these two styles together, like they had successfully done on The Antidote or, going further back in time, on Wolfheart. The results, however, are not nearly as remarkable – almost as if the band could not find the right alchemic formula to fuse their two sonic personalities. This dichotomy between these two types of tracks ruins the listening experience for me as it prevents me to fully immerse in the album, like it had instead happened with all previous releases by the band.

The other main problem I have with Night Eternal is that a lot of the material is somewhat lacklustre. The title-track, “Moon in Mercury”, “Hers Is the Twilight”, “Dreamless”, “Spring of Rage” are all songs that feel rather non-descript and easily forgettable. The melodies are not very engaging and there isn’t an awful lot of new or bight ideas that can make my ears perk up. Fortunately, Moonspell’s class does not fail to show up on at least a handful of tracks. The album opening and closing songs are by far the best material of the whole record. “First Light”, in particular, is stunning. The use of slightly dissonant female choirs is brilliant, and it makes the blackened assault of the song even more sinister. Fernando’s growls have never sounded better and when the song reaches its majestic finale, the effect is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The atmospheric gothic ballad “Scorpion Flower” also deserves to be mentioned because Anneke van Giersbergen guests on it and her vocals are, as always, superb. The track in itself, however, is not particularly strong, especially when compared to other songs the band has written in this style.

Overall, I regard Night Eternal as a fairly disappointing release. I think it’s the band weakest effort to date, perhaps even more so than The Butterfly Effect. That album had at least a definite sonic identity, which partly redeemed its misguided musical direction. While less controversial and offensive, Night Eternal is also blander and more lacklustre, and feels more like a collection of songs than a proper and coherent full-length album, which by Moonspell’s standards could almost be regarded as a worse sin.

Metal prevails over Mode - 75%

Felix 1666, September 5th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Steamhammer

Generally speaking, Moonspell's approach does not really fit my musical taste. Too much Depeche Mode, too much eroticism, too much sentimentalism. The here reviewed album is not free from this saccharine poison, too. "Scorpion Flower", for example, is a smorgasbord of cruelties. Wailing female choirs meet oh so momentous lines and only unteachable masochists or convinced romanticists are able to enjoy the clear vocals of Fernando Ribeiro. (As a footnote, it is up to you to decide whether or not "unteachable masochists" and "convinced romanticists" are synonyms for each other.) Yet due to their undeniable potential, Moonspell deliver very strong tracks as well.

The title track does not only possess a dramatic and stirring chorus with a fantastic melody line. It also holds double bass sections, demonic lead vocals and a fine degree of pressure and vehemence. Of course, the song does not show a totally aggressive configuration, but its atmospheric density and the adequate amount of heavy elements form a great track which represents the harsher side of Moonspell very well. One can discuss whether the pretty polished production is helpful for this kind of songs. But even the partially brutal "Shadow Sun" does not suffer from the mix. Quite the opposite, its overflowing chorus creates an enormous intensity and the guitar lines do not lack clarity, violence and determination. And, by the way, this piece proves once again that Fernando is blessed with an overdose of charisma - although I mostly hate his clear vocals. Given this situation, it is doubtlessly true that Moonspell have a talent to pen songs that deliver profound emotions and they also recognize an effective riff whenever they meet one. The swift and powerful "Moon in Mercury", which boasts with a perfect flow, can tell you a thing or two about it.

Some tracks that are neither outstanding nor shitty have found a place on "Night Eternal" as well. "Hers Is the Twilight", for instance, does no harm while passing by without leaving any kind of aroma. Yet the great picture shows a more than only sufficient hit rate. Even the melancholic and dignified "Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)", a piece without edges and corners, adds value to "Night Eternal". Yet it is out of question that more powerful songs like the following "Spring of Rage" are the icing on the cake.

Summing up one can say that the album is not free from the typical Moonspell elements which I mentioned at the beginning, but they stand in the shadow of the metallic components of the band's art. Thus, if you are able to bear a rather small amount of gothic kitsch, "Night Eternal" will predominantly convince you in view of the technical and the compositional skills of an experienced and professional formation. And maybe the guys even liberate themselves from their moronic Depeche Mode influence. My belief in man's inherent goodness cannot be broken.

Moonspell - Night Eternal - 90%

Orbitball, March 29th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Steamhammer

Pulling out strong with their gothic oriented metal release 'Night Eternal', combining mostly heavy guitar sounds, aggressive drumming, vampire laden vocals, intense drumming and aura filled atmospheric synthesizers to augment the musical finesse. I liked this album from start to finish. To me the guitar, vocals and drumming brought me more into this then the synthesizers, but they made the mood of this album dark totally. One helluv a good release, intense and original. The guitar melodies are what captivated me the most. A lot of experimentation in the sounds of the album to get its' essence more than just another gothic metal output. They dug deep in creativity here. Way deeply composed!

The album's heaviness has to lie in the guitar riffs and drumming, plus the vocals are also very harsh as well as intensified. Not every song was just sounding the same, but its' brutality is featured throughout. Guitars are doing a series of things here, tremolo picking galore, some clean tone melodies, bar chords and some lead guitar, just a limited amount. They focus more on the rhythms, but I'm not saying the leads are entirely absent or non-existent because that would be an untrue statement. What their overall concept in this sort of musical change compared to past releases is the implementation of the synthesizers and a more melodic sounding gothic album, not just plain brutality.

As you get from track to track, you'll find different tempos, some tint of clean vocals/guitar, but in an overall sense the release is really dark and demented. The vocals range, but mostly are intense throat, screaming away. A total musical onslaught here musically, lyrically and atmospherically. It's a really likeable release because it's balls out brutality a lot of the time, but it ranges though as the speed of the album is moderate. The guitars are thick and heavy, the drumming pounding through your skull and vocals just deafening. There's more clean guitar/vocals as the album progresses. The synthesizers make it so grim, but they didn't abandon their roots in metal, they went diversifying.

What's unique even more so is the fact that they have some chorus parts that are so emotionally felt, with guest backup female voice and even more so riffs that are so creative. When hearing this album, don't overlook the fact that they change things up and aren't tackling just one genre, they're tackling gothic, heavy and death oriented metal, though gothic is prominent on here. It's a blend, I think that they wanted a change from what they originally started out doing nor by any means wanting to sell-out by changing a bit. They want a different array of sound to their music and I think that they covered all avenues on here. You get so many influences on this release it's incredible.

Still think that it's just average as I write this? No, this album is NOT an average rating. It's way higher because the music is what's so notorious on here and guitar that's so admirable. They did an outstanding job in the production quality picking the right engineer to get this one mixed way awesome featuring every instrument/sound/vocal parts to be well heard and entirely admirable. A sheer dominance in the gothic metal community and I think a highly underrated album to say the least. Nothing boring or stale about this one. They attract it all on here, sounds like those never heard before by this band and a concept of just more than a simple gothic release, a musical gem in metal.

Tragic, yet violent - 75%

doomknocker, October 26th, 2010

It’s nigh impossible to find good gothic music, especially on the metallic side of things. Now, granted, I suppose being “gothic” is different now than it was when I was a lad (the 90s, back when things made a hell of a lot more sense in more ways than one), and as such “gothic” music is a different entity, but the burdens of time prove detrimental in this inasmuch as it does all other factors of life. The Marilyn Manson angst was replaced with moody Heartagram worship, which in turn was replaced with “Twilight” obsessions, all of whom, in turn, perverted the likes of Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative like so many second-hand bong hits, and…*ahem*…well, as you can see, it’s quite the devolutionary pratfall. And as such, finding good “gothic” music, is, well, like I’d said, nigh impossible to do.

