Release Date July 3rd, 2026
Format LP/CD/Digital
Genre Gothic Metal
Origin Portugal
Moonspell formed in Lisbon in 1992 after beginning life under the name Morbid God. Led by vocalist Fernando Ribeiro, the band emerged from Portugal’s underground and developed a distinct mixture of gothic metal, black metal and dark rock. “Wolfheart” introduced their nocturnal character in 1995, followed by “Irreligious”, an album whose melodies, sensual darkness and religious imagery brought them wider recognition. Their history has since crossed atmospheric experimentation, electronic textures and heavier territory across releases such as “Sin/Pecado”, “The Antidote”, “Night Eternal”, “Extinct” and “Hermitage”. The current lineup consists of Ribeiro, guitarist Ricardo Amorim, keyboardist Pedro Paixão, bassist Aires Pereira and drummer Hugo Ribeiro. More than three decades after their formation, Moonspell remains among Portugal’s most internationally established metal bands, retaining the romantic gloom and occult imagery attached to their name.
“Far From God” places Moonspell deep inside gothic metal, using low guitar chords, broad keyboard arrangements and Fernando Ribeiro’s grave vocal register to build an imposing atmosphere. Jaime Gomez Arellano’s production brings definition to the rhythm section and lets the keyboards widen the music without reducing the guitars to background decoration.
The title song joins vampiric romance with religious doubt, moving through heavy riffs, layered keys and sudden dynamic turns. “Cross Your Heart” follows a steadier pulse, connecting roadside memorials and premature death with melodies shaped by grief. “The Great Wolf In The Sky” expands into a grander form through Alicia Nuhro’s strings, harmonized guitars and a chorus designed for communal voices. Elsewhere, sacred symbols, guilt, mortality, redemption, wolves and vampires create a coherent lyrical realm rooted in human loss instead of costume imagery.
The album’s eight songs offer enough variation in pace and arrangement to prevent its gothic character becoming monotonous. Its grandeur occasionally approaches excess, though the disciplined songwriting holds the darker romantic character together. “Far From God” presents Moonspell in rich, somber form, with substantial riffs, memorable choruses and emotional depth beneath the religious and supernatural imagery. It is an album shaped by shadow, melody and devotion to gothic metal, completed with Eliran Kantor’s painted artwork as an appropriate visual seal.
|8.3
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