Band:	Moonspell
Album:	Night Eternal
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	May 19, 2008
A review by:	Jeff

Disc I [CD]
01. At Tragic Heights
02. Night Eternal
03. Shadow Sun
04. Scorpion Flower [ft. Anneke Van Giersbergen]
05. Moon In Mercury
06. Hers Is The Twilight
07. Dreamless (Lucifer And Lilith)
08. Spring Of Rage
09. First Light
10. Age Of Mothers [limited edition bonus]
11. Earth Of Mine [limited edition bonus]
12. Unhearted [limited edition bonus]
13. Scorpion Flower [cut][acoustic version][limited edition bonus]
14. Scorpion Flower [cut][limited edition bonus]

Disc II [Live In Wacken Open Air DVD]
01. Finisterra
02. Memento Mori
03. Blood Tells
+ Finisterra [video]
+ Luna [video]
+ Finisterra [making of the video]

Since the album "Memorial", I think that everybody considers that Moonspell is definitely back to the top of the best of the best of the Metal scene. This album is considered as one of the best releases of the combo and since that day everybody was waiting for a great new release. We had the chance to listen to last year the re-edition of old songs through "Under Satanae" but now the time to talk about the new original release of Moonspell is coming. "Night Eternal", the new Moonspell is in my hand and luckily, one more time we will not be disappointed!

If you like "Memorial" I'm quite sure that you'll love "Night Eternal". Like the previous release of the band, "Night Eternal" is a lovely album of violent Gothic music. Fernando Ribeiro still sings with strong Death vocals which are maliciously mixed to fantastic dark melodies and sumptuous orchestrations. The music of "Night Eternal" is simply great, dark but beautiful, violent but touching and some songs like "First Light" are among the best writings of the combo. "Night Eternal" is really epic but with a really disturbing general ambiance. When I listen to this new album I really think that Moonspell is at the best of its art, the nine songs all have some great passages, the performances of the musicians are perfect and I even think that the first fans of the combo will find musical structures which will remind them the beginning of the combo. You'll maybe need some listening to totally fall in love with "Night Eternal" but in the end I'm sure that all the fans of Moonspell will pray the release.

Even if we will probably all agree on the point that "Night Eternal" is a great album, I have to regret though the lack of surprises of the release. I mean that "Night Eternal" simply follows the road of "Memorial". This is definitely not bad thing, "Memorial" is a great album and I will not whine or anything if the following next album is in the same vein but Moonspell was always a surprising and original band in the past (with good like bad tries) and I regret that this time the Portuguese have simply kept the recipe of their last release. Yes, "Night Eternal" is great and is probably one of the best releases of Moonspell but don't expect the little touch with "different things" this time , "Night Eternal" is amazing ok but not so surprising.

To date, "Night Eternal" is probably the deeper album of the Portuguese combo. Its production is fantastic (one more time this is Tue Madsen who was in charge to do it), the orchestrations are amazing, the performance of Anneke Van Giersbergen on "Scorpion Flower" is beautiful and really the epic and theatrical side of the album will give you shivers. "Night Eternal" must be considered as the great successor of "Memorial", you'll maybe not rediscover Moonspell through this CD but you can be sure that you'll listen to one of the most magisterial album of their discography. "Night Eternal" proves one more time that after some deceiving releases, Moonspell is finally back at the top with its last three releases.