MOONSPELL – THE ANTIDOTE
Century Media - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
Moonspell are band that never likes to conform to just one sound as with each album that has come out has differed from the last and with
The Antidote the band has definitely changed since
Darkness and Hope.
Fans of old albums like
Wolfheart and
Irreligious may find
The Antidote more to their liking because
Moonspell has found itself playing heavier again and Fernado also has found his harsh voice back. However, this does not mean that the band has totally ignored the goth tendencies of the past albums and thus it makes
The Antidote a fusion of their past sounds and the end result is once again something new for the band.
“In and Above Men” starts off the album with a very aggressive attitude and right away Fernando sings with his harsh voice. “From Lowering Skies” also showcases that aggression but it is allowed to build slowly with great tribal-like drumming, a haunting guitar melody, moody atmospherics and Fernando singing in his spoken baritone tone and then the aggression comes in when Fernando screams “FROM LOWERING SKIES!” From then on, the song follows the pattern of having the softer verses and the heavier choruses. Other songs like “Everything Invaded” (with its acoustic guitars) and “The Southern Deathstyle” (with a slithery guitar riff and yet more excellent rhythmic drumming) follow that similar pattern of combining the aggression and the soft.
The Antidote does begin to drag a bit as the album progresses through the latter stages due to their length, less inspiration in some songs and despite some great ideas that are showcased but were not refined like in “Lunar Still”. It begins with an ethereal and dark mood that is slow, atmospheric and features excellent keyboard melodies as well as Fernando speaking in a whispering, rough voice but it lasts way too long before the band jumps and speeds it up and then the song ends with more of a space-like atmosphere. It’s a good song but it could have been even better with some editing.
The Antidote also includes a multimedia portion that features the “Everything Invaded” video and a feature of “The Antidote” novel by Portuguese writer José Luis Peixoto. It would have been cool to see this but my Mac would not open it.
Overall,
The Antidote is a good album that is a return to form in some ways but it still finds
Moonspell moving forward. It will be interesting to see where the band goes from here.
Century Media Website
Moonspell Official Website
