For each of their albums, Moonspell strikes a different balance between their gothic rock side and their more metallic leanings. Personally, I prefer Moonspell as a gothic rock band with metal influences rather than the other way around, and that is exactly the way they sound on ‘Far From God’. Guitarist Ricardo Amorim largely creates atmospheric clean parts rather than riffs here, and Fernando Ribero’s vocals are mostly clean. Compared to its 2021 predecessor ‘Hermitage’, however, the song structures are more clearly defined, while the songwriting itself is highly memorable without being overly simple or predictable.

Some media outlets have described ‘Far From God’ as ‘Irreligious‘ part two, but that description is both lazy and misleading. Compared to the hazy, hypnotizing atmosphere of ‘Irreligious’, ‘Far From God’ is much darker and more ominous. It’s also stronger on a song-by-song basis, with every composition having enough standout moments to not require the rest of the album to make sense. In a way, ‘Far From God’ is a far more logical follow-up to ‘Hermitage’. It takes the overall laid-back, gothic atmosphere of that album and adds a much clearer sense of direction, which certainly kept me on the edge of my seat.

A small word of warning to those who have heard the two singles from the album and formed their opinion based on that: while both the title track and opener ‘Cross Your Heart’ give a decent general impression of the album in the sense that they show a very gothic Moonspell, they also make the album come across as far more straightforward than it actually is. For me personally, the album doesn’t properly start until the brooding, sultry masterpiece that is ‘Biblical’. From then on, the songs are less tied to a standard verse-chorus structure and allowed to develop a little more naturally, with occasionally spectacular results.

If you are looking for a more riff-heavy, but no less atmospheric Moonspell, the last two songs have got you covered. ‘Our Freedom to Fall’ has a twisted post-rock feel to it, while the brilliant ‘Reconquista’ is the perfect closer due to its epic set-up. Both feature some excellent lead guitar work. The more subtle ‘Your Promise of Light’ is actually one of my favorites here. It has Fernando Ribeiro’s best vocal performance on the album and the way the song slowly increases its intensity is impressive. ‘The Great Wolf in the Sky’ sounds extremely dynamic through its excellent use of space, while ‘For the Love of Mortals’ is the most traditional gothic song, with another fantastic Amorim solo.

Whether ‘Far From God’ will be for you depends on your tolerance for Moonspell’s gothic rock side. For me personally, the Portuguese quintet cannot get gothic enough, so the fact that the album is barely metal is no issue whatsoever. This is as close to Moonspell as I would want to hear them as realistically possible. There are always things to wish for – most prominently, Fernando Ribeiro’s semi-operatic voice he apparently put to rest – but there is so much good, highly dynamic songwriting here that this is an easy recommendation to anyone who enjoys atmospheric rock music that doesn’t drown in its own atmosphere.

Recommended tracks: ‘Biblical’, ‘Your Promise of Light’, ‘Reconquista’