That was put to the test when dealing with their latest…

What makes Moonspell’s gothic metallic leanings that much more palatable on my end is that they don’t beat you over the head with spiked bracelets and dripping eye-liner. Much like CoF before them, MOONSPELL use a black metal foundation to keep things nice and brutal while branching off into those Hot Topicky realms in a more sophisticated manner. That helped their later works become necessary listens no matter which side of the depressive spectrum you reside on, and when it comes to “Night Eternal”, that sensation helped makes it as good a listen as it is. The Type O Negative-like graveyard-dwelling darkness acts as a nice augmentation to the harsh metallic nastiness rather than a distraction, and that coupled musical duo wraps around the listener like a slowly closing fist. There’s plenty to enjoy, even for the more casual listener, where the midnighty melodies and head-banging elements seem more than enough to satisfy in terms of ability and being able to fit with one another like so many fittable puzzle pieces. For what it’s worth, the central scheme of things is more on the metallic end, more “The Antidote” than “2econd Skin”, in which twisted yet melodic guitar riffs/leads, creepy keyboard lines, punishing drum bashing and monstrous roaring/serene singing straddle that fine line between accessibility and the original evil heaviness as well as a group of their caliber can. In all my bitter honesty, this is a very solid product, a fine example of the kind of metal that should be taken and enjoyed in their era of -core bullshit, where one can (and should) jump through the crushing likes of “Night Eternal” and “Moon in Mercury” as well as the more soothing tracks like “Scorpion Flower” and “Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith)” with the greatest of ease and enjoyment. Raging and emotional. And damn fine.

In the end, “Night Eternal” is the impressive solidification of what makes Moonspell as great as they are. While this may or may not appeal to their older-generation-type fans, this should still be enjoyed for what it is. Recommended.

One of their most intriguing to date - 80%

autothrall, November 2nd, 2009

After a steady progression into gothic rock during their mid-career period (which produced some excellent results, I might add), Moonspell have returned to their roots. Recent albums like The Antidote and Memorial have embraced the harsher climes of the band's early work Wolfheart, but with a touch more death metal feel. Night Eternal continues this spiral, yet thankfully doesn't neglect the atmospheric grace of those middle years.

The album begins with the scorching "At Tragic Heights", a real fist pounder drenched in Fernando's unmistakable black/death barking. The leash is off. "Night Eternal" has a little more mystique to it, and I really enjoyed how they took a simple death metal riff and doused it in dark atmosphere. A little less heavy, "Shadow Sun" has a creepy gothic tinge to it, with sexy whispered vocals, then a rocking out chorus riff which then finally erupts into a section similar to the first tune. "Scorpion Flower" is more of a straight up gothic metal track with dual male/female vocals, the latter of which I might be able to do without. But this doesn't last, for "Moon in Mercury" is right back to the aggressive style dominating much of the album. Perhaps the most glorious track is "Hers is the Twilight" with that great, simple guitar line as the chorus picks up, and an atmosphere that reminds me of the band's third album Irreligious.

The result of all this is one of the best and most intriguing Moonspell albums to date, though I still hold that The Butterfly Effect was their masterpiece (and I may be one of the few people on Earth to think that way). They've never quite released a bad album, but if you've been waiting for these guys to get heavy again, this is the best effort of that return to date. Worthy of gothic metal afficionados, especially if you value good lyrics, which writer Ribeiro excels in

'A revelation with every cut:
Infidel to all creeds
Breaker of all vows
Enemy of happy ends
Confident of the dead'

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

One of the best releases of 2008. - 95%

CallerOfTheCthulhu, July 24th, 2008

For a lot of individuals, Night Eternal managed to slip undetected through the radar. However, Moonspell have pulled out all the stops on this release and have put together what can only be summed up as the best CD of their career, or possibly even CD of the year.

