CULT OF LUNA The Long Road North | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Metal Blade Records on February 11th, 2022

Quick Background

Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band founded in 1998. They are known for pioneering music similar to the contemporary bands Neurosis and Isis. Cult of Luna have created a unique style of metal that is ambitious, epic, visceral, and drenched in emotion. In 2019 the band released A Dawn to Fear which was their seventh studio. It was the band's first studio album since Vertikal (2013) and first new material since Mariner (2016), their collaborative album with Julie Christmas. All of those three albums were very well received by fans and critics. I personally did not care much for Mariner but I really liked the other two. So let's see now how the new one stacks up to them. 

The Long Road North

From the get go we realize that the band's 8th studio album is big and cinematic sounding record. The almost 10 minute "Cold Burn" opens the album and goes straight to your jugular with a dark atmosphere and an engaging groove. The deep emotional screams which is one of my favorite trademarks of the band are soon to be heard. I was hooked on the first listen, 10 minutes of mid tempo headbanging. "The Silver Arc" features the same energy and emotional toll from the opening track but here it's combined with more ambience and soundscapes in the mid section of the song but it all builds up to a glorious heavy ending. 

"Beyond I" is s short track bring back some elements from Mariner. A female singer, Mariam Wallentin, who is an acclaimed Swedish jazz vocalist is the highlight of this melancholic piece. I went back to listen to Mariner and I really don't connect with that album, but I do like this song, specially the melody and how this songs bridges well into "An Offering To The Wild", which is the longest song on the album with almost 13 minutes. It takes its times with the instrumental sections, building very gradually. Actually this song features another guest the Canadian-American saxophonist, and composer Colin Stetson. You can hear his influence which brings a different flavor to the song.

"Into The Night" is different track altogether. It's almost like Gothic Metal. Very melancholic and slow tempo song in which singer Fredrik demonstrates his abilities singing with a clean voice from start to finish. The short instrumental "Full Moon" bridges us into the 10-min title track. After a Pink Floydian Live At Pompeii intro, the songs explodes in usual aggressive emotional screaming. I really enjoy the drum work on this record, but specially on this song, very tribal and groovy. After another burst of screams the songs calms down and fades out, to me that would already be a great ending for the album. But we still get another epic, the almost 12 minute long "Blood Upon Stone". We don't anything very different from the other songs, but still works, in this case is more of the same, but the same is really good, so why not? To really close the album is a shorter song "Beyond II". This was a fully opened interpretation of the song by Colin Stetson.

The Picky Guy

One could argue did we really need the last two tracks? Finishing with the title track and 54 minutes of music seems already quite fulfilling. Also the 3-min "Full Moon" is questionable. But other than that, not a lot to complain here. 

Wrap Up Opinion 

Cult of Luna have very productive the last few years. The emotions and dedication of the band in those albums in undeniable. The lack of fixed structures and templates gives the album an open and honest artistic vibe. The music takes you to different places from super heavy screams, to beautiful melodies, melancholic moments and ambient soundscapes. All these combined really appeals to me and I like this album a lot, so I am giving it 84/100, a very good album.

SCORE: 84/100

Genre: Post-Metal

Released by Metal Blade Records on February 11th, 2022

Rating System

99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad

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