When I think of Cult of Luna, I think of either a huge wall of sludgy riffs or dialed-back low key ambiance. I don’t necessarily think of post-metal in the context of unplugged and unprocessed instruments, though now that I think of it, the transition of that epic sort of music could be aptly applied to an organic and stripped-down acoustic performance if done right. The group did exactly that recently, as they set up shop outside on a snowy Finnish night with acoustic guitars and a xylophone to record a haunting instrumental version of their slow-churning dirge ‘Passing Through.’ You can watch the video at this location.
Cult of Luna‘s newest album, Vertikal, has been making all kinds of waves in the metal community as of late. We at Heavy Blog have had it for awhile, it has quickly become a frontrunner for album of the year with quite a few of us (yes, we know it’s barely February right now), and rightfully so. It’s a sludgy, post-rock opus that deserves the attention it’s getting. You can read the wonderful review that Heavy Blog contributor Atif wrote late in December.
And now that the album has seen its official release, the band and their label have saw fit to release a fresh new music video for one of the shorter (and in my opinion, better) tracks on the album. ‘Passing Through’ acts as the album closer for Vertikal, and it is done great visual justice with this video, which you can watch above.
Swedish Post-metal/hardcore/everything outfit Cult of Luna‘s new album Vertikal, an epic, dark and churning soundscape inspired by Fritz Lang’s cinematic masterpiece Metropolis, has been released for streaming online at the always excellent Brooklyn Vegan. As we stated in our review, the album is fantastic, and certainly lives up to the high bar set by the band’s previous output, the excellent Salvation in particular. There’s still some time left to preorder before the album drops, and the band has quite the package for the deluxe and vinyl versions, for those who still proudly fly the physical copy flag. If you haven’t got the hour dedicated to listen to it quite yet, you can get a sample of this album’s greatness via the single ‘I, The Weapon’ below.
Vertikal drops January 29th in North America on Density Records.
Soilwork – The Living Infinite (Nuclear Blast Records)
Although Soilwork are legends in the melodic death metal genre at this point, many fans have started to wonder whether or not the band were past their prime as musicians. If they have anything to say about it, their forthcoming double record The Living Infinite will put that wondering to rest. Based on what little we’ve heard from The Living Infinite already, things are looking great for Soilwork. Says frontman Bjorn Strid:
“So here’s the scoop. Me and the boys have been waiting to share this for quite some time now: The Living Infinite will be a double album! A REAL double album, in the true sense of the word, which means no fillers and no left-overs.
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and I proposed the idea to the rest of the guys in the band, during our festival tour last summer. Everybody liked the title The Living Infinite and also the idea of working towards the goal of releasing a double album. David Andersson was already playing with us last summer, so he has also been a part of this goal from the start. I feel very excited and proud that we’ve managed to find the inspiration and dedication it takes to create somewhat of a conceptual double album, especially since it’s dealing with a lot of existential questions.”
This album marks one of the few times I’ve been actively excited for a new Soilwork record — not that I had low expectations and think poorly of the band, but because my casual interest in the band sees itself more or less limited to the highly praised Natural Born Chaos and odd singles peppered throughout their discography. The Living Infinite however gets my full anticipation. It’ll be out
01. The one
02. I: The Weapon
03. Vicarious Redemption
04. The Sweep
05. Synchronicity
06. Mute Departure
07. Disharmonia
08. In Awe Of
09. Passing Through
[01/29/13]
[Density Records]
Cult Of Luna is one of those bands that have a huge cult following when it comes to sludge and post-metal. Few bands can proudly call themselves art-metallers and not be mistaken. With such great albums as Salvation (2004), Somewhere Along The Highway (2006) and Eternal Kingdom (2008) they have truly put their name as one of the leading forces in post-metal/sludge. With Vertikal, Cult Of Luna rightfully pays homage to Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” (1927), a science-fiction silent film that was considered to be ahead of its time and was for many years. A movie that artistically inspired many others like “Dark City”, “Blade Runner” and to some extent even the award winning videogame “Bioshock”. It is truly a work of art that has withstood the test of time. So how does Cult of Luna’s aural representation of this classic stand up?
Swedish post-metallers/art-rockers Cult Of Luna are streaming the new single ‘I: The Weapon’, from their new album Vertikal which is set to be released early next year. You can hear the track below:
Being part of the media, we’ve had a chance to listen to the album and it is safe to say that it is one of Cult Of Luna’s greatest works. This track is an album highlight for sure. In fact, ‘I: The Weapon’ is probably one of the greatest songs Cult Of Luna have ever written. The rest of Vertikal ain’t to shabby either, with a very dynamic and cinematic range of sounds that is sure to please fans of prog and post-metal fans. I mean, it’s Cult of Luna; you know you’re getting an hour’s worth of crushing sludge and brilliant introspective soundscapes that will make for one of 2013′s best releases.
Keep an eye out for Vertikal, which drops January 29, 2013 on Density Records.
It’s been nearly five years since post-metal icons Cult of Luna released their last record Eternal Kingdom, and that’s about three years too many. The band have been hard at work on their new record for some time though, and it’s finally seeing the light of day come January.
Via the press release:
VERTIKAL marks a much‐anticipated return for Cult of Luna after five years spent cultivating the ideas and directing the influences that have helped form a concept for the album. Distilled throughout are themes of machinery, repetition and clear, linear structures honed to the visual imagery of Fritz Lang’s classic expressionist science‐fiction film ‘Metropolis’. The music broods, builds and boils as you may expect from Cult of Luna, but never over‐complicates itself or veers from its intentions; it is arguably their finest and most cohesive piece of work to date.
A cohesive post-metal concept album? Sounds intriguing and promising! Also with the announcement comes a run of European dates and the promise that American tour dates are going to happen sometime in 2013. Good news all around!
Vertikal is out January 29th through Density Records. You can view the band’s touring itinerary after the jump.
And like a small fat child comically waddling down the stairs on Christmas morn, my excitement for the unveiling of the new Bossk track was palpable at this point. Thankfully, the eight minute sludgy masterpiece of ‘Pick- Up Artist‘, which you stream above courtesy of Metal Hammer, lives up to the unrealistic expectations I’d set for it and the cherry on top being that you can download your copy from the band’s website for the grand old price of absolutely nothing.
The track itself is a little more immediate and vocal-centric than the material on the .1 and .2 EPs but there’s no shortage of the band’s signature introspective post-metal in the latter half of the track. Fans of Isis, Cult Of Luna and related act The Mire would do themselves well to check this UK collective out sooner rather than later.
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Swedish post-metal stalwarts Cult of Luna released their record Eternal Kingdom. Between their silence the last couple of years and Isis dissolving, the post-metal genre has really been missing out from the big and expansive bands that helped put the genre on the map.
There’s good news, though! ThePRP reports that Cult of Luna are hard at work on their new record, which is expected to be out by the end of the year! There’s not that much to tell at this point, unfortunately, but there have been some updates posted over at the official Cult of Luna website that somehow went under the radar for the past few months. It’s a shame we didn’t know about this before, but consider this oversight rectified. We’ll be keeping an eye out on this album’s progress for sure, and we’ll let you know when there’s further sign of significant movement!
Since it’s been a few years since they put out a record, some of you may not be familiar with this band’s work. Below, check out a live clip of ‘Adrift‘ from their 2009 DVD Fire Was Born.
It’s as cold as Satan’s balls in London at the moment, and to compound the issue my heating is on the blink, I have a splitting headache, and I have one more day of work this week. FirstWorldProblems, I know.
Never mind all that though, because 2012 – year of the epic reform – has thrown up another gem in the news that Kentish post-metal outfit Bossk are reforming.
Who…? WHO?! I’LL BLOODY TELL YOU WHO!
Bossk were another one of last decade’s British metal rising stars who parted ways far too soon, releasing two phenomenal EPs and a live DVD (.1, .2 and .3 respectively) and having one of the most atmospheric live shows on the scene. The first time I saw them, supporting Envy no less, one guy in the audience just lay down in front of the stage and chilled. It was fantastic.
They also played with the likes of The Ocean, Cult Of Luna, Doomriders, Baroness and Torche in their time, to name but a few, and now they’re back. Speaking via their website, they revealed that “The time has come for the five of us to perform together again.” It’s been more than four years now, but it seems the draw of the music has called them back. I actually wrote a eulogy to the band a couple of years ago, and it appears my musical wishes are all coming true this year.
They’ll be starting off slowly, but will be recording a session with Daniel Carter of Radio 1 at the famous Maida Vale studios – including a new song – and playing at least two shows this year.
Drummer Tom Begley was in the equally tasty The Mire for a time, but it seems he’s now itching to get back to some Star Wars-related business. Sexy. In the meantime, feast your ears on this and get excited:
