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Cult of Luna: Salvation

29/06/07 || The Duff

I depend largely on Blabbermouth for news of all things metal, and from time to time I scroll down beyond the article to view how the latest gossip amongst metal fans is flowing. It was actually after reading something about Isis that I saw a post that caught my eye that went something like “lol @ first post! Cult of Luna>>>> Isis”. Little did I know is that all Blabbermouth posters write like this, and as such few of the things they type are to be taken seriously. Luckily, what with my naivety at the time, combined with extremely positive reviews of the band up on Global Domination by Tash and The Abyss, I decided to try these guys out – I chose to purchase the cheapest of the two albums I could find, which also turned out to be the one with the coolest artwork (usually the deciding factor behind my purchasing anything musical).

Production-wise, this album truly shines; the ultra-low tuned guitars are combined with an excessively predominant bass rumble and lumbering drum-sound (the cymbals and snare sound fucken huge on this album) that essentially creates a wall of sound both impressive and menacing to behold, especially when some of the heavier riffs kick into high gear. On the other hand, when the clean guitars come into play they benefit from a lush and very soothing tone, even if some of the chords played are meant to make the listener feel unsettled (if you’re going to take your major influence as Neurosis, you ain’t gonna sound like you reckon life is like a box a’ fucken chocolates). And then we have the vocals, which quite simply crush me into the fucken ground; this album is proof that Klas Rydberg isn’t a mortal man, but instead a gigantic pair of pendulous testes that, when not performing on Cult of Luna albums, finds itself under the employ of planning companies, where it is used as a wrecking ball for unwanted infrastructure. What makes this guy’s vocal delivery so much better is that, although it may be considered nothing more than monotonous roaring into the microphone, it actually conveys a great deal of emotion simply because of the quantity of focused energy he puts into each word sung.

The first track, “Echoes”, is a good indication of what the whole album is like; a ten minute plus track with all levels of metal intensity thrown in, from the heaviest of the heavy (although all taken at a slow pace – don’t expect any blast-beats here) to the cleanest, most docile stuff you’re likely to find. Although more than half of the track is essentially a clean intro with no vocals, you’ll find that Cult of Luna are truly masters of their craft, and not a minute appears too drawn out; it all serves its purpose in lulling the listener in before kicking out full-force in the face with an astoundingly heavy riff that is almost stoner in its simplicity, yet with such a weight behind it that one can’t help but sit bold upright and take notice/feel as though they are being thrown violently down to the ground/feel as though they are being raped by a herd of elephants (delete where appropriate). None of the remaining tracks follow the same formula, mind; “Salvation” is certainly an effort of mixed assortments, even though a common vibe permeates throughout.

What one is ultimately delivered with “Salvation” is an album that holds some of metal’s heaviest moments, as well as the discordant noises/chords, lush guitars, slow-paced drumming and harsh vocals typical to the post-rock scene. My one gripe is that “Waiting For You” drags a little once the distortion kicks in, with some of the riffs being looped far too many times (when the wah breaks loose, mind, I’m back to spanking the monkey full force), and the album tends to lose a bit of its momentum during tracks “Adrift” and “White Cell”. Still, this is easily one of the greatest albums of its kind, close to being on par with masterpieces “Panopticon” and “The Eye of Every Storm” by Isis and Neurosis, respectively (if you ask me, this album slaughters “The Beyond”, a great album in its own right) – highly recommended.

9 pairs of pendulous testes out of 10.

Information
Released: 2004
Label: Earache
Website: www.cultofluna.com/
Band
Klas Rydberg: vocals
Johannes Persson: guitars
Erik Olofsson: guitars
Andreas Johansson: bass
Anders Teglund: synth
Thomal Hedlund: drums

Tracklist
01. Echoes
02. Vague Illusions
03. Leave Me Here
04. Waiting for You
05. Adrift
06. White Cell
07. Crossing Over
08. Into the Beyond

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