Portuguese gothic metal legends MOONSPELL have opened up about their upcoming album Far From God, set for release on July 3, 2026 via Napalm Records. Vocalist and lyricist Fernando Ribeiro described the record simply: "This is a very simple, easy-to-listen-to gothic metal album" — and from what he has revealed, it sounds like a deliberate and confident return to MOONSPELL's atmospheric core.
The album arrives five years after 2021's Hermitage, a gap driven by the band prioritizing genuine inspiration over industry pressure. Rather than rushing material to market between touring cycles, MOONSPELL allowed the creative process to unfold on its own terms.
The songwriting process was unusually laborious even by MOONSPELL's standards. Ribeiro revealed the band produced approximately 50 lyrical variations and explored around 10 different album titles before settling on the final vision — an uncommonly complex creative journey for a group known for their focused atmospheric identity.
Musically, Far From God features a blend of clean and screaming vocals, heavy guitar work layered with baroque keyboards, and thematic material drawing from vampiric romance, mortality, and existential contemplation. Ribeiro noted influences from both classic gothic acts and modern electronic-leaning bands, while stressing the album's emotional authenticity over artificial polish.
The record was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano, who also helmed Hermitage, providing a sense of sonic continuity between the two albums. Album artwork was handled by Eliran Kantor, renowned for his painterly metal cover art.
The eight-track album opens with "Cross Your Heart" and the title track "Far From God," and includes highlights such as "The Great Wolf In The Sky" — which features string arrangements — alongside "Our Freedom To Fall" and several other explorations of romantic darkness and gothic atmosphere.
MOONSPELL have been one of Europe's most enduring and distinctive gothic metal voices since forming in Lisbon in 1989. Far From God promises to add another compelling chapter to one of the genre's great catalogues.