Cult of Luna’s The Beyond along with Isis’s Oceanic and Pelican’s
Australasia, all broke ground in the sludge ridden
world of drone influenced post-metal and remain beacons of
creativity in the field. The success of each entity has varied over
the past half-decade; some have prospered and all have released
albums that have been hit hard under the all-seeing eye of the
critic.
The omnipresent label gurus maintain
that Cult of Luna have evolved into a different being, somewhat more
art rock than post hardcore, but the lumbering beast that was Cult of
Luna is still here and heavy as ever. Also the band are reputed to
have linked all the songs on this album in an underlying concept to
create a more coherent output than before. If they weren't doing
this previously then it must have been blind luck - the band must
have stumbled on high calibre collections of songs which flow and
merge together perfectly completely by accident.
Argument aside, the concept for this
album makes for most interesting reading. Supposedly based on the
diary of a mental patient named Holger Nilsson who murdered his wife
and in his head had created a completely surreal world in which the
murder was carried out by a horrible monster. Musically this
translates to surrounding melancholy and emotional release but also
has some truly beautiful moments where the clouds are parted and
through the gloom the warm light is allowed to reveal its glory, like
during the masterpiece “Ghost Trail”.
The introduction to the tale, “Owlwood”
holds a celestial element, giving the music almost zero
self-awareness; like a newborn exploring its environment, cautiously
testing and probing and asking questions of the sky. Each other song
as it unfolds has something special, but at times the attempted
accumulation of atmosphere is a little hard to swallow.
Reading like their own diary of
reaction to the story of Nilsson and his trauma, Eternal Kingdom
is a well thought out and rewarding album. Suitably bleak and equally
monstrous this collection sways back and forth like the temperament
of a mentally tortured soul with flair.
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