Band:	Moonspell
Album:	Irreligious
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	July 29, 1996
A review by:	Dream Taster

Disc I
01. Perverse... Almost Religious
02. Opium
03. Awake
04. For A Taste Of Eternity
05. Ruin & Misery
06. A Poisoned Gift
07. Subversion
08. Raven Claws
09. Mephisto
10. Herr Spiegelmann
11. Full Moon Madness
12. Opium [radio edit][limited deluxe bonus]

Disc II [Moonspell Live Across Europe, Winter 1996/1997: limited deluxe bonus live CD]
01. Intro
02. Opium
03. Awake!
04. Ruin & Misery
05. Raven Claws
06. Herr Spiegelmann
07. Mephisto
08. Intro
09. For A Taste Of Eternity
10. Full Moon Madness

When I think about depressive melodies, the first country that comes to my mind is surely not Portugal. However, this gothic/doom metal band called Moonspell is from Portugal and these musicians show once again that metal is a worldwide music. 1996's Irreligious was released one year after Wolfheart and from the first note, it's easy to hear the difference between these two albums [from black to gothic metal]. This time, Fernando Ribeiro [the singer] sings as he never managed [or tried?] to do before. But more than his voice, this album just amazes me due to the [insane] beauty exhaled by the songs.

'Perverse... Almost Religious' is a short - religious - instrumental introduction for one of the highlights of the album, 'Opium', which was the single for Irreligious. Fernando Ribeiro alternates tenor vocals with death-like screams with talent, and at first, I must say that it's very surprising! The bass lines are incredibly powerful and that unique song is worth any other previous effort from the band. But the surprise is even bigger when you understand that Irreligious is made as a concept album: all the songs are perfectly musically linked. 'For a Taste of Eternity' and 'Ruin & Misery' have everything to be one of the weirdest couple of songs I've ever heard. I mean, this album has that insane gothic atmosphere and in the same time it has powerful melodies with both angelic and death lines. That's something very strange, but so delightful!
While you are totally caught by the spirit of the album, 'A Poisoned Gift' pushes again the limits of perversion and it's not the woman screaming at the beginning of the song that would help you to feel safer. In my opinion, that song is one of the best Moonspell's compositions ever [along with 'Opium'].

Before the insane grand final, you could be astonished by the track called 'Raven Claws'. This song sounds like something totally new on Irreligious. This is due to the fact that Fernando Ribeiro is handling vocals with a female singer and the result is mind-blowing! 'Raven Claws' is something else on this album. The kind of songs really unorthodox... but still really refreshing [especially lyrically speaking]. Finally, the last three tracks ['Mephisto', 'Herr Spiegelmann' and 'Full Moon Madness'] would drive you into the strange world of Moonspell: a darken universe full of sorrowful souls.

Moonspell's Irreligious is definitely a gift to melancholy. Each track is worth listening to. Unfortunately, the band will never manage to produce another album in the same 'spirit' as Irreligious despite a whole bunch of good albums, but in slightly different styles each time. But as Fernando Ribeiro likes to say, music was created to evolve and Moonspell is always creating with that in mind.