CULT OF LUNA

"The Beyond" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish sludge/post-metal act Cult of Luna. The album was released through Earache Records in February 2003. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from 2001 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Axel Stattin has been replaced by Andreas Johansson.

Stylistically the material on the album is a continuation of the crushingly heavy post-hardcore/sludge/post-metal style, which Cult of Luna initiated on their debut album. "The Beyond" is generally a more varied and adventurous release than the predecessor, but the core style is pretty much the same. Neurosis is a valid reference but when the band are most heavy and darkly groovy I´m predominantly reminded of fellow Swede post-hardcore act Breach.

"The Beyond" is a very long album featuring 10 tracks and a total playing time of 74:56 minutes, but it´s an album which doesn´t overstay its welcome. Cult of Luna are clever composers who understand that variation and effectful memorable moments are necessary for a listener to sit through a 75 minutes long album. The tracks vary between crushingly heavy post-hardcore sections with aggressive shouting vocals, to mellow slow building post-rock/metal sections, to atmospheric epic sections. "The Beyond" is in many ways a long musical journey and to get the best out of it, you´ll have to completely surrender to it.

The album is well produced featuring a powerful, detailed, and heavy sound production, which suits the material well. The band are a well playing unit too and upon conclusion "The Beyond" is a good quality release from Cult of Luna. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

7th January: Cult of Luna - A Dawn to Fear (atmospheric sludge metal, 2019)

Something awoke in me when Mariner came out. I went from honestly never enjoying anything from this band, or if I'm honest most of the entire atmospheric sludge metal genre, to steadily enjoying them more and more as I revisit each album. This one is the first post-Mariner and although it's obviously missing that album's star player, it does contain a pretty captivating mix of dark, riffy metal and atmospheric post bits. It is thunderously long though, and as with much of this genre, there are vast stretches of absolutely nothing, but I do like quite a few of the recurring riffs, and although this is metal blasphemy, the spots of clean vocal are actually the highlights. This still isn't really my thing genre-wise, but it's getting closer to it by the day.

6.1 (2nd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook blog: www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

Love em or hate em, Sweden's CULT OF LUNA has become one of the most recognized names in post-metal alongside bands like Neurosis, Isis and Agalloch. This band from Umeå has also been quite productive in its two decade career having never taking longer than three years to craft new material to release. This is also one of those bands that continues to become more popular with each subsequent release with a loyal fanbase that seems to go gaga every time the band puts out a new album and so it seems is the case with the band's latest 12th full album release THE LONG ROAD NORTH.

While there is an overlap between what is called atmospheric sludge metal and what has become referred to as post-metal, CULT OF LUNA more than any other has crafted a brand of angsty sludge metal teased out into sprawling post-rock constructs arguable more successfully than any other band out there. Following their huge hit album "A Dawn To Fear" which was top album on many metal sites in 2019, THE LONG ROAD NORTH continues down the post-sludgy highway. One of CULT OF LUNA's trademarks is a long and drifting musical style that almost always slinks past the 60-minute mark and oft pushing the boundaries of CD playing time and this latest 2022 effort is no exception to that rule.

THE LONG ROAD NORTH presents nine brand spankin' new tracks that conspire to steal 69 minutes of your life with CULT OF LUNA's classic atmospheric rivers of post-rock meeting sludge metal and the consistent contrast of emotionally charged clean vocal passages with the dramatic discharge of screaming sludge metal excess. As the band has matured the tones and textures of the ambience have become more sophisticated and augmented by a number of guest musicians which in this case includes four guest musicians that contribute saxophone, flute, lyrics and even more guitars above and beyond the parts the three permanent guitarists already contribute. Despite the abundance of six-strings on board, CULT OF LUNA has oft seemed more of a post-rock band than a true metal band as the metal parts seem like only half the equation but lo and behold when the time is right, the loud and proud aspects of sludgery supreme are let off their leash to a deafening uproar!

