Extinct

"What I like about Extinct is that, to some extent, it's a blend of Alpha Noir and Omega White. That pair split Moonspell's sound into two contrasting camps, the heavier black metal side and the more melodic gothic side ... The diluting effect of bonuses may well account for a somewhat diminished feeling of the impact the album has on me. Alpha Noir and Omega White both were concise in this regard. On the other hand, I prefer how Extinct sounds on the whole, as no component of the whole completely overpowers any other. Thus vocals, guitars, keys and orchestrations balance well together on the rhythm section. The end result is lighter in feeling as well as somewhat less intrusive in its twists and turns than some of the previous albums. As I said, all in all it's not just a good album, it's a very good album in proper doses".

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"From the opening lead of 'Breathe (Until We Are No More)' it is instantly clear that Moonspell has once more tapped into what made them the truly great band they are ... One has to dig to find negatives on this album. Some of the clean vocal lines in 'Malignia' sound a tad strained, which does not wholly ruin a slow but aggressive number that fits nicely alongside the rest of the album. Lastly, the closing song 'La Baphomette' is a strange, lounge-y piece of music with some interesting piano. The closing vocal lines all sung together aren't bad, but this one should either have been fleshed out a little bit more or left off altogether. Small complaints for what is otherwise a glorious return to form for a multifaceted band, and one of the original throwbacks to that magical Century Media roster from the middle 90's".

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