With this one, the band has adorned a more in your face musical style. Night Eternal holds a much heavier, more death metal musical sound as compared to previous works. There simply is no other way to look at the music, other then it's heavy, and it's in your face. Songs like "Shadow Sun" definitely take moments out for you to breathe and for the vocalist to sing a little bit, but not much, whereas songs like "At Tragic Heights" and "Night Eternal" will simply crush your skull repeatedly until you give in and start moshing in your own bedroom, and thensome.

While many of the songs that make up this release are the most aggressive the band has ever done, there are some slower songs that fall in the typical Moonspell staple sound. Songs like "Scorpion Flower" and "Dreamless (Lucifer And Lilith)" show that the band has not forgotten how to make songs that can sound beautiful as well. The beautiful female vocal accompanyment in the songs also helps out to make them stand out on this release.

Really, there isn't a single thing wrong with this album. The production is superb, the music is excellent, and while some tracks jump from slow and melodic to faster and aggressive, it works perfectly with the music. The only problem with this disc is that, after a while, the track "Hers Is The Twilight" might become a little boring as the end approaches. But, other then that, the album does not disapoint, and it easily one of the best releases this year, if not the best releaser this year, period.

Night Eternal - 87%

DemonFeces, July 1st, 2008
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Steamhammer

I suppose a good way to start this review is to say that I've heard two Moonspell albums: Wolfheart and The Butterfly Effect. Obviously, I was enthralled by Wolfheart and was hoping something similar when I picked up Butterfly. Shit, was I wrong. Since then I've had no reason whatsoever to look into their back catalog of albums or seek new releases as I didn't like what I was hearing (reading). Enter anno 2008 and here I am reading better things. And for once, actually HEARING better things.

All the Goth touches, albeit female vocals, have been left behind (hopefully in a blood-stained heap) for a jugular-slicing advance of the mystical hey-day of Wolfheart, but with even more gusto. Langsuyar and his band of merry men (and women) have put together a savage album that definitely goes against any misconceptions I had.

Possessing a heavy tone wrought with staccato riffing and excellent drum work, this sits on the fence of progressive and blackened thrash. The vocals have been lifted out of the fondue and sound more relaxed and natural. The ballad-y 'Dreamless' is a perfect example of this.

Free of Opethian enthusiasm as a means to reach wider audiences, the album exudes a level of maturity not found in those 'goth' circles. Can we even consider them for that category any more?

No Magic in This Spell - 40%

GuntherTheUndying, June 29th, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you about one of the most shocking things ever: Moonspell has officially been led astray. Indeed, there is no doubting “Night Eternal” causes gawking gazes when flung amongst the other incantations we’ve been exposed to, as experts and fans alike are baffled by its massive unoriginality; I’ve heard this enchantment before, and so have you. Essentially, our little estrangement acts unusually generic in most areas, setting off several alarms of indulging upon one’s own body, much like stuck-up vanity, which is the name of the game here. While normally entertaining and dynamic, “Night Eternal” eclipses over all that goodness previously spawned from godly spoonfuls like “Wolfheart,” and fundamentally rapes what we’ve grown to love from the spell’s not-so-eternal blessing.

Moonspell is clearly a band that has no struggles forging many obscure sounds into one hardy base, but “Night Eternal” represents their ultimate failure at connecting such influences, which can be heard by nearly every presented performance. Tremolo pick after tremolo pick, I can feel my spirit knowing every guitar note like I’ve heard it before, but that is not the case. I’m no clairvoyant, therefore, it’s obviously predictable poop; a few good riffs here and there, yet nothing shoot-your-load worthy. Also, bland verse-chorus-end formulas plague each tune like a cold in your work place, not to mention they never push their stupid simplicity away for something better. The final conclusion: just mediocre self-worshiping throughout. Uncle Fernando still sounds fantastic as expected, but he certainly cannot aid these remaining full-grown men in battle; this isn’t Halo 3, you twats!

