Review by Adam M on November 8, 2017.

The new Moonspell is interesting in that it is sung in the band’s native Portuguese language. That doesn’t take away from the power of the performances, however. They are all passionate and full of life. The vocals have a certain amount of energy and venom to them that resonates strongly with the listener. The guitars also have the appropriate amount of bite to add character to the performances. Overall, this is instrumentally a strong album with a lot going for it. The music is gothic, but also has a bit of a dark metal vibe to it that makes it wonderfully atmospheric.

Compared to the last album Extinct, the songs here are more aggressive and perhaps less moody. This contrasts nicely with the previous album and makes for good reason to have a new release from the band. There is simply a lot of variety in the discography of Moonspell at the moment as is shown by their last two releases in particular. There are people that appreciate the classics like Wolfheart, but I believe the best music of the band is what is currently on the market. The album opens up nicely with En Nome do Medo, which is a thrilling opening number to the album. The music becomes even more dense and assertive as it progresses, however. It all culminates in Todos Os Santos, which is a very strong track. There isn’t enough innovation for the music to be truly mind blowing, but it still manages to make an impact.

The fact that the vocals are in Portuguese doesn’t have a huge effect on the songs, as they are strong regardless. There is a nice mood created that is more aggressive than the previous work and carries with it a certain degree of venom. The whole affair has the band sounding like they poured all of their energy and heart into the work. This resonates strongly and makes for a potent display of metal might. It’s hard to say if this is better than the previous effort Extinct, but 1755 is certainly a worthy album in its own right.

Rating: 7.6/10