Moonspell are back, and they’ve really delivered something special with their new album Extinct. Ten tracks of magnificent melodic darkness, this is a release you absolutely don’t want to miss.
One of the best things about Moonspell is the way they utilise the harsh and clean vocals, drawing both styles into the mix and showing an uncanny ability to choose exactly the right style when the occasion calls. A great example of this is during the title track Extinct; it begins with a heavier sort of feel to the instrumentation and after a short mysterious section with muttered and whispered vocals, the music is subsequently backed up by some incredibly powerful harsh vocals and the clean vocals get fully underway during the chorus, adding a whole lot of emotion to the song and crafting a section that’s impossible not to sing along to! The two different styles are juxtaposed nicely against one another; the harsh vocals have a gravelly rough tone and the clean vocals are smooth and controlled, so the difference is very striking and effective.
The Last Of Us is more of an instrumentally-powered song, giving the other band members their time to shine. With a stunning solo guitar introduction before the whole band joins in and hit you like a tonne of bricks, it’s a striking way to get things moving to say the least and a great element of this song in particular is the way the instruments do their own thing at times yet don’t sound out of place whilst doing so – the little melodies and ideas that crop up here and there work really well.
Quite simply, Extinct could well be one of the best albums Moonspell has ever created. It just has everything and it’s difficult to find any faults with it – it goes without saying that Moonspell is absolutely on top of their game right now and it’s a pleasure to be able to witness it.
9.5/10
