by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Moonspell's Irreligious confirms that the Portuguese band has a grasp on gloomy, morbid metal and knows how to create monolithic, menacing sounds. However, it also proves that the group is still struggling to write songs and even memorable riffs. Judged as pure sound, Irreligious is a powerful slice of visceral power, but no one outside of die-hard metal fans will have the patience to slog through these muddy, malicious noises.