Entry 638 - Moonspell - The Antidote

Style: Gothic metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Supernatural, spells, vampirism

Thoughts: Moonspell is a curious band to me. Their most celebrated period (Wolfheart and Irreligious) is the part that I enjoy the least out of all of their discography. I got into the band with Sin/Pecado and was intrigued by the gothic/atmospheric rock that was on that album. It still remains one of my favorite in the band's extensive discography.

In each new album there is a defining characteristic. With The Antidote the band explores arguably their most guitar driven album. The keyboards are exceptionally limited on this release, making up less than five minutes of the total playtime. It's quite a shift for a band that has featured them prominently since their debut EP.

The risk with removing such a key (pun intended) component to their sound is that the deep atmosphere that the band has always produced would be limited or lacking. I am happy to report that this is not the case with The Antidote. The atmosphere is still in tact - just different.

Instead of the keyboards filling out the sound, the guitars now fill that role. Often the guitars will have a great amount of delay on them or use open chords to make up for the lack of keyboards. The single plucked notes in From Lowering Skies is a great example of this. The guitars are simple yet feel like they take up a great amount of audio real-estate due to how they are produced. 

Everything Invaded uses open chords to a great effect. The title track continues this use combined with a delay effect on the guitar to open up the song. This opening is also one of the few parts where keyboards are featured prominently in the album. Even then they are regulated to only a few notes.

Moonspell tends to be an inconsistent band for me. Some of their albums are incredible, leagues above most entries into the gothic metal scene. Others fall flat on their face. The Antidote trends more towards the good side than the bad. The songs flow well into one another and the song writing is strong - especially in the first half of the album.  Despite this, The Antidote will find it's way back onto my turntable in short order.

Written December 14th 2023