The world of gothic metal is one that I’ve always had a hard time really tapping into since it can often feel like there are far too many bands with a pretentious feel to their material or it’s simply not good, but one constant name that I’ve almost always been able to rely on in order to do the style justice is undoubtedly Moonspell. This is a band that needs no introduction whatsoever with their reputation being all but revered in the style, and any new album from them is good cause to stir with anticipation. With “Hermitage”, that proves to be no different.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that “Hermitage” disappointed me at first. There were plenty of moments throughout these ten tracks where Moonspell felt like they were dragging their feet with songs that stagnated in the same location for far too long and too much repetition in multiple songs. But, it’s oftentimes the second or even third listen that’s even more important than the first since you can reanalyze what you’ve heard and hopefully discover something the first pass didn’t produce, and that’s absolutely the case here. The overall pace of “Hermitage” feels very deliberate with much of it acting more of a slow burn than anything else with much of that lumbering force giving way at the most strategic times to give us a satisfying punch of speed, increased melody, atmosphere, intensity, and everything in between as the soothing presence of the vocals carry us through the glorious instrumentation. While I still do find there to be a slight repeating factor throughout the album that is annoying poking at the back of my mind, Moonspell does a tremendous job at keeping our attention through riffs, emotion, and gripping musicianship for the entirety of “Hermitage” such that it might very well take the crown as the best work of its kind that has happened since their last album, and it’d be only fitting if that were the case.

If you’ve heard Moonspell before, you already know what you’re in for when you listen to “Hermitage”, but it’s still greatly interesting to listen to as the band has the clear mindset of being able to keep it all at least moderately fresh whereas others might drop the ball and the listener is lulled to sleep rather than compelled to hear more. More than anything else, “Hermitage” is an entertaining work that demands the respect of all who listen to gothic metal, and it’s another testament to Moonspell’s place in the hierarchy of the style at large.

“Hermitage” releases on February 26th via Napalm Records!

PRE-ORDER “Hermitage” via multiple sources here.

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Hermitage” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Moonspell on Facebook here.