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Cult of Luna has been one of the bands that helped shape the broader post metal genre over the past twenty-five years and given their often apocalyptic and darker sound it feels appropriate that they were also the last artist I saw on stage before the world shut down in 2020. While their earlier work had a noticeably sludgier and heavy slant to it, over time the group’s material would be defined by its ability to utilize restraint and periods of calmness before reaching raging peaks. Each album has emphasized different textures and pulled in additional stylistic influences, and this remains true for Cult of Luna’s tenth full length In the Shadow of Your Shadow. Once again pushing past the hour mark and letting things sprawl out, this latest effort doesn’t drastically reinvent anything in the band’s wheelhouse but showcases why they continue to be so engaging to listen to.
Upon first listen it’s clear that In the Shadow of Your Shadow has all the core elements that have made Cult of Luna so appealing on their previous nine records. The writing once again emphasizes methodical build-ups and slower tempos that ebb and flow between huge, booming passages where the soundscapes are darker and destructive as well as more somber and subdued ones that give off a more introspective tone. This is demonstrated perfectly through the title track, which takes only a few minutes to reach a huge thundering peak of jagged, bleak riffs and methodical drumming while darker keyboard melodies dance over top of this foundation. But like more recent Cult of Luna albums, towards the end the song peels back the layers and lets a haunting guitar melody take center stage for a few moments before ending with guitar and keyboard work that has an industrial edge to it. The first half utilizes all the elements that have made the group so strong in the past but incorporates some subtle details that give things a different feel. Sometimes this comes on the softer end of the spectrum, like the Americana twang and spacey synth work that emerge on “Breach” while “The Rift” has one of the fastest and heaviest passages the band has written in awhile and feels like it recalls their hardcore roots. One of my personal favorite tracks on the second half is the sprawling “One More Day”, which captures imagery of a dusty frontier landscape and harsher conditions through calm yet bleak melodies and soaring, aggressive peaks, and this also ties in well with the preceding track “A Way Back” which opts for a softer almost folk tinged sound. Like most of the band’s discography it’s quite the long album and demands focus to get a sense of all the subtle details, but there are so many sections that stand out and draw you back for another listen.
Johannes Persson has been with Cult of Luna since the very beginning, and his raspier screams and growls have been a significant component of their sound. Where a lot of metal bands would not be changing that much on the vocal front after twenty-five years, In the Shadow of Your Shadow finds Persson continuing to experiment and try different things with his voice. Considering the subject matter of the album explores loss and other more personal topics, there’s an added sense of anguish and intensity to the performance that makes things hit a bit differently compared to some of the band’s prior work. No matter how loud and dense the instrumentals get, Persson is always towering above them in ways that make for a truly powerful sound. Kristian Karlsson once again provides some harsher backing vocals and Fredrik Kihlberg contributes some clean singing, and the latter truly shines on “A Way Back”. This song shifts away from the harsher side entirely, letting Kihlberg head into somber, introspective that has more of a folk and hazier shoegaze slant to it. On the guest front, Gojira’s Joe Duplantier appears on early cut “Sadness Will Reign” and his distinctive singing range collides directly with Persson, while David Eugene Edwards takes on a prominent role on “One More Day”. “One More Day” is an album highlight for me, as the way that Persson’s harsher growls give way to Edwards’ powerful and entrancing singing really sticks with you.
If you’ve been following Cult of Luna since their earlier days or even just over the last few releases, you’ll know that their material needs time to fully absorb and showcase all its different textures and soaring peaks. In the Shadow of Your Shadow is no different, but it has some tracks that hit you a bit quicker as well as those that need a few times through to fully get a feel for. Even after ten albums it’s clear this group is still able to shake things up, as the Americana and folky twangs that appear during some of the mellower sections and the faster section on “The Rift” recalls their hardcore roots. There’s a bit of a more emotive and darker slant to the material even when compared to Cult of Luna’s usual weight and heaviness, and that really made this one click with me. There are a few sections on the longest tracks that are a tad overstretched, but these are minor complaints on what is otherwise another incredible showing from this long-running act. In the Shadow of Your Shadow is available from Red Crk Recordings.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg