VERTIKAL

An album loosely based on Fritz Lang's science-fiction classic 'Metropolis'. It's a dark, brooding, heavy and synthesizer-laden epic. Yes, it's just another post-metal album, but it's in a style I've not quite heard before; certain parts wouldn't sound out of place in a Nine Inch Nails album, others Godspeed You! Black Emperor, then the slow-burning epic riffs that Cult of Luna have become known for. But what's most original about an album of this genre, is it's use of synthesizers; the closest I can compare it to is Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream.

I've always found post-metal albums a little hard to digest. The way they interchange from instrumental/post rock to sludge metal often means I struggle to find a 'mood' that can accompany the music. However, Vertikal is almost all I've played for the past few days. In between the mostly 8-to-20 minute songs I find myself involuntarily and almost hypnotically swaying my head. The way they've managed to portray this dystopian soundscape in each and every song, truly is, something very special.

In my eyes, or by my ears, this is the best Cult of Luna album to date, and perhaps even the best post-metal album that I've ever heard. 5 stars out of 5.