u/aliayyaz90

After a couple of listens, I think this is Moonspell’s strongest album in a long time. It’s not the heaviest thing they’ve ever done, but it absolutely nails the atmosphere. The keyboards are the MVP of the album and Ricardo’s guitar work is phenomenal throughout. Fernando's vocals are more diverse than any prior album, and he picks his battles very wisely. Just my first impressions track by track:

1. Cross Your Heart: Probably my least favorite. Catchy, almost poppy riff. I can see gothic rock fans loving it, but it didn’t have the emotional depth the rest of the album has.

2. Far From God: That intro is incredible. I was expecting it to go somewhere much darker, but it took a different route. Great lyrics and one of the best bass performances on the album.

3. Biblical: Love at first listen. The slow build from that opening bass line into the final climax is so satisfying. Reminded me of Lunar Still (Antidote), but I think they pulled it off even better here. The guitar solo will be a treat to watch live

4. The Great Wolf in the Sky: This is where I understood the whole “Irreligious for the 21st century” comparison. Haunting keyboards and great guitars. I just wish the lyrics hit as hard as the music.

5. Your Promise of Light: Hypnotizing atmosphere. Loved the oriental feel of the main riff and Fernando switching between whispers and growls depending on the lyrics.

6. For the Love of Mortals: Beautiful. Ricardo’s guitar melodies reminded me of Domina (Extinct) - not that the riffs are similar but that how good he is at crafting melodious, melancholic leads. Honestly feels like the closest Moonspell have ever come to writing a ballad, and it completely works.

7. Our Freedom to Fall: Ah, finally, the chuggy chug riffs. Heaviest song on the album. Fernando sounds absolutely massive here and I can already see this becoming a live staple.

8. Reconquista: Epic closer. Got serious Full Moon Madness (Irreligious) vibes from the opening. Best guitar solo on the album, and the “Under the Moon, Under the Spell” chant gave me goosebumps.

Overall, I love how confident this album sounds. The focus on atmosphere and emotion instead of heaviness sits really well with me.

Curious to hear everyone else’s thoughts!

Hi, here I am with more unpopular opinions.

Now that PSL is concluded and the players hated by this sub performed, we are seeing a lot of posts about the Ishtiari thing Hafeez said. Such posts only show how quickly we buy into buzzwords and headlines, and how badly we lack original thought.

From intent, to SR, to modern-day cricket, to ishtiari. We didn't think of what those things mean, and what counters to those exist, rather we chose to follow them and shout them out loud. (Someone Google the meaning of Ishtiari Superstar and post in the comments. It will be a fun mental exercise for you all)

Anyone who performs in PSL is a PSL star. The problem would have been if someone didn't perform in PSL and was made a PSL star.

There is no logic in trying to undermine PSL performances. A player should try to perform in every match, whether it is gully cricket, league cricket, or international. When they succeed, appreciate. When they don't, respectfully criticize.

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The fact remains that many of our players are not competitive enough internationally at the moment, but that is no reason to defame them or take away from their good performances otherwise.

I know all this is hard to grasp, and hence I get ridiculed and abused here a lot, but still, it has to be said.

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PS. Another thing to add is that the player you are quoting made millions in the past month, talking about this ishtiari league and ishtiari stars... and before that spent years trying to be an ishtiari star in this ishtiari league.

Joke's on you.

They've had a vocalist change... but overall the composition and instrumentation remains very similar to previous albums.

Any fans of the band here?