Truth is, there really aren’t any vomit-inducing moments, yet a few instances get terribly close. For example, the title track is pretty much a typical tune you’d expect from these guys, now including a revolution around chorus-orientation, instrumental bridges that cause sleepiness, and generally bad performances on every perimeter. Of course, one bad egg can’t spoil the whole omelet, but when seven of the nine eggs appear rundown from molesting simplicity and avoiding poetic springs, you can expect a little chat with the chef, if you know what I mean. Case in point, a good song once every twenty minutes or so, and the rest just seems too bland for its own good. Things are looking grim, folks.

After indulging myself in "Night Eternal," I’m left wondering a few things: what happened to my Moonspell? Where’s the artistic edge that drove "Wolfheart" straight into golden pastures? How come there’s such a lack of intensity, as compared to releases like "Under Satanae" that applied it throughout? Why did they utilize minimal effort instead of actually attacking their typical excellence? Simply put, there are just too many problems with “Night Eternal” on so many levels, and it’s painfully clear that Moonspell has officially lost its way; a fate this great band had easily dodged countless times throughout their early days, experimentation, and a risky combination of both. Overall, there’s no magic left in the spell, and the night eternally pours upon Portugal’s faction like a never-ending storm, so only dive in if you have hope; everyone else should calmly avoid this curse.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Romanticized Metal - 90%

Shirt_Guy, June 21st, 2008

It’s hard to follow up a great first couple of efforts. Sometimes the sequel(s) fail to match the predecessor. There’s a flip side that I’m experiencing lately though, with bands who I previously thought of as having jumped the shark managing to capture the magic and spirit of their previous releases, with something quite different than youthful exuberance.

When I heard “The Antidote”, I knew Moonspell had captured a lot of that magic in an album that was quite a bit lighter than what I’m used to hearing from them. There were a lot of slow passages and mostly clean singing on that effort, so you’d most likely expect follow up to either follow suit or continue to lighten up in order to progress further, as is the case with many bands who tinker so much with feathery moments in such heavy music. That of course is not the case, as not only is “Night Eternal” more powerful with sawing guitars, double-bass drum pounding and Fernando Ribeiro’s harsh roar are coupled with busy epic passages and an motional heaviness.

Moonspell of course practically stand on their own with goth metal that has the kind romantic flair you could only get from Portugal. Sure it does tend to sound like themselves throughout their career up to now without really actually pushing forward very much, but there’s just so much passion pouring off the damn thing it’s not hard to be sucked in.

Originally posted at www.waytooloud.com

The Best Album No One New About - 90%

serial_killer_miller, June 14th, 2008

Ever since Moonspell got away from their black metal style they've really come into a zone. First releasing the absolutely dynamic "The Antidote" quite possibly one of the best concept albums of all time. Fallowing that up with Memorial which proved even more that Moonspell is a band that is unique while still sounding heavy and melodic at the same time.

Now with their second full length on SPV they bring us "Night Eternal"with all of Moonspells' albums I never pass up the opportunity to listen to their latest albums as they have not disappointed me yet. This album is of course no exception.

What really grabbed me about this album is the diversity. Fernando blends a beautiful mix of raspy growls, whispers, haunting clean vocals and has help from beautiful female vocals on a track or two. The riffing is flawless. Each riff used is memorable and is accompanied by smooth rhythmic drumming, and catchy bass lines. Of course, we can't leave out the keyboards they are a nice touch on this album really adding a great atmospheric element.

Night Eternal is easily the dark horse for the best album of 2008. Anyone who was a fan of the Antidote or Memorial will surely enjoy this album as well. Nothing short of top notch work from a top notch band.

Worth listening, but Moonspell can do much better - 60%

Nhorf, May 28th, 2008

Memorial was some kind of a turning point to Moonspell; on the records released before Memorial (and after Irreligious), they were playing a musical style very similar to traditional gothic metal, with the use of some female vocals here and there and with Fernando Ribeiro using his clean voice more often. Memorial was pretty different, the band adopting a straight-forward, death metal-influenced, sound; its songs basically followed similar structures, there was a tremendous emphasis on the choruses and on the growls of Ribeiro. The riffs were more aggressive and same thing with the drums, (lots of double-bass, fast fills, etc).
Night Eternal is in the same vein of its predecessor, Moonspell delivering yet again an aggressive record with a very raw and hostile atmosphere.

