Cult of Luna
The Raging River

I don't know the long career of the Swedes very well.

A couple of albums, not too recent, that I assimilated at the beginning of their musical history. Long, powerful, arrogant records.

Then for a long time, I set the band aside, almost forgetting about them.

Curious about the new work, released in early 2021, I have returned to Cult of Luna on these dark days, not just weather-wise as far as I'm concerned.

Nothing has changed; always the same as they are, always deep, dense, "framed" in their Post Metal-Sludge sound.

With one unique difference: the short (not even forty minutes) length of the work, by some labeled as an EP, by others as a true official album. These subtleties don't belong to me because I always look at the concrete, the essence of the music offered. And once again, they hit the mark, eloquently.

Five sinister tracks, perfect in dynamic construction. Stretched, thick sounds. Distorted and downtuned guitars. A chunky, gooey bass that matches the seismic movement of a drum set saturated to the brink. And a suffocating, ungraceful, glassy, blood-soaked voice.

They confirm themselves as true masters of the Apocalypse translated into the seven notes of the pentagram; grumpy but also ready for openings with strong melodic tints, as already happens in the masterful first track Three Bridges.

Hypnotic and evocative in Inside of a Dream which features the vocal participation (of spine-tingling proportions!!) of a certain Mark Lanegan. A short but intense, dreamy, and mystical song. Just what was needed to break the rhythm, to catch your breath...

They return to strike hard at the end of the album: these are the Cult of Luna I prefer, and I state it at the top of my lungs while listening to the tense, spiraled, and twisted I Remember.

Great comeback undoubtedly...and now I find myself almost compelled to delve deep into the knowledge of the band, going back in time with their published albums.

Ad Maiora.