Darkness & Hope

Recorded 2001 Review: The Portuguese dark force returns with their 5th full-length. Carrying on their brooding textures, 'Darkness & Hope' actually reaches further into the depths of morbidity to come up with an album that is chilling, haunting & full of dark introspection. 'Darkness & Hope' was granted a layer of sonic greatness by H.I.M. Producer Hiili Hiilesmaa & features a cover of the enduring Ozzy Osbourne classic, 'Mr. Crowley'. If you like your Hard Rock dark, melodramatic, romantic, vampiric... Look no further than the latest by Portugal's children of the night, Moonspell. This album is a real breath of fresh air. So many Goth bands seem to avoid bringing a harder edge into their music & so many "Goth/Metal" bands are simply not Goth, but Black Metal. Moonspell once again combine their traditional Heavy Metal influence with the brooding, romantic Goth rock which flourished in the underground during the 80's. This is without a doubt their best album since Ireligeous. They've toned down some of the over the top theatrics & campiness of that album but still delivered one of the best Goth albums of 2001. On Darkness & Hope, Moonspell have brought back the Vampiric charm & wonderfully "witchy" vibes of their earlier sound. This time around their 80's Gothic Rock influence really shines through brightly (in a dark way of course). Fernando's rich baritone is stronger & more mature than ever. He still sounds like Dracula. The music, though catchier, is much darker in essence than their last two albums & that is something that I was very pleased with. And yes, they're still writing songs about Vampires, the Night, Goth Chicks, Love, Sorrow, etc.... I can't wait to hear the next album. Oh, & their cover of Ozzy's Mr. Crowley blew me away. 1. Darkness And Hope 2. Firewalking 3. Nocturna 4. Heartshaped Abyss 5. Devilred 6. Ghostsong 7. Repaces 8. Made Of Storm 9. How We Became Fire 10. Than The Serpents In My Arms 11. Os Senhores Da Guerra Plus 2 vids