Perhaps the only true difference between Memorial and Night Eternal lies in the use of keyboards. The keyboard is a rather nice instrument. If used well it can give a fantastic atmosphere to the album, but if over-used… is a disease, the songs become cheesy and the other instruments lose power and punch. Well, Memorial suffered from that kind of keyboard disease, but thankfully Night Eternal does not. The production is very good too, but it doesn’t give so much importance to the keyboards, since the electric guitar assumes the main role and the drums are more audible especially the bass drums.

About the guitars, Ricardo Amorim is finally allowed to solo more frequently on Night Eternal, which is a improvement since Memorial (and the majority of their other records) suffers from lack of guitar soloing. Here, he fills many of the middle sections of the tracks with tasteful guitar solos, that give a more “metal feel” to the album (where would be metal without guitar solos??!). His riffs are… well, he never was a good “riff-maker”, yet there are some on Night Eternal that are pretty catchy and powerful, the first one on Scorpion Flower is an immediate example. The bass is, yet again, inaudible (oh shit).

Talking about the songs, they are divided into two categories: the more aggressive ones and the more calm ones. The opener, At Tragic Heights, is the only true “new” song of this record; all the other follow the same structures that characterized the band sound over the years, but At Tragic Heights shows Moonspell trying to deliver some kind of a mixture of ambient music with black metal. In the end, it sounds great, being a somewhat scary song (reminding me a bit of the opener track of the atrocious Darkness and Hope) and one of the highligts.

About the others, the more aggressive tunes show the same old death metal influences that marked their other albums, with lots of double bass and raw riffing. The title track, linked musically with At Tragic Heights, is the best aggressive song of this piece, being pretty fast too. However, it features an instrumental part before Fernando starts to sing and if that part was longer, wow, this tune would be now an authentic classic. It's a good song nevertheless, but, as I've already said, it would be even better with longer instrumental parts. Shadow Sun is another good song (got to love that “life is meaningless” part), before we are intoxicated with boring average songs; indeed , besides those two, afore-mentioned, tunes, all the other more aggressive tracks are very similar and forgettable. Sure they have good things, but they are so average at the same time, that it's frustrating. Unfortunately, this same thing happened with Memorial and I’m beginning to think that the band will never release an at least consistent album again.

Scorpion Flower and Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith) are the two tunes that fall into the calm categorie. The first is the first single out of Night Eternal and it features a female vocalist singing with Fernando. The use of female vocals is a common thing to the band, since they had already made tons of songs featuring them. Anyway, Scorpion Flower is like a logical sucessor of Luna in the categorie of the commercial song of the album; its riffs are softer than the ones on the other tracks and the chorus is pretty catchy. In my opinion, commercality and catchiness, when used well, are excellent ways to add more variety to an album, so I absolutely approve Scorpion Flower. About Dreamless (Lucifer and Lilith (they really had to give this stupid name to the song? Fuck satanic crap, don't you have better subjects to write about instead of Lucifer and his girl?!)), it recalls the Darkness and Hope days, but, in fact, this tune is far FAR better than anything on that album. The chorus is the highlight of the song, a very well written one indeed.

So, is this better than Memorial? No, I don't think so, it lacks the intensity displayed on that album. Nevertheless, it has a couple of good songs, like Night Eternal and Dreamless, so this isn't a complete failure. Despite all of this, I completely lost the hope on Moonspell, I think their next album will be even worst, and the next worst, and the next worst, and so on. This band lacks creativity, one of the most important things in music, so I don't see a bright future to this portuguese act. Worth listening, but if you don't like the band, hardly this piece will make you change your opinion.

