Moonspell

For those who have a penchant for the dark, driving rhythms and somewhat predictable formula of goth metal, Moonspell might be a worthy of a listen. The fact that this band hails from Portugal is one selling point for Darkness and Hope, as not too many goth type bands come from that neck of the woods, as far as I know. I was hoping this might make for an interesting and unique sound. Unfortunately, Moonspell, as it turns out, pretty much just fits the mould for generic dark metal. Not to say that there isn't some guitar and percussion work that is worthy of a mention, it just seems that the whole thing is a little too "verse chorus verse" for my liking. There isn't enough going on to keep you from wanting to keep skipping to the next track. Some catchier moments include "Devilred" and the more gothic "Than The Serpents In My Arms," but they just aren't doing anything new and, overall, they just lose the pace with the slower numbers. If you're going to be metal, then be metal and leave the ballads to the boy bands.