One of metal’s more unconventional acts, Cult of Luna, has been plying their unique brand of heaviness since 1998. The Umeå, Sweden natives have perfected a sound reminiscent of bands such as Neurosis and Isis, known categorically as “post-metal”. Their latest release is a companion E.P. to the album Vertikal, released in 2013 on Earache Records. Entitled simply Vertikal II, it features three songs plus a Justin Broadrick remix of the track “Vicarious Redemption”, found on the aforementioned Vertikal.
Cult of Luna’s musical journey began with noisy doom but through six LP’s has progressed towards shores of crushing yet mournful beauty. Each composition is a lesson in looped, repeating riffs and samples which take the listener on a journey seldom found on more accessible records. Those who enjoyed Vertikal will no doubt savor the tracks on offer on the EP. Opener “O R O” begins with a submerged-sounding pulse that melds into one of the loneliest riff/vocal combinations this side of misery. Cymbal swells and a penetrating chorus of voices lend the track an eerie Radiohead/Pink Floyd vibe, which at the 4:52 mark is suddenly gut-punched by vocalist Johannes Persson’s commanding bellow. The echoing pulse remains throughout the song, filling the quiet spaces between notes like the fading gasps of a dying city.
Next up is “Light Chaser” opening with a repeated guitar phrase that, following the miasma of the opening track, is like a ray of light through some steely urban nightscape. Sweeps of keys soon envelop it, joined by a riveting double heartbeat of percussion. While still ominous, the track remains uplifting. It is as though the band wishes to rise above the murk of oppression, to unguessed heights one can only dream about. For the final two minutes Persson bellows a lyric as repetitive as the song itself. His words are underpinned by a looping electronic sound, which makes the track both crushing and ethereal all at once.
Clocking in at 11:59, “Shun the Mask” ratchets up the dystopian anxiety bled out on the first track. A more staccato riff strums out, joined by samples and riffs and the raw-throated husk of Persson’s voice. Creative percussive looping and a more adventurous collection of guitar riffs lend this track an initial melodic heaviness. At around 3:40 the track minimizes down to a post-rock lounge suite, but it does not ever lose its brooding menace. Grungy riffs float quietly beneath sci-fi keyboard tones in a jam-session-esque fashion until clashing riffs and cymbals herald the return of Persson’s screams. The song then gets back to its more experimental vector, pulling us inexorably along with it. We are treated to some more conventional soloing here, the harrowing keyboard/guitar combo building to a crescendo before fading out altogether. The song drops out suddenly; releasing its hold on our ears and depositing us safely back to our everyday senses.
Lastly is the remix of “Vicarious Redemption”, treated to a creative overhaul by Justin Broadrick of Godflesh fame. The original track is over 18 minutes long. Here on the E.P. it is decreased to about half that length. Industrial in nature, impossible to categorize in delivery, the remix is a less aggressive affair than the rest of the E.P. Its more dreamy moments could be confused with the more shoegaze leanings of a band like Alcest. The clean vocals create a mind-bending mood around halfway through; breaking any such melancholy and replacing it with the hypnotic dreamscapes Cult of Luna are so good at cultivating.
Another statement in the band’s impressive lexicon, Vertikal II is by no means a collection of throw-away tracks. Surreal, unconventional, and challenging, Cult of Luna craft their songs on such a cinematic level that they could make videos for every single track they put down. Their themes of iconoclasm and isolation are brought to life utilizing a tableau of sounds from the worlds of metal, industrial, sludge, and doom. In their own words, “No gods, no masters, no rulers, no kings. What you reject, I bring”. CrypticRock gives Vertikal II 4.5 out of 5 stars.
- Earache Records
Review written by Nicholas Franco
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