MOONSPELL

Permanently shrouded in purples and blacks, MOONSPELL have been getting high from intoxicating gothic fumes for their entire career. But unlike many of the goth-friendly bands operating in the metal underground, the Portuguese veterans have always been deeply and personally entrenched in gothic mythology and the existential tumult that emerges from such dalliances with the pitch-black supernatural. "Far from God" is the natural conclusion that the band have drawn after 35+ years of active service. It is an album inspired by the philosophical chaos that grows from love between the mortal and the immortal: cloak-wearing, sun-evading vampires in particular. In a sense, this is the most MOONSPELL that MOONSPELL have ever been. Inveterate shapeshifters, they have released such a variety of albums over the years — from the seminal, gothic black metal of "Wolfheart" and "Irreligious", to the industrial/electronic detours of "Sin/Pecado" and on to the progressive splendor of 2021's "Hermitage" — that it should come as no surprise that their 13th full-length stands proudly apart from the majority of their illustrious catalogue. Comprising eight beautifully written and immaculately produced gothic rock songs, with occasional dips into metal's heavyweight sonics, "Far from God" explores the darkness with a lightness of touch that few bands of any vintage could replicate.

The key to this album lies in MOONSPELL's ability to evoke the classic gothic vibes of the '80s without straying into nostalgia. "Far from God" begins with one of the finest songs of its kind that I have ever heard. "Cross Your Heart" is absolutely exquisite: hewn from gleaming, post-punk debris but blessed with all the sumptuous atmosphere that this band have made their trademark, it bolsters the familiar with vast amounts of otherworldly charm and a guitar hook so huge and undeniable that it will be lodged in your own, personal mind palace within seconds of first exposure. Dedicated goths will foam at the mouth.

The same is true of the title track, which strikes a sublime balance between high-spec gothic rock and the swirling, hazily defined malevolence that has informed many of MOONSPELL's past triumphs. Gorgeous and hypnotic, it is one of the band's finest songs to date, and an irresistible salute to aspiring vampires everywhere.

Remarkably, "Far from God" never deviates from its conceptual mission. Although Fernando Ribeiro's lyrics are as cryptic as they are poetic, a powerful sense of bone-chilling emotion pervades the entire record, and from its opening brace of elegant new anthems, to the darker and grittier songs that bring it to a close, this is plainly as complete an album as MOONSPELL have ever recorded. At times, "Far from God" is a tornado of bombast and dark magick, with songs like "Biblical" and "Your Promise of Light" that go straight for the gothic jugular and embellish their comparatively straightforward structures with eerie keyboards and moments of ghostly disquiet. Elsewhere, "The Great Wolf in the Sky" is another formidable pinnacle of morbidity, albeit one with a ferociously catchy chorus and disarming, horror-friendly keyboard tailwinds; "For the Love of Mortals" is a miraculous, multi-layered exercise in blasphemous serenity, as Ribeiro employs the softest edges of his voice to conjure images of hopelessly doomed romance; and "Our Freedom to Fall" is this album's big, arena metal declaration, with slow-mo riffing that nods politely to TYPE O NEGATIVE, and a barbarous vocal from Ribeiro that harks back to MOONSPELL's earliest days. Equally heavy is the closing "Reconquista", which leaves fang marks on the furniture as it death marches to its epic conclusion amid a monstrous barrage of riffs and ornate, lyrical soloing from guitarist Ricardo Amorim. Just like the seven songs that precede it, it gives the entire notion of gothic metal an impossibly classy upgrade.

MOONSPELL have made plenty of classic albums in the past, but "Far from God" is bold and brave enough to be regarded as, at the very least, one of their most significant statements and, perhaps, the truest expression of their creative essence yet. Either way, this is one of the finest albums of 2026 and a timely reminder that love is stronger than death.