Best Moments of the CD:
-the transition of At Tragic Heights to Night Eternal and the multiple double bass parts on the latter.
-the chorus of Scorpion Flower.
-the chorus part of Dreamless.

same old same old - 40%

gk, May 28th, 2008

Moonspell, once upon a time used to kick ass. Wolfheart and The Butterfly Effect are albums I liked quite a bit. At the same time, their other material, particularly 2001s Darkness & Hope was a terrible wannabe Lacuna Coil affair with no testicular fortitude at all. After that abomination though, the band started to go back to heavier climes. The Antidote and Memorial were decent albums that made me want to continue checking this band out.

This year the band released its eighth album, Night Eternal and at first glance business seems a bit better than usual. The band continues down the path laid down by 2006’s Memorial and the songs are heavy with some death metal influences popping up alongside the Goth metal framework.

The album starts off in fine fashion with At Tragic Heights, Night Eternal and Shadow Sun all coming off as strong songs that do the interplay between heavy and atmospheric quite nicely. Fernando Ribeiro’s vocals are still powerful to carry these songs through and I was honestly quite taken aback by the quality on offer. Still, it’s not all peaches and daisies. Scorpion Flower sounds like full on Sisters of Mercy style Goth done in a super cheesy way complete with female vocals, Ribeiro’s trademark baritone and a poppy chorus that I’m sure wants to be anthemic but comes across more like a Nightwish reject. After this song the album goes completely downhill.

Things get heavier again with Moon in Mercury with its atmospheric pseudo death metal sound but too much of this album sounds like mid-period Tiamat without the electronics. The heavy guitar parts tend to be saccharine sweet and the atmosphere provided by the keyboards is pretty much the same on every song.

The songs on this album particularly after Scorpion Flower all tend to merge into one another and become background noise. There’s nothing on these songs to distinguish it from each other and while it’s all delivered in crystal clear polished tones, it all sounds the same after a while.

I suppose the band’s die-hard fan following will eat this up but for the rest of you, there really isn’t anything here to recommend at all.

Originally written for http://www.kvltsite.com

Moonspell's best yet!!! - 95%

sapiant, May 1st, 2008

If you are looking for a return to the folk-metal days of “Wolfheart” or “Under the Moonspell,” then you will sorely be disappointed. There are no instrumentals on this album, no real folk interludes, and no ambient noise sections either. That being said, one of the best things I can say about this album is that it is very much a “Moonspell” album. It takes all the ingredients that make their music so compelling and holds nothing back. All of their gothic touches, dark atmosphere, varied vocals, and brilliant guitar work really come together on this album.


While this album is very much in the same vein as their previous work “Memorial,” it is also a different beast entirely. At times, this almost borders on straight death metal and even black metal. While the previous album was also very dark and heavy, this one seems much more “in your face” with full on head-bangable riffs. The guitars are much more up front and crunchy, the solos are very smooth and melodic (some of Ricardo’s best work yet) and the drums are absolutely furious, especially the double-bass. The production is also very clear and makes for a very powerful listening experience.

This is also easily Fernando’s best singing since “Darkness and Hope.” Whereas on the previous albums his baritone was a bit subdued and more of a whisper used for atmospheric affect, here is clearly singing again. Some songs even feature a dual-layered vocal approach which is new, but highly intoxicating. His growled vocals are also at least as powerful as they were on the previous album. Also, the duet on the song “Scorpion Flower” with Anneke is outstanding, even if her vocals are placed a bit too far in the background.


Having listened to the album a few times now, it is hard to pick out favorite tracks. Not one moment seems wasted, and all nine songs feel like they have something important to say. Suffice it to say, if you don’t like Moonspell, this album won’t change your mind. However, if you are a fan of the bands work, this album will likely blow you away. I can only imagine how this set of songs will do live. As the title suggests, this is indeed Moonspell’s finest hour.