{"id":6347,"date":"2012-04-27T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2012-04-27T00:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=6347"},"modified":"2013-06-01T15:57:14","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T15:57:14","slug":"album-review-moonspell-alpha-noir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-moonspell-alpha-noir\/","title":{"rendered":"MOONSPELL – Alpha Noir (2012) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOONSPELL
Alpha Noir<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nNapalm (2012)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Portuguese metallers Moonspell return with Alpha Noir<\/em>, an album that reinforces the idea that they are still, in fact, one of metal\u2019s premier acts. Over the last decade, the band have increasingly pursued the gothic side of their sound to the point that many metal fans simply walked away thinking the band had lost interest. Not unlike brethren Paradise Lost and Amorphis though, Moonspell dig deep and craft a much heavier album than anyone expected. <\/p>\n

Alpha Noir<\/em> is a welcome revisit to the band\u2019s early works and probably their most ferocious sounding since their debut, Wolfheart<\/em> (1995). This is due in no small part to the guitar work. Throughout this album the guitars offer face melting riffs and wild soloing that lasts more than a few seconds here and there. Additionally, there is a ton of lead work happening at all times and it just makes everything bigger and angrier.<\/p>\n

\u2018Axis Mundi\u2019, \u2018Lickanthrope\u2019, the title track and \u2018Love Is Blasphemy\u2019 are perfect examples of how rockin\u2019 this album gets. While they still maintain a gothic underpinning, the guitars and aggressive vocals that are at the fore command your attention. They have killer riff led verses with an explosive chorus that make you want to pump your leather studded wrist band laden fist in the air and sing along. I love most of Moonspell\u2019s work but it\u2019s been quite awhile since I could say the band moved me in that particular way.<\/p>\n

For my money, \u2018Opera Carne\u2019 is the centrepiece here. It\u2019s got some really memorable lead guitar pieces and a vocal that sounds like its wordsmith is being torn to pieces as he sings. When the chorus hits, it blankets you in Rammstein-esque gang vocals that sound like a million angry oppressed. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all upbeat here, don\u2019t get me wrong. Fans of the bands last few albums will find traces of things to enjoy as well. Most notably, \u2018Sine Misssione\u2019 which has a very atmospheric feel to it that reminds me a bit of Sin \/ Pecado<\/em>\u2019s material (1998). \u2018Em Nome do Medo\u2019 is another moment that leans more to the gothier side, although its edges are still heavy.<\/p>\n

To further showcase the band\u2019s darker side, the limited edition version of Alpha Noir<\/em> features a second disc that leans more towards the band\u2019s more ever evolving gothic sound. \u2018Versus\u2019, with its underlying disco beat, and the forgettable \u2018Grandstand\u2019 are the only weak moments here. <\/p>\n

Moonspell are one of those bands that always bring it but I was shocked to hear such an aggressive album from them as they seemed to have moved past this style a long time ago. If you are a fan of the first couple of albums and lost heart then you should come back asap. If you love the band\u2019s output in the new millennium, you\u2019ll still enjoy plenty of this but be sure to pick the special edition so you can feel entirely fulfilled. <\/p>\n

Mark Fisher<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOONSPELLAlpha Noir Napalm (2012)Rating: 8\/10 Portuguese metallers Moonspell return with Alpha Noir, an album that reinforces the idea that they are still, in fact, one of metal\u2019s premier acts. Over the last decade, the band have increasingly pursued the gothic side of their sound to the point that many metal fans simply walked away thinking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[278],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moonspell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6347"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12198,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347\/revisions\/12198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}