Moonspell's 'Memorial' provides enchanting dark hymns for the listener
Europe, as we all know, has been and still is a seething hotbed of great metal action. Whilst America languishes in a sea of play-by-numbers metalcore and rehashes of In Flames riffs, Europe has always managed to lead the way in providing genuinely exciting and varied metal. Yet, the Mediterranean has always been somewhat quiet in this front, Italy may have Rhapsody and Lacuna Coil, Israel has the mighty Orphaned Land, but compared to the sheer output of the north of Europe, the Mediterranean has always been somewhat disappointing. Whilst previous albums such as 'Darkness And Hope' and 'The Antidote' have always been entertaining, yet lacking, Moonspell with their latest release 'Memorial' have come to show us that Portugal has something to offer the metal world.
From the crashing and rhythmic opening of 'Finisterra' it is immediately easy to see the focus of the band in this record; Heavier, more atmospheric and a lot more sections of the songs growled by front man Fernando Ribeiro. Not to say that this heaviness lacks melody, both in the guitar parts and the keyboards provided, 'Memorial' still provides the gothic frills and chills of all of Moonspell's earlier releases. Moonspell also offer more subdued, yet still menacing, sections in the form of the 2-minute acoustics 'Sons Of Earth' and 'Mare Nostrum', managing to give the listener respite from the heaviness of the new material, yet also make us salivate for more. The material is samey - however this is not the sort of bad "samey" that makes an album repetitive and dull - the album is consistent in its approach to the gothic-doom genre and manages to uphold its high standard and mesmerizing songs from the very start to end.
There is very little to criticise on 'Memorial', the song writing is excellent, the production matches this and the performance by each of the band members is superb. Whilst certainly not a perfect 13/13, 'Memorial' is one of the strongest releases so far this year and it will take quite a lot for any others artists releasing an album this year to surpass Moonspell's gothic-doom charms! If you're looking for any music that is heavy, melodic, atmospheric or just plain "Great", then this CD should be on the top of your list.