If you think of Passing Through as just a boring track because of the lack of epic stuff happening, you are missing the point. The review fails to mention the unique aspects of the album in terms of concept and emotion, and focuses instead on not so relevant stuff like structures and, sometimes, inappropriate comparissons. Putting Cult of Luna right next to ISIS and Pelican is the easiest thing to do. Just because they mix slow riffs with post rock doesn't mean they sound like any of those bands
lends itself to be dark, electronic, mechanical, and as the album progresses, melancholic, uplifting in a downbeat mood, and with a mellow, sad closure that reflects the changes that accompany the innerent story). I believe 100% that only some one who is completely oblivious to the concept and the lyrics of this album can have such a shallow impression of such an impressive work of art, even more exquisite in the genre it sits.
+N. Ayancan You need to listen to more music my friend. Try these out (all from 2013, of course.) ...Like Clockwork Exai Shaking The Habitual Random Access Memories Yeezus You're Nothing Teethed Glory And Injury R Plus Seven Tomorrows Harvest Virgins Reflektor Silence Yourself Modern Vampires of the City, and so on
+Alex Smith I've heard probably the half of those albums of 2013 and believe it, the only album that closes the gap a little is "Sister" by In Solitude.
Thanks for naming a load of pitchfork approved hipster dreck (aside from BoC), you fucking pleb. Vertikal as an album and concept, shits all over that list.
Somewhere Along The Highway has finally grown on me. I have to keep in mind that no matter how much I love Isis now, it took me quite some time to really appreciate them. Actually, it took Panopticon to make me appreciate them.
Like mentioned in the comments, you failed to understand the theme of the album. With this album the band tried to capture a more Urban, or, for a lack of a better word, more concrete sound instead the more earthy, natural sound of SATH/Salvation. Playing only downstrokes on the guitar to achieve the greyness of the sound, I'd say the band hit the nail on what they were looking for. Considering the album was so well received, even by people listening to the band for the first time, I didn't expect this review to be a negative one.
Vertikal is one of my favorite albums but kudos to you man for dealing with people's bitter emotions every time you do one of these reviews. I dunno, the synths and the sort of dystopian sci-fi theme they evoke just do it for me, and I haven't heard a metal album like that before or since (which is less to the credit of CoL and more a disappointing thing about the entire rest of metal to be fair), and every song brings something a little different to the table. I, The Weapon is one of my favorite album openers, and Passing Through is an amazing closer. The desolate-ness is what I love about it! And I love when a metal band can make a quiet, all clean-vocal track still have that ominous, dark feel of metal. That's something that more people should remember, that more often than not Metal is not determined by loudness or the way you sing, but by _mood_. Nine Inch Nails is not a metal band for example, but a lot of Reznor's songs have that same feeling.
Some of their songs can be a little droning or repetitious at times, but it's about creating a mood or atmosphere. It's Dark and heavy as fuck, and laden with hauntingly beautiful melodies. What else do you want?
Exacly! You haven't done the homework on this one Anthony. "So we needed to go into the city; go into the future. We pretty much wrote down how we wanted the album to sound, and the words that were used were “industrial”, “monotone”, “repetitive”, “harsh”, “grey” and that it was going to sound like a “factory”. " attnmagazine.co.uk/feature/6213
Hmm. I haven't gotten around to checking it out, but I already understand your criticisms from how I felt about 2008's Eternal Kingdom. That being said, Somewhere Along the Highway is one of my all time favorite albums, so I hope this can hold a candle to that.
I agree with a lot of this, still enjoy the album overall, just could've been more. So this leaves the question, Salvation or Somewhere Along the Highway?
A well-made review, but I have to disagree with you entirely. I think I loved everything you hated about it! In any case it's my favourite album of 2013 so far, easily.
'Vertikal' is a dark album and maybe not immediately accessible to all, it will take you a few spins (maybe even a few more) to really appreciate this one but once you do feel the atmosphere they tried to construct it will grab you for sure. Although not their best work i'm happy they didn't go for another 'Somewhere' rehash or 'Eternal Kingdom 2' for that matter. Highlights on the album: 'I: The Weapon', 'Vicarious Redemption' & 'In Awe Of'. Welcome back COL!
I thought this album might just be their best. I've always liked Cult Of Luna, but this album was actually really easy to sit through in comparison to past albums. People have said it a lot on here, but have you read the background to this album? Might change your mind about this album, it works really well with that in mind.
'The Beyond' took me years to finally "get" and it's now my favorite album within the genre. I have a feeling this album will be the same for a lot people.
True. After years of hiatus from this band , like 7 years of not listening them i rediscover music and the beyond feels best overall album off their discography, for the rest stuff this review would be perfect description
This is their best album. I loved it a lot and then I saw them do much of it live and it goes up another few notches. This band is amazing from a compositional standpoint and also a conceptual perspective. I think you need to listen through a few times more and be in the right head space too really appreciate what's going on with this effort.
I can see each of his points and opinions about vertikal. However, this was my first exposure to COL. So I was absolutely blown away and really enjoying my first listen. But listening to their other albums, fantana is justified in the review. Still not guna change my opinion on COL and I'm still guna rock the hell out of this band. I love these reviews!
I can at times agree with your reviews Anthony, but not this time. Vertikal is around...a 8/10 for me. It just feels like nitpicks here, ironic since the album is inspired by Metropolis. I think you're more into reviewing Art-like music, since Metal doesn't seem to be for fortay.
That's intresting that the new High on Fire album is in the background. Is there some sort of connection between COL and HOF aside from being a similar genre?
I've really been HOOKED to Ash Borer's self-titled debut, which is coming out tomorrow on CD and already was available on casette and vinyl. To me they really stand out amongst other black metal bands, for they show no pretence and just make some pounding tunes. It would be great seeing them reviewed!
2nd part: Of course, I understand, and to extent agree, with some of your points, but overall I'd say this album should have gotten more attention from you, especially when it comes to exploring the concept and the way it is executed. I still haven's quite formed my own complex opinion of "Vertikal", so I won't present some of my thoughts on it, which may be somewhat contraprodactive because of what I'm critisizing about your review, but…well, whatever goes, right?
although i'd give it a slightly better rating, i ABSOLUTELY agree with you in the synth/electronics department, you're totally right. it could have been so much better with a bit more detail, hard work, and feeling put into it.
It's interesting because, having never heard of any post-metal band before (I didn't even know that the subgenre existed), let alone Cult of Luna, I gotta say that "Vicarious Redemption" just grabbed through its full 18-minute runtime. I had never heard something that made me feel as if in front of a gargantuan oppressive machine, which ties in with the concept of the album (the sci-fi movie "Metropolis"), and it never feels like 18 minutes have passed whenever I listen to it (I do return to it). What you call "stagnant", I call "oppressive" and in a good way since the listening is enhanced by it.
Thanks for the review TND. Im sure i will like the album, havent heard it yet tho, i got stuck on Cult of Luna after Eternal Kingdom record, i liked the story behind it, bought the book n all released with it etc etc. I wanna read the lyrics to this album, get a feel for it. For now, i dont have a special release i wait for, im sure you find something to review that i will like in a near future. Forever.
It might not be hugely innovative, it sounds like Cult Of Luna. But it's quite powerful and compared to earlier albums it has a dark and cold slightly industrial feel to me. In a good way and also aided by the 80's scifi feel electronics. I thought that was a nice surprise.
There have been a few occasions in which he's reviewed personal favourites (regardless of whether or not it's contemporary), but other than that, he doesn't touch the older stuff.
I thought that as my first CoL album, it was much more competent than I expected. I thought the electronics worked in most cases and all the elements for a record such as this were in place. Strong 8 to a light 9 if I'm going by your scale.
I enjoyed this album, but I agree with you. This is not their best release. Although my reason for loving cult of Luna is mainly to just chill, relax, and get enveloped and submerged in the atmosphere of the music that they play. I feel this album is monotonous in terms of structure and I agree with you on that fact, but I guess for now I can't complain because that's basically what I want from them, songs to just relax to.
I think you missed the boat on this review, unfortunately. You failed to mention what the core of the band is made up of. With such a large group, to put out a record with a tastefully refined sound is remarkable, in my opinion. There is density on this record in the most amazing ways and it's hard to see someone give it a listen with such mundane ears.
I'd give this one a strong 7 based off my first listen. Admittedly I haven't heard any of Cult of Luna's previous albums or really much post-metal at all so this sounded pretty fresh to me.
Well I believe that the last songs of the album were the most notable, I listened to it any after the weapon I could have dozed off only to be waken up by "In awe of" and of course "Passing through".
