MOONSPELL - DARKNESS AND HOPE
Century Media - 2001
Visit the Century Media website
Visit the Moonspell website
By Rodrigo
Moonspell are yet another band that I had always meant to listen to (there are so many of those) but never had the chance until Darkness and Hope. What the Portuguese band offers in their fifth album is a great blend of dark melodies, catchy hooks and a subtle approach to music. The production by Hiili Hiilesmaa is punchy and clear, which is the perfect avenue to explore the straightforward approach found in the songs. At first listen one might assume that the songs are simple and not complex but this could be further from the truth. Upon closer and repetitive listens (this is one album that must be heard a few times to really begin to appreciate it) one can find a very mature songwriting approach that transcribes to great songs.
The most evident aspect about Darkness and Hope is the catchy nature of many of the songs. These songs grab you, hook you and you can't get them out of your head. "Nocturna" reminds me a lot of Depeche Mode because of the way Fernando Ribeiro sings and the music throughout, its obviously heavier than a Depeche Mode song but the similarities are there. "Firewalking" is a fast and heavy song. The verses are bass and drum driven and other parts the great guitar work by Ricardo Amorim comes in. The main melody line is really cool and Fernando uses a death metal voice at times making the guitar driven chorus similar to Haven-era Dark Tranquillity. "Rapaces" is another song that Fernando uses this style of singing. It also features and amazing choir female section that is really beautiful. I do wish Fernando would use the death metal approach more often. In "Made of Storm" Fernando uses both styles of singing and not only that but the excellent combination of the intense and heavy approach and the catchy melodies make this song my favorite of the album. I do understand that the use of the death metal vocals must be dictated by the context of the songs and when they are used it works perfectly and their use probably couldn't work on some other songs like in "Heartshaped Abyss". The song showcases the controlled, clean and deep accented singing by Fernando and more passages of the bass and drum driving the song. Ultimately, the guitars and synths jump in adding to the intensity of the song.
In "Ghostsong" Ricardo once again shines with his excellent lead and melody work. This song is one of the semi-ballads and it also features very interesting synth layers courtesy of Pedro Paixao. The opening title track is also one of the slower songs and it really is a perfect introduction of what Moonspell presents in the rest of the album like the deep vocals and the subtle musical approach. Finally, the US version gets a cover of "Mr.Crowley" that Moonspell manage to stamp their sound into it and it ends up being an excellent song.
Darkness and Hope does have some flaws in that songs like "Devilred", "How we became Fire" and "Than the Serpents in My Hands" sound too ordinary and don't set themselves apart like the others and they end up being forgettable. However, this doesn't detract from the fact that Darkness and Hope leaves a great impression to the listener.
Century Media - 2001
Visit the Century Media website
Visit the Moonspell website
By Rodrigo
Moonspell are yet another band that I had always meant to listen to (there are so many of those) but never had the chance until Darkness and Hope. What the Portuguese band offers in their fifth album is a great blend of dark melodies, catchy hooks and a subtle approach to music. The production by Hiili Hiilesmaa is punchy and clear, which is the perfect avenue to explore the straightforward approach found in the songs. At first listen one might assume that the songs are simple and not complex but this could be further from the truth. Upon closer and repetitive listens (this is one album that must be heard a few times to really begin to appreciate it) one can find a very mature songwriting approach that transcribes to great songs.
The most evident aspect about Darkness and Hope is the catchy nature of many of the songs. These songs grab you, hook you and you can't get them out of your head. "Nocturna" reminds me a lot of Depeche Mode because of the way Fernando Ribeiro sings and the music throughout, its obviously heavier than a Depeche Mode song but the similarities are there. "Firewalking" is a fast and heavy song. The verses are bass and drum driven and other parts the great guitar work by Ricardo Amorim comes in. The main melody line is really cool and Fernando uses a death metal voice at times making the guitar driven chorus similar to Haven-era Dark Tranquillity. "Rapaces" is another song that Fernando uses this style of singing. It also features and amazing choir female section that is really beautiful. I do wish Fernando would use the death metal approach more often. In "Made of Storm" Fernando uses both styles of singing and not only that but the excellent combination of the intense and heavy approach and the catchy melodies make this song my favorite of the album. I do understand that the use of the death metal vocals must be dictated by the context of the songs and when they are used it works perfectly and their use probably couldn't work on some other songs like in "Heartshaped Abyss". The song showcases the controlled, clean and deep accented singing by Fernando and more passages of the bass and drum driving the song. Ultimately, the guitars and synths jump in adding to the intensity of the song.
In "Ghostsong" Ricardo once again shines with his excellent lead and melody work. This song is one of the semi-ballads and it also features very interesting synth layers courtesy of Pedro Paixao. The opening title track is also one of the slower songs and it really is a perfect introduction of what Moonspell presents in the rest of the album like the deep vocals and the subtle musical approach. Finally, the US version gets a cover of "Mr.Crowley" that Moonspell manage to stamp their sound into it and it ends up being an excellent song.
Darkness and Hope does have some flaws in that songs like "Devilred", "How we became Fire" and "Than the Serpents in My Hands" sound too ordinary and don't set themselves apart like the others and they end up being forgettable. However, this doesn't detract from the fact that Darkness and Hope leaves a great impression to the listener.