Another predominant aspect of CULT OF LUNA's approach is to offer a hypnotic psychedelic flow to its music and in that regard the metal riffs and heavier passages are almost subordinate to. There is a lot more attention paid to the swirling sounds of the softer parts whereas the metal bombast consists of power chords and increased energy level of the bass and drums. A boon for lovers of Krautrock, neo-psychedelic experimentalism and minimalism but somewhat of a downer for metalheads seeking a more robust discharge of guitar, bass and drum fury. CULT OF LUNA seem to be invested in the hypnotic effects of repetition and cyclical loops more in the vein of Godspeed You! Black Emperor than the atomic sludgery of bands like Neurosis but as the opening "Cold Burn" and title track showcase, the band has no problem switching gears to the atmospheric sludge angst of bands like Isis and Panopticon in a heartbeat.

Overall CULT OF LUNA is a band i respect more than actually enjoy. I find their albums a bit too sprawling for my tastes given the limited scope of material presented however there's no denying that the material they craft is effective in what it's trying to achieve. The problem results in the fact that when i want my post-metal sludge attack i want the hardcore no nonsense approach of early Neurosis or the more progressive twists and turns of bands like Intronaut leaving CULT OF LUNA down the list of my interests. Having said that, this band is hotter than freshly ejected magma for a reason and that is because they have mastered a unique atmospheric procession of post-metal that offers that perfect balance of chill time and eruptive outrage however for my tastes THE LONG ROAD NORTH doesn't deviate in style from pretty much every other album CULT OF LUNA has released and the length of the album is an arduous task indeed. A competent and exhilarating album indeed but for me personally this one doesn't really scratch that itch.

3.5 rounded down

Cult of Luna's latest "The Long Road North" is not ground-breaking, iconic, experimental or any of those other clichés often thrown around by music aficionados to classify typical metal releases.

The band knows what they do best and this album confirms that they are one of the best in that particular neck of the post metal woods. This one has all the typical CoL signatures - giant tsunami-like riffs (Cold Burn, The Long Road North), gorgeous, groovy patterns (The Silver Arc, Blood Upon Stone) thunderclap-inducing drumming (An Offering to the Wild) and intricate, almost gentle interludes (Into The Night) plus a few "crazies" (Beyond I) thrown in for good measure.

For my part, I've gotten used to the guttural growls and developed the patience to wait through them for the eventual musical eruptions...but they are definitely an "optional extra" that deters from the brilliant instrumentation.

The Long Road North is similar enough to Dawn of Fear to draw you in to a signature CoL trance and evolved enough to stand apart as the next step in their journey.

A solid 4 stars.

For some, post-metal is THE avant-garde of modern metal. Post-metal, as a musical style, embraces atmosphere and noise at the expense of melody and groove. It is rooted in the intuition that distilling music into something more primordial can, in parallel, resonate with the listener more intimately. But it should also be clear that by abstracting music, or any medium of art really, too much, the music can ultimately lose what makes it different from noise in the first place. Want something primordial? Listen to a volcano eruption. To qualify as music, the chaos must be subdued.

This analysis is not to suggest that Cult of Luna are merely creating noise instead of music. Or that there are no contexts in which this stylistic approach would be appropriate. After all, looking for artists to expand metal's musical vocabular is, in some sense, the very essence of what progressive metal is all about. But for me, the direction of their composition simply gravitates too much to the more formless side of our auditory reality.

For what its worth, I fully recognize that some of my personal favorite artists like The Ocean and Tool make extensive use of post-metal passages in their music. But they never abandon the music's imperative to provide the listener with a groove and melody in the much of the post-metal scene has abandoned it. And so it should come as no surprise that in those moments when The Raging River is an enjoyable listen, they basically sound exactly like The Ocean.

The Raging River is the first release from the band's new record label Red Creek. The band has characterized this release as "... a bridge. A midpoint that needs to be crossed so we can finish what we started with 2019's 'A Dawn to Fear'..." This quote along with the release being branded as an EP despite being 39 minutes long conspire to cast a shadow on just how much faith the band themselves have put in this material. And after a few listens, I can see why.

After the schizophrenic stream of consciousness demonstrated at Eternal Kingdom, Swedish post-metalists from Cult of Luna turn to the abstract elevation and move further away from sludge component, replacing it with abundant electronics inlays, which, by the way, open even more and even larger spaces, as if the listener put in place of the lyrical hero of Mute Departure. In general, post-metal is a genre in which you need to perfectly play intonations, and Cult of Luna always succeeds in doing it great, although, it would seem, the entire field of the genre was plowed almost 10 years ago, when the ball ruled by a well-known group with a forbidden name (in Russia at least).

Yet not burdened by talent, Cult of Luna somehow miraculously still shows the power of post-metal, and they can create truly mesmerizing things with its extraterrestrial beauty in such a chimerical genre, whether it's a psychedelic and powerful I: The Weapon, epic in every sense Vicarious Redemption or piercing Mute Departure. There is a place on the album for more classic CoL things, such as Synchronicity and In Awe Of, well, where without electronic interludes.

Vertikal shows that Swedish adherents are still great masters in creating monuments of their genre, monuments that grow different muscles and which function in a completely magical way. Whether it's the chemistry developed over a long time between the participants, or it's just a huge talent, multiplied by the expedibility of the material on the album (based, as you all know, on the masterpiece of German cinema of the 20s called "Metropolis"), verdict remains simple: a magnificent sample of the '10 post-metal and one of the best albums made by Cult of Luna.

The Beyond is what Cult of Luna is all about, as well as post metal for that matter. The Beyond has atmospheric parts, sludge metal riffs, and screamed vocals. Being my third Cult of Luna album, It is tied with Mariner, with Somewhere Along the Highway being my favorite, just like everyone else. I haven't heard the band's first album but from what I've heard, The Beyond is an extension of their debut, If this is true then there's a little less Cult of Luna for my life. Jokes aside, the album is pretty good.

With a length of about 70 minutes, some people may be turned away from the album but I wasn't. The artwork is appealing to my eye and the music is appealing to my ears. As a fan of post metal (Experimental/Post Metal is like my second most reviewed sub-genre on this website) I ignored the longer length and immersed myself in the music. The music is repetitive, sludge and doom metal riffage that has lot's of atmosphere. (The definition of post metal) The atmospheric parts serve as breaks from the heaviness, and they add variety to the music.

Cult of Luna album number three down the drain. I love Cult of Luna and this album is great. Of course, if you're getting into the band, you should start with Somewhere Along the Highway. If you choose to ignore me, don't worry, this album is great, too.

Cult of Luna is an Experimental/Post Metal band from Sweden, formed in 1998 by Johannes Persson (guitar) and Klas Rydberg (vocals). They released their self-titled debut album in 2001, and in August of 2019, they released their 8th full length album 'A Dawn to Fear'. The current line up for this album consists of founder Persson (guitar and vocals), Gredrik Kihlberg (guitars and vocals), Kristian Karlsson (keyboard and vocals), Andreas Johansson (bass), Magnus Lindberg (drums), and Thomas Hedlund (drums and percussion. Since the band members live in several different locations, they have to work individually a lot, so when they do get together, the time they do have is critical, so they do their best to make it count. Persson comes up with the ideas and then the band together creates a song out of it by adding their input. This large album consists of 8 tracks, but has a run time of just under 80 minutes. The band debated whether to remove one of the tracks, but felt in the end that they were all needed on the album.

'The Silent Man' (10:36) starts off with fuzz and controlled feedback, and a hard and heavy, chunky, moderately fast beat is added and we are on our way. The vocals start, and they are dirty, growling and gritty. The music itself has a very heavy post metal sound, but the beat is surprisingly quick for such a heavy track and it continues to push the track forward. After 3 minutes, it takes a more progressive turn and synths are added as the beat slows a bit and more growling/screaming vocals come in. What is nice here is the addition of the keys which even darken the music more. After 6 minutes, things calm down a bit, the music becomes mysterious and remains dark, yet spacious. Soon, an organ comes in which entices the guitar to push forward again, and the music builds in solidity. The vocals return after 9 minutes with a dark synth line and layers of guitar, and then it all falls apart at the end.

'Lay Your Head to Rest' (6:23) has a moderate and direct beat, almost between a march and heavy industrial sound. Thick layers push it until the dirty vocals start remaining solid and darkly heavy. The layers push down on you making the 'heavy' seem literal. But the music is quite good in the instrumentals, but I have a hard time with the extreme vocals, however, the musicianship keeps me interested. Things get really loud and heavy in the 2nd half, but calm down to pensive organ and a chaffing effect. 'A Dawn to Fear' (8:53) begins with slow, muffled percussion and dark, yet jangling guitars. The singing is more melodic on this one, but is sung softly which, along with the music, seems even more threatening than the louder tracks that came before. At three minutes, the percussion stops, the guitars drone along while an organ plays and the low quiet vocals continue, you feel like you are walking through a tomb. At 4 minutes, the drums and guitars come in a bit more solid, but things still remains quiet, yet very threatening. Then an unexpected guitar solo moves slowly along with the music. Intensity moves up a few levels after 5 minutes, and the growling vocals return. The music continues along slowly, yet remains intriguing as the post metal sound pushes forward.

'Nightwalkers' (10:48) stays with a slow beat which is established right away as a guitar plays a repeating riff and another guitar comes in on top making things darker. The music is a bit reminiscent of the heavy folk metal of Agalloch, but with a definite post metal edge. The music builds as heavy guitar layers come in and the dirty vocals come in well into the 2nd minute. At 5 minutes, there is a sudden change in direction as the percussion speeds up quite a bit with a tense pattern and the guitars take advantage of this by adding power to their melodies. Vocals return after 6 minutes. More intensity and a great, stately guitar theme plays, and then it all breaks down before 8 minutes, then builds back up again. 'Lights on the Hill' (15:07) takes its own sweet time as it crawls along quietly and menacingly. This floats along until minute 4 when the band comes crashing in full force with a powerful and crunchy riff shared by the guitars and the synth. Vocals come in around 8 minutes and a very thick and heavy sound comes together for an extended climactic passage. This one will knock your proverbial socks off. The music cools off after 10 minutes, and you think it's going to just float along again, but suddenly everything just takes right off again, this time with a little more synth embellishment and eventually the growling vocals return. It's not until around the 14 minute mark that things finally cool down.

'We Feel the End' (7:06) is slow, pensive and atmospheric with soft vocals. It's a nice change of pace that comes along right at the right time, especially after the previous barnburner track that came before. This has an Ulver feel to it with a sort of accordion synth sound droning along. Some intensity starts to accumulate before the 5 minute mark, but it still stays relatively soft, yet continues to have that threatening atmosphere. 'Inland Rain' (7:00) continues on the more restrained side of things, but there is a marked increase in intensity here, and the vocals are rougher. The 6/8 rhythm gives it a bit of a swaying feeling and it moves along a bit more, but again stays a bit on the softer side until it hits the 3 minute mark and the heaviness kicks in and remains for the rest of the track crashing drums, thick guitar layers and some nice synth, but overlaid with dirty vocals. The final track is 'The Fall' (13:13) and it uses it's time wisely summing up all of the styles, dynamics and emotions of the album into one long epic track. Hard and heavy with some slower, thoughtful, yet equally evil moments.

The biggest problem I have with this album is personal, and it all has to do with the dirty vocals which are present pretty much throughout. The musicianship is excellent however, and because of its strength and the power in the tracks, it almost allows you to see around the dirty vocals. The fact that there are growling vocals, however, doesn't always completely ruin a band for me since I am able to still appreciate some of the better bands out there like early Opeth, Orphaned Land or Agalloch, but they all have variety in their vocals where this album is mostly dirty growly vocals. This album is solid though, loud mostly and quite emotional with some impressive passages in the guitars and an excellent use of keys that don't take away from the power or heaviness of the music whatsoever, but actually add to it. So, in the end, it's a solid 4 star album, but be warned, if you don't like your music heavy and dark, you probably won't like this.

I've been a fan of Cult of Luna since 2013 when I saw them live here in Stockholm. The energy in their live shows is off the wall and I can highly recommend the band as a live act. A few years and a couple of live shows later I'm still quite fascinated by the band's amazing live antics but I've so far felt that their live energy has never been able to translate to their records. Fortunately for me, Cult of Luna finally made that transition with the release of Mariner.

2016 saw the band doing a unique collaboration with the New York-based vocalist Julie Christmas and this is something that the band have been interested in for some time. Luckily, both parties found the needed time and recorded Mariner over the course of about a year. I have to say that this is not the most obvious combination of artists put on paper but hearing the final product really puts it all in perceptive and sets all the components in the right place. Hearing Johannes Persson mixing his brutal vocal delivery with the unique voice of Julie Christmas is magical and completely re-arranges the otherwise very bleak and harsh style that the band have been going for throughout the years.

The album consists of five compositions all clocking over 8 minutes with the final track Cygnus being almost 15 minutes long. So there is definitely enough time to broad out the scope of each work, but with the flip-side of making some of the compositions a bit longer than they need to be. I personally prefer the three relatively shorter tracks with A Greater Call being the most memorable of the bunch while The Wreck Of S.S. Needle is the most intense one. I really like the structure of the latter track which lets Julie Christmas to really flesh out her vocal range, especially towards the end of the composition.

The two longer tracks are pretty good but I feel that both of them overstay their welcome by quite a few minutes. Approaching Transition is a meditative track that isn't really going anywhere and therefore could have easily been cut short by a few minutes. The closing Cygnus has some of the album's best moments but I feel that they're too far between and thus don't create the landmark that the track otherwise might have become.

If you still haven't been hooked by Cult of Luna then definitely give Mariner a shot! I think that this record really deserves more attention and it has the capacity of bringing a completely new fan base to the band and their unique take on the post-metal sub-genre.

***** star songs: A Greater Call (8:19) The Wreck Of S.S. Needle (9:33)

**** star songs: Chevron (8:53) Cygnus (14:50)

*** star songs: Approaching Transition (12:59)

With Isis broken up and Neurosis' Honor Found in Decay proving less satisfactory to fans than most of that seminal band's previous releases, a strong case could be made that Cult of Luna are now the standard-bearers of post-metal. They have released a string of genre-defining masterpieces, amongst them their self-titled album, Salvation, Somewhere Along the Highway, and Vertikal, and there are really very few other artists in the genre who manage the sophistication of their music.

Their latest work, Mariner, is a collaboration with renowned post-metal vocalist Julie Christmas. If anything, I would say the addition of Christmas to their sound has pushed the quality and scope of the band's compositions to new heights. This album is a concept album about space exploration, and the music is suitably grandiose to match. Christmas is an absurdly versatile vocalist, capable of evoking every emotion imaginable impeccably through both her beautiful clean singing and her spine-tingling screams. The Cult of Luna vocalists throw in some of their own vocals for contrast, and they too vary between harsh vocals and clean singing. There has never been more vocal versatility on a Cult of Luna album, and the benefit to the music is immense.

The compositions on this album include some of the band's best, but particular standout tracks include the opener "A Greater Call", which sets the tone of the album superbly, and the closer "Cygnus", which may honestly be the single best post-metal song I have ever heard. The band layers walls upon walls of everything into the song as it builds to its climax and the effect is like nothing I've ever heard before. The vocals in particular stand out (I know I've already spent several sentences praising the vocal work on this album, but really).

I would recommend interested listeners pick up either the vinyl edition of this album or the Japanese import, as both feature as a bonus track "Beyond the Redshift". It differs from most of the rest of the content of the album by being a serene ambient piece with only occasional wordless vocals in the background preventing it from being a complete instrumental.

My only significant disappointment about this album is that they apparently aren't planning on performing any of its material live. I can't express how much I'd love to see this material live. I find myself strongly wishing the band would invite Christmas to become their permanent vocalist and perform the whole album live. That would be an experience I would be sure never to forget.

This album is monumental, and is likely to be viewed in ten years' time as one of the defining works of post-metal. The only release I have heard this year that I would rank above it is David Bowie's Blackstar, and I have a very difficult time imagining any metal release this year topping this.