The seven-piece post-metal behemoth Cult of Luna was founded a quarter century ago and spearheads the post-metal / sludge genre together with Neurosis and Isis. Over the years, the sound of this Swedish band evolved from heavily doom-influenced material to a less aggressive form of metal with orchestral interludes, which is one of the reasons why they are often named as one of the pioneers of post-metal - think dark, ponderous, repetitive and crushing guitars that erect a gigantic wall of sound. Former Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice lead singer Julie Christmas appears as a guest singer on ‘Mariner’ (2016), a ‘figurative journey through the cosmos’. The live DVD for the album captures the essence of the band. The album itself broke new ground for Cult of Luna, adding a more melodic approach to the band’s portfolio that also shone through on 2019’s ‘A Dawn to Fear’. Even clean vocals make an appearance – although sparingly used, thereby accentuating the album’s overall heaviness of the album. Their most recent effort ‘The Long Road North’ came out in early 2022 and further heightened their cross-genre boundary appeal. (#GMM26)