A shame you didn't like the album. I pretty much listened to this album 20 times in a row and I kept loving it more and more. I think it has the most engaging atmosphere I have ever heard on an album yet. It's such a dark and massive release and definitely up there with the bands classics "Salvation" and "Somewhere Along the Highway". I've been loving CoL for quite some time now but after this record I just have to consider them my favorite band.
Not necessarily a shitty review. Just a view point that is not appealing to most CoL Fans. The album is excellent and every fan of their music knows this. Skip through most comments, people will tell you why they love the album. Giving it such bad critique is rather odd, but the explaination is acceptable and in depth, making this not a shitty review, simply just a review that misinterprets the album.
while this album has some standout moments, i was constantly checking to see how soon it would end. it started to feel like a chore much quicker than i expected. i don't think i will be returning to this record. Anthony is right on this one guys. why are Cult of Luna fans so defensive? this is not a great record by any stretch.
indeed opinions are like arseholes, but for someone who says has been tracking cult of luna's career I think you missed the point on: the lyrics (cult of luna's albums since Salvation have an intense connection between lyrics and the whole album, and in some instance, like the slow beats on Somewhere Along The Highway even manifest in a continuous, subliminal way throughout the album) the concept (being based on metropolis, something which was marketed with the album, the tone .....
I think "In Awe Of" might be my favorite track from the album - perhaps the album should have ended with it rather than the comparatively weaksauce "Passing Through".
Wtf. Are you serious? I think she is the sole reason to that record being the shittiest CoL has put out to date. I thought the opening track was alright but the rest just didn't do it. She took far too much place on the record and the only good bits were the ones where you could see that she had nothing to do with it. But sure, Vertikal weren't as good as Eternal Kingdom and EK wasn't as good as Somewhere Along the Highway (perfect album and their peak IMO). Still love Vertikal and EK, however. And they are definitely better than all the pre-SATH albums. But Mariner is the only CoL album that I didn't enjoy. And if you're a fan of the band, you would clearly see why.
I have 2 COL tattoos and listen to them regularly REGULARLY and have seen them a total of 3 times (Iwish i could see em more), I own every release includeing the eviga riket book/album )but not the vinyls cuz i ain't no goddamn hipster audiophile), I am a COL fan, Mariner is great, their worst album in my opinion is their first, not because it's bad, but because they hadn't found their way yet. Julie Christmas really adds something new and exciting, which is what every COL release has been about.
I fucking love her vocals. I didn't at first, but they grew on me. At first I thought that it was kind of generic to bring in a female vocalist for the melodic parts, and that her shrill parts were unpleasant and like someone trying and failing to do metal vocals...but then I realized that's exactly what I like about them? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I mean, is there anything _more_ metal than someone who can't quite pull off harsh vocals but is so dedicated to brutality that they will _shred their vocal chords to attempt to replicate them_? Like, I know that's probably not the case, but it fucking sounds like she's tearing her throat out to deliver these tortured, harpy yowls. The fact that they're so messy and off-key and ear-piercingly shrill is what makes them fucking _metal_. For that exact reason The Wreck of S.S. Needle is my favorite song on the album.
I agree with the guy who doesn't like her vocals. I also understand the guy who says that her shrill voice and "shredding vocal chords apart" being brutal. But there are a lot of bands that do that and still sound shit. Neurosis does it better in their albums from the late 90s onwards.
CoL's Somewhere Along the Highway and The Beyond blow almost everything that Isis did out of the water, imo. With exception of Oceanic, the Red Sea, and Mosquito Control.
verikal was way different compared to there old stuff, i prefer there old stuff then verikal, all time favorite band by the way. salvation, somewhere along the highway and following betulas.
I agree with this review, but I would have given it a 6. I'm a huge fan of Cult of Luna and they are one of my favorite bands, but this album is probably my least favorite of anything they've released, mostly because of how linear it is. The sounds of all the songs have these wicked awesome industrial sounding beats going that are cool for about 2 minutes until you realize they are doing the same thing the whole song without actually going anywhere. You should review Priestbird's "In Your Time."
Good review. I disagree with your opinion, but you explain very clearly and eloquently why you feel like you do, so I don't see how this would be a bad review.
Okay. The main thing I dislike about Vertikal is the listening curve. I: The Weapon is very busy and the Vicarious Redemption throws you off a cliff into sleep. Which is awesome, imo. Apart from that, this album's got its own sound and does its own thing, and apparently Anthony didn't hear/feel that 'thing'. Pity :/ And yeah, Mariner the same. It's a totally different thing from what Cult of Luna has done before - it's sludgier, and evidently less detailed, which I personnaly don't really dig, but it still does its own thing. It's not really to be compared to earlier Cult of Luna albums, because it's just a completely different thing. I love Julie Christmas' vocals and I think they work miracles with the genre and the music. Anthony: you just missed the album. Whatever I think you deem important isn't that important, with Cult of Luna it has always been about the entirety of the album and the 'thing' the album tries to achieve/do, which you have completely missed on this one. Also please don't review Mariner. I really think you wouldn't 'feel' that album as well
dude, the album is based on Metropolis! If it had sounded any different than a monotonously devastating badass machine, it would've been totally pointless.. The album sounds just like it should sound, an industrial revolution.
Good review but it sounds like you haven't really done your research. The repetitive, grey, industrial feel and sound was all done on purpose. They portrayed the city of metropolis and did a very good job capturing the atmosphere as well as the essence of the city.
Interesting review. I have to say I personally disagree with the review in parts. I think the album functions as a whole rather than having individual parts. The synths are the main addition to their sound which I agree is limiting, however I totally loved this. Particularly vicarious redemption which feels like a beast of a song. Really enjoy your reviews though, so thanks for reviewing this record. I miss ISIS.
I thought this album was pretty great. Maybe top3 so far out of the 15 releases I have heard, but it doesn't beat Somewhere Along the Highway in terms of CoL-albums
Hell yeah, I saw them in a shitty little club about 6 years ago during the Panoptican tour, there was about 80 people there and it was fuckin' awesome!
I've always thought that you're not very good at seeing/hearing the album as an autonomous, complex piece of art rather than more or less coherent collection of "tracks", but most of the time you at least mention how the album works as a whole. Not this time though and I think this is not good because Cult of Luna themselves present Vertikal as a work with very strong concept which defines not only lyrics and artwork, but also the music. - see 2nd part of the comment.
hey, Antony disagrees with me, so instead of respecting his opinion as different from my own, I'm gonna call into question his knowledge on the band and even the entire genre. srsly gyz? not only did he prove he is familiar with the band by name dropping their 2 best albums, but the more important point is that an album should NEVER require one is familiar with the group's history to be enjoyable on its own. this happens to be a very lackluster effort by a band that can do much better. no o
I love your reviews dude, and I appreciate it's your opinion but I think you really missed it on this one. Along with Somewhere Along the Highway this is my favourite COL release. However the review was as interesting as always :)
I loved your review but completely disagree with it. I think going with a more sci-fi/dystopian kind of view, which kind of glues the whole album together, even the most disparate ideas and sections. I liked that it kept the riffier approach of Eternal Kingdom while backing up the atmospherics with more dense and melodic electronics, and then just little by little all the pieces keep falling in place until it becomes grander than the sum of its parts. In a way it feels like the Blade Runner movies: kind of slow and meandering at times, but the way shit kicks the fan gives the whole thing an awesome perspective. I felt like you the first few times hearing this, but now it's one of my top 5 albums period.
Panopticon is good, but I'd say listen to their albums in order of release, starting with Oceanic. I find them to be less appealing than CoL, as they seem more meandering, and less cohesive in terms of composition.
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If you think of Passing Through as just a boring track because of the lack of epic stuff happening, you are missing the point. The review fails to mention the unique aspects of the album in terms of concept and emotion, and focuses instead on not so relevant stuff like structures and, sometimes, inappropriate comparissons. Putting Cult of Luna right next to ISIS and Pelican is the easiest thing to do. Just because they mix slow riffs with post rock doesn't mean they sound like any of those bands
Also, not every song is about progression. Sometimes droning is a beautiful thing
vicarious redemption is one of my favourite songs of all time
+Flugmorph was my favorite CoL song for a while, but then came Mariner and Cygnus... HOLY-fucking-SHIT that song!!!
WilÅkeProj.
you're right cygnus is a masterpiece and so is the whole of mariner. im wondering why fantano didnt reviewed it already
WilÅkeProj.
nice angelic process cover btw
Yeah, wonder if he's gonna review it. And thanks, more people should know TAP
5/10????Wtf man...
Vicarious Redemption absolutely blew my mind when I first heard it, and makes this album worth at least a 7.
You give Beyonce an 8 but this a 5. You've truly lost it.
