Cult of Luna belong to a small group of bands who are slowly creating their own sound and genre. Among these bands are Isis, Neurosis and Pelican. These bands create slow and sludgy metal and are often emotional, having a good relationship with the hardcore genre. These bands are often quite close to the genre of doom metal but their love of ambience and experimentation sets them apart from doom metal bands such as Candlemass and Sleep. Cult of Luna are easily one of the best of this genre, creating amazing music.
Cult of Luna:
Klas Rydberg - Vocals
Erik Olofsson - Guitars
Thomas Hedlund - Drums
Magnus Lindberg - Sound engineering, percussion, guitars
Johannes Persson - Guitars
Andreas Johansson - Bass
Anders Teglund - Sampler, synthezisers
Out of the ashes of the hardcore band Eclipse (of which Klas and Johannes were members of) sprung Cult of Luna. Hailing from Umeå in Sweden, the home of some of the largest acts in heavy music; Refused, Meshuggah and Naglfar. While these bands are all quite different from each other, they are easily some of the greatest bands in heavy music that the world has seen. Refused released one of the greatest punk/hardcore/metal albums of their time, Meshuggah continue to release strong records full of their jaw dropping technicality and Naglfar continue to lead the black metal scene with their mostly consistent releases. All of these bands come from the same place, yet aren't similar at all. Cult of Luna are different to these bands still and comparisons cannot be made with any of these bands. Cult of Luna draw from doom metal bands such as Sleep or Trouble and from post-rock bands such as Mogwai. In addition to this, the vocals are very dry and raspy, similar to Isis and more than a few hardcore bands. They have the slow speeds that bands like Isis and Pelican share but have much more of a melodic focus. Also, drawing much more from their doom metal peers, their music is very emotional, sparse and desperate. The heavy parts and the softer melodic parts are in equal proportion. "Salvation" is actually a lot less heavy and crushing than the band's previous two albums but when the music is playing, it is very easy to forget this.
The music of "Salvation", when it isn't beautiful and melodic is nearly always punishing, feeling like it is crushing the listener's skull. While the listener wants to beg the band to stop, they just can't help but keep listening. Other tunes are more laid back and while they are equally heavy, they are relaxing and chilled out.Cult of Luna's sound is their own, but fits in well with their little group and genre. But are the songs any good? The answer is yes, they are incredible. While "Salvation" only has 8 tracks, the album clocks in at 73 minutes. While there aren't many happy moments, there are many, many soft and beautiful moments. Songs like "Leave Me Here" and "Crossing Over" show the softer side of the band, while still being heavier than a band like Slayer. The album has a couple of songs that have a jazzy slant to them, but nowhere near being actual jazz. Another amazing part of this album is it's complete openess and honesty. The lyrics of "Salvation" are extremely honest, emotional and depressive and the music reflects the lyrics extremely well. There really is not a single bad moment on the album and while it is no suited to the non patient listener, it just cannot be faulted. All of the songs are pretty much equal in greatness and they are all very, very great. Fans of bands like Isis, Neurosis, Pelican and Mare are advised to rush out and buy this album straight away, this is an essential album. Other fans of metal should own this album as well, with a bit of luck, this will be considered a classic of the genre in a decade or so. Fans of hardcore bands like Converge will find equal enjoyment in this album and emo fans should also own this. As the music of this album is extremely heavy and a bit inaccessible to someone not interested in heavy music, it isn't for everyone. But anyone interested in heavy music or even ambient music must own this album, period. Just don't expect it to make you smile.
Pros
- Crushing, massively heavy music.
- Beautiful melodies
- Very open and honest
- This hasn't been heard before
Cons
- None
Reccomended Tracks
Echoes
Leave Me Here
Crossing Over
Web Links
[URL=http://www.earache.com/bands/cult_of_luna/mp3/leave_me_here.mp3]Leave Me Here Mp3[/URL]
[URL=http://www.earache.com/bands/cult_of_luna/cult_of_luna.html]Cult of Luna Videos[/URL]
[URL=http://www.cultofluna.com]Cult of Luna's official site[/URL]
FINAL RATING: 5/5
This Message Edited On 11.10.05
