Cult Of Luna: The Raging River EP – “metal you can dance to”

Cult Of Luna had always been a band that I’d disregard for one reason or another.

A band one should like, but during a career spanning over two decades and countless long players, time and time again things never seemed to click.

Sooner or later, law of averages apply and with Cult of Luna‘s 2019 LP, A Dawn to Fear, the Swedish blade-wielding riff shredders dished up one of their finest albums, with a set of songs that sent the senses into a wild frenzy.

With a plethora of ideas, Cult Of Luna carved out something astonishing with A Dawn to Fear which wasn’t only one the greatest surprises in 2019, it was one of the highlights, too.

Divide And Dissolve: Gas Lit – “a collage of jarring, restless uproar”

The Raging River EP follows in much the same vein. That it’s being classed as an extended play is slightly odd, considering its 38 minute duration, which makes it feel like an album every day of the week.

Three Bridges seamlessly starts off from where A Dawn to Fear ended with The Fall. A pulsating riff-laden number with thunderous percussion.  

What I Leave Behind and I Remember are cinder-block crushers, furthering the notion of Cult Of Luna being well and truly at the top of their game. It’s a brand of metal you can dance to.

Then there’s Inside of a Dream, which features Mark Lanegan who has been infiltrating the alternative metal scene of late with his whisky soaked drawl (see Hey Colossus‘ The Mirror). Lanegan‘s voice and shadowy storytelling poses a brooding juxtaposition to Cult Of Luna‘s heavy-toned malevolence.

The Body: I’ve Seen All I Need To See – “an apocalyptic rumble”

Lasting over 12 minutes, the journey of Wave After Wave finishes The Raging River. In many ways its the centrepiece, howling with drones and atmospherics that creates a dark toned imagery. It’s yet another highlight in a release that contains many.

Alongside A Dawn to Fear, The Raging River EP provides a vitality in which post-metal hasn’t sound so alive and prevalent since the days when ISIS were dominating with albums such as Oceanic and Panopticon.

The Raging River EP is out now via Red Creek. Purchase from Bandcamp.