It's almost like people are allowed to like different things, or that their opnions change over time
@@spamsingles5948 dont think its a 5 tbh
@@noahleach7690 I don't think so either
yeah cause the beyonce album was great
Hey, you should make a review of Mariner.
Came here because of this.
Me
I like the band a lot, and I like female vox, but I didn't care for that album. Johannes vox are one of the draws of the band imo.
lends itself to be dark, electronic, mechanical, and as the album progresses, melancholic, uplifting in a downbeat mood, and with a mellow, sad closure that reflects the changes that accompany the innerent story). I believe 100% that only some one who is completely oblivious to the concept and the lyrics of this album can have such a shallow impression of such an impressive work of art, even more exquisite in the genre it sits.
IMO VERTIKAL is their best record by far. Just love the Sci Fi atmosphere
Probably the best album of 2013. What the fuck did you talked about?
+N. Ayancan You need to listen to more music my friend. Try these out (all from 2013, of course.)
...Like Clockwork
Exai
Shaking The Habitual
Random Access Memories
Yeezus
You're Nothing
Teethed Glory And Injury
R Plus Seven
Tomorrows Harvest
Virgins
Reflektor
Silence Yourself
Modern Vampires of the City, and so on
+Alex Smith I've heard most of these albums and I still think Vertikal was the best album of 2013
+Alex Smith I've heard probably the half of those albums of 2013 and believe it, the only album that closes the gap a little is "Sister" by In Solitude.
I respect your opinions, I was just making sure.
Thanks for naming a load of pitchfork approved hipster dreck (aside from BoC), you fucking pleb. Vertikal as an album and concept, shits all over that list.
No mention of Eternal kingdom... Such a brilliant album
Their best imho
Somewhere Along The Highway has finally grown on me. I have to keep in mind that no matter how much I love Isis now, it took me quite some time to really appreciate them. Actually, it took Panopticon to make me appreciate them.
you lost it
Like mentioned in the comments, you failed to understand the theme of the album. With this album the band tried to capture a more Urban, or, for a lack of a better word, more concrete sound instead the more earthy, natural sound of SATH/Salvation. Playing only downstrokes on the guitar to achieve the greyness of the sound, I'd say the band hit the nail on what they were looking for. Considering the album was so well received, even by people listening to the band for the first time, I didn't expect this review to be a negative one.
Vertikal is one of my favorite albums but kudos to you man for dealing with people's bitter emotions every time you do one of these reviews. I dunno, the synths and the sort of dystopian sci-fi theme they evoke just do it for me, and I haven't heard a metal album like that before or since (which is less to the credit of CoL and more a disappointing thing about the entire rest of metal to be fair), and every song brings something a little different to the table. I, The Weapon is one of my favorite album openers, and Passing Through is an amazing closer. The desolate-ness is what I love about it! And I love when a metal band can make a quiet, all clean-vocal track still have that ominous, dark feel of metal. That's something that more people should remember, that more often than not Metal is not determined by loudness or the way you sing, but by _mood_. Nine Inch Nails is not a metal band for example, but a lot of Reznor's songs have that same feeling.
Some of their songs can be a little droning or repetitious at times, but it's about creating a mood or atmosphere.
It's Dark and heavy as fuck, and laden with hauntingly beautiful melodies. What else do you want?
Exacly! You haven't done the homework on this one Anthony. "So we needed to go into the city; go into the future. We pretty much wrote down how we wanted the album to sound, and the words that were used were “industrial”, “monotone”, “repetitive”, “harsh”, “grey” and that it was going to sound like a “factory”. "
attnmagazine.co.uk/feature/6213
Hmm. I haven't gotten around to checking it out, but I already understand your criticisms from how I felt about 2008's Eternal Kingdom. That being said, Somewhere Along the Highway is one of my all time favorite albums, so I hope this can hold a candle to that.
I agree with a lot of this, still enjoy the album overall, just could've been more. So this leaves the question, Salvation or Somewhere Along the Highway?
i can't hear it in the US yet. :-(
doom? wtf dude. its post metal
A well-made review, but I have to disagree with you entirely. I think I loved everything you hated about it! In any case it's my favourite album of 2013 so far, easily.
Vicarious Redemption is an incredible song. Cult of Luna is unique; appreciate the beauty.
