Album Review: Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Where do you start with Cult of Luna? Over two decades of individual unique music that has grown organically as the band’s journey has evolved. Each release seems to be more emotional than the last, some feat when you consider how much sentiment they can wring into each album. Each album’s arrival is treated with the same hushed reverence that is afforded to few others. It’s been relatively fertile times for fans of the band, with 2019’s ‘A Dawn to Fear’ and last year’s ‘The Raging River’ E.P. both maintaining their impressive body of work.
‘The Long Road North’ is their ninth full-length release, and their second on Metal Blade. It’s another highly ambitious record, and one not for those with short attention spans. At a minute shy of 70, and with five songs clocking in at over nine-minutes in length, you need to spend time with this to absorb and appreciate it. It’s therefore a real challenge to write a comprehensive review given the limited opportunity to listen to it. So, first impressions are going to dominate here – allowing time to live with ‘The Long Road North’ is likely to allow for a more lyrical elucidation and appreciation of what is, even in those first few plays, a phenomenal album.
Writing from the heart is something that vocalist and guitarist Johannes Persson identifies as a key factor in the band’s recent consistency. “We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it's getting clearer where we are heading," he says. This is apparent from the opening song ‘Cold Burn’ which sees the band bring the intensity, Persson’s roaring vocals slicing through the layers of glistening guitars. It’s a ferocious opener, full of passion and dynamism. Indeed, the whole album is very cinematic in feel, the sonic soundscapes that emerge on every track suggest that this album could be the theme music to a dark, arthouse film.
There is much to admire. The rolling feel of both ‘Cold Burn’ and second track ‘Silver Arc’ bring the heaviness that surges through much of Cult of Luna’s work, but the ebb and flow make them both feel genuinely light in part. There are soaring, dynamic elements that lift the heart, whilst the crushing angst also contributes to the multiple shades that emanate from each track.
With such punishing force in the opening tracks, the beautifully ethereal calm of ‘Beyond I’ is placed perfectly. Featuring the enchanting vocals of Mariam Wallentin, an internationally acclaimed Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, this is a hauntingly stunning three-minutes which provides a calming tranquility. Similar calming balance arrives in the finale to the album with ‘Beyond II’, featuring Colin Stetson, who has worked with The Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Tom Waits, but most recently is known for his soundtrack work, including the Hereditary OST.
Elsewhere it’s almost impossible to pin down highlights. The sweeping title track is astounding whilst the epic ‘Blood Upon Stone’ crushes the listener with a cavalcade of riffs, pounding drums and a huge sound that simply envelopes and absorbs.
Lyrically, Persson has moved on from the place he was with 2016’s ‘Mariner’, although the journey is far from complete. Describing the title as something that symbolises the mental journey he underwent. With his return to Umeå after fifteen years in Stockholm, Persson is clear that this change has contributed to the quality of the writing. It’s impossible to argue with an album that improves on every play. The sound and production have been crafted with time an ally due to the pandemic. The additional opportunity to work individually has paid benefits for this is another absorbing and consuming release. It’s an album that needs to be heard. And then played again whilst you try, inadequately, to work out how such music can be crafted to such a standard.
