CULT OF LUNA „Salvation”

Noisecore
73.36 (8 songs)
Cool songs: Waiting for You, Adrift, Echoes, Into the Beyond
www.cultofluna.com

And I thought ‘The Beyond’ was a sprawling epic! Sweden’s Cult of Luna made a massive impression in 2003 – the expansive immensity captured on ‘The Beyond’ had fans and critics’ alike singing huge praises for the band. In terms of style, they rank along side only two other peers – Neurosis and Isis. Cult of Luna is indeed that good. Having established themselves as a serious heavyweight in the post hardcore scene, Cult of Luna must have felt some sort of pressure coming into the writing of ‘Salvation’. The strength of ‘The Beyond’ made it pretty hard to top in my eyes. The question I and everyone else for that matter) wanted answered, was what would they do next?

Listening to ‘Salvation’ over the past month or so, it is clear that Cult of Luna have opted to move even further into the wandering, meandering vastness of soundtrack like movements that their first two discs only dabbled in. It’s not like you’ve never heard Cult of Luna do this stuff before, it’s just that there is more of it – More daring sparseness, more air; more epic; more stirring of the soul (particularly with the subtle melodic elements). And then there’s the other side to their style – dark, brooding heaviness. It hits like a sledgehammer. The trade of between their heavy, low-slung wall of sound with gentle, lighter moments of serenity is classic Cult of Luna. The result is a devastating clamor that provides both sensitivity and rage in equal measure. Neurosis and Isis are masters at it. With their own inimitable style Cult of Luna move into the same class.

Like ‘The Beyond’, Cult of Luna continues to explore vast musical territories. Their music has much less to do with actual ‘songs’ than they are mood-inducing soundtracks. The typical COL compositions exist for the listener to ‘get lost’ in. There is no reliance on choruses, no typical structure to cling to. And they are long and epic. The colossal opening track ‘Echoes’ only rests after an exhaustive 12 minutes, the rest push double-digit time for an eight-track disc that clock in at 74 minutes. Needless to say, ‘Salvation’ requires patience. It is most certainly not for everyone. Certainly with repeated listening, those who thrive on this sort of vast musical playing field will revel in the truly gratifying enormity that COL’s music conveys.

It is possible that ‘Salvation’ is an even more ambitious, some might say pretentious album than ‘The Beyond’. There is a real air of confidence about the way this album has been constructed and delivered. Some folks might not even understand it at all. I not convinced that it is a better album than ‘TB’ but it certainly maintains the amazingly high standard that that album set. If anything, ‘Salvation’ has a tendency to wander in more accentuated hushed tones than ‘TB’, almost inducing the listener into a state of meditative psychosis. Having said that, the heavy parts are still monstrously heavy in COL’s typically brooding and climax-like fashion – listen to the simply jaw dropping genius of ‘Waiting for You’ – simply one of the greatest and most powerful post Noisecore tracks ever written.

Nope, there is nothing wrong with this folks. ‘Salvation’ is an incredible piece of musical art. Cult of Luna was a phenomenal band prior to this album and this new disc does nothing but maintain the standard. Rivaled only by Neurosis and Isis, this is essential for all fans vast, sprawling, epic pieces of heavy music.

note: 9.5/10

Tracklist

1.Echoes
2.Vague Illusions
3.Leave Me Here
4.Waiting For You
5.Adrift 6.White Cell
7.Crossing Over
8.Into The Beyond