'Vertikal' is a dark album and maybe not immediately accessible to all, it will take you a few spins (maybe even a few more) to really appreciate this one but once you do feel the atmosphere they tried to construct it will grab you for sure. Although not their best work i'm happy they didn't go for another 'Somewhere' rehash or 'Eternal Kingdom 2' for that matter. Highlights on the album: 'I: The Weapon', 'Vicarious Redemption' & 'In Awe Of'. Welcome back COL!
I thought this album might just be their best. I've always liked Cult Of Luna, but this album was actually really easy to sit through in comparison to past albums. People have said it a lot on here, but have you read the background to this album? Might change your mind about this album, it works really well with that in mind.
'The Beyond' took me years to finally "get" and it's now my favorite album within the genre. I have a feeling this album will be the same for a lot people.
True. After years of hiatus from this band , like 7 years of not listening them i rediscover music and the beyond feels best overall album off their discography, for the rest stuff this review would be perfect description
This is their best album. I loved it a lot and then I saw them do much of it live and it goes up another few notches. This band is amazing from a compositional standpoint and also a conceptual perspective. I think you need to listen through a few times more and be in the right head space too really appreciate what's going on with this effort.
I can see each of his points and opinions about vertikal. However, this was my first exposure to COL. So I was absolutely blown away and really enjoying my first listen. But listening to their other albums, fantana is justified in the review. Still not guna change my opinion on COL and I'm still guna rock the hell out of this band. I love these reviews!
I can at times agree with your reviews Anthony, but not this time.
Vertikal is around...a 8/10 for me. It just feels like nitpicks here, ironic since the album is inspired by Metropolis. I think you're more into reviewing Art-like music, since Metal doesn't seem to be for fortay.
+AtrocityEquine Right. I think it was over analyzed. It was a concept album. Beautifully written and executed.
+Jake Sturk Exactly. I think Anthony ends to over analyze albums at times, just take a look at _every_ time he comes close to reviewing a prog album.
That's intresting that the new High on Fire album is in the background. Is there some sort of connection between COL and HOF aside from being a similar genre?
I've really been HOOKED to Ash Borer's self-titled debut, which is coming out tomorrow on CD and already was available on casette and vinyl. To me they really stand out amongst other black metal bands, for they show no pretence and just make some pounding tunes. It would be great seeing them reviewed!
2nd part: Of course, I understand, and to extent agree, with some of your points, but overall I'd say this album should have gotten more attention from you, especially when it comes to exploring the concept and the way it is executed. I still haven's quite formed my own complex opinion of "Vertikal", so I won't present some of my thoughts on it, which may be somewhat contraprodactive because of what I'm critisizing about your review, but…well, whatever goes, right?
although i'd give it a slightly better rating, i ABSOLUTELY agree with you in the synth/electronics department, you're totally right. it could have been so much better with a bit more detail, hard work, and feeling put into it.
It's interesting because, having never heard of any post-metal band before (I didn't even know that the subgenre existed), let alone Cult of Luna, I gotta say that "Vicarious Redemption" just grabbed through its full 18-minute runtime. I had never heard something that made me feel as if in front of a gargantuan oppressive machine, which ties in with the concept of the album (the sci-fi movie "Metropolis"), and it never feels like 18 minutes have passed whenever I listen to it (I do return to it). What you call "stagnant", I call "oppressive" and in a good way since the listening is enhanced by it.
999999.9 out of 10 for me. Possibly the best album ever written for me. Its a grower.
Another suggestion for the Pianos / Touche Amore split. Although it is made up of only 2 songs, I think it's the best split release I've ever heard.
Thanks for the review TND. Im sure i will like the album, havent heard it yet tho, i got stuck on Cult of Luna after Eternal Kingdom record, i liked the story behind it, bought the book n all released with it etc etc. I wanna read the lyrics to this album, get a feel for it. For now, i dont have a special release i wait for, im sure you find something to review that i will like in a near future. Forever.
It might not be hugely innovative, it sounds like Cult Of Luna. But it's quite powerful and compared to earlier albums it has a dark and cold slightly industrial feel to me. In a good way and also aided by the 80's scifi feel electronics. I thought that was a nice surprise.
There have been a few occasions in which he's reviewed personal favourites (regardless of whether or not it's contemporary), but other than that, he doesn't touch the older stuff.
I thought that as my first CoL album, it was much more competent than I expected. I thought the electronics worked in most cases and all the elements for a record such as this were in place. Strong 8 to a light 9 if I'm going by your scale.
I enjoyed this album, but I agree with you. This is not their best release.
Although my reason for loving cult of Luna is mainly to just chill, relax, and get enveloped and submerged in the atmosphere of the music that they play. I feel this album is monotonous in terms of structure and I agree with you on that fact, but I guess for now I can't complain because that's basically what I want from them, songs to just relax to.
CoL have never made 'relaxing' music, so you're trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole.
Cult of Luna are one of my favorite heavy bands, but I do agree with you on this one so far. Hopefully after a few more listens it'll grow on me.
I love how you have the latest High on Fire on display in the background...
Was this the beginning of the end for melonthony sillytano? Truly missed the mark on this one.
I think you missed the boat on this review, unfortunately. You failed to mention what the core of the band is made up of. With such a large group, to put out a record with a tastefully refined sound is remarkable, in my opinion. There is density on this record in the most amazing ways and it's hard to see someone give it a listen with such mundane ears.
You should review King Melodies - I Am The Devil. A swedish indie-band who just released his debut album! Very good I must say!
I'd give this one a strong 7 based off my first listen. Admittedly I haven't heard any of Cult of Luna's previous albums or really much post-metal at all so this sounded pretty fresh to me.
You should give that new Mountains album a whirl. I'm enjoying it quite alot.
All I'm going to say is, the last song on this album is absolutely beautiful. I do not agree that the album "fizzles out the same way it fizzles in."
I couldn't disagree more. This record is a 9/10, and probably their best album yet. I like these guys second only to Tool, in terms of composition.
Bst CoL album from start till the end is Somewhere along... But Vertikal screams something so different and conceptual that catches you.
Would love to see you review either of the albums put out by The Protomen!
Not surprised you 5'd this. I fully expect metal reviewers to treat it as one of the best releases of the year.
I'm gonna have to seriously suggest the Piano's Become The Teeth/Touche Amore split. It is simply immense.
Anthony, you're KILLING ME!! why haven't you reviewed the debut album of Twenty One Pilots, "Vessel"??? WHY YOU NO REVIEW!!!????
Well I believe that the last songs of the album were the most notable, I listened to it any after the weapon I could have dozed off only to be waken up by "In awe of" and of course "Passing through".
Nice review. I like 'in awe' too.
Within the first minute I was in love with this album
A shame you didn't like the album. I pretty much listened to this album 20 times in a row and I kept loving it more and more. I think it has the most engaging atmosphere I have ever heard on an album yet. It's such a dark and massive release and definitely up there with the bands classics "Salvation" and "Somewhere Along the Highway". I've been loving CoL for quite some time now but after this record I just have to consider them my favorite band.
Please review Steven Wilson's latest solo album The Raven that refused to sing.
Not necessarily a shitty review. Just a view point that is not appealing to most CoL Fans.
The album is excellent and every fan of their music knows this. Skip through most comments, people will tell you why they love the album. Giving it such bad critique is rather odd, but the explaination is acceptable and in depth, making this not a shitty review, simply just a review that misinterprets the album.
while this album has some standout moments, i was constantly checking to see how soon it would end. it started to feel like a chore much quicker than i expected. i don't think i will be returning to this record.
Anthony is right on this one guys. why are Cult of Luna fans so defensive? this is not a great record by any stretch.
this album was too much of a challenge to your hipster brain
Way off.
Hearing these songs live, might change your opinion.
Passing Through is UNFUCKINBELIEVABLE live.
indeed opinions are like arseholes, but for someone who says has been tracking cult of luna's career I think you missed the point on: the lyrics (cult of luna's albums since Salvation have an intense connection between lyrics and the whole album, and in some instance, like the slow beats on Somewhere Along The Highway even manifest in a continuous, subliminal way throughout the album) the concept (being based on metropolis, something which was marketed with the album, the tone .....
I think "In Awe Of" might be my favorite track from the album - perhaps the album should have ended with it rather than the comparatively weaksauce "Passing Through".
Seems like you haven't read anything about their concept for this album
It grows on you. Try. Listening to it a little more.
Probably not, it's just what Anthony does, puts some records on the background while reviewing different album.
vertikal was a little weak....mariner has the same problems but julie christmas really makes it fucking great.
seconding this. He really needs to get around to making a review for that album
Wtf. Are you serious? I think she is the sole reason to that record being the shittiest CoL has put out to date. I thought the opening track was alright but the rest just didn't do it. She took far too much place on the record and the only good bits were the ones where you could see that she had nothing to do with it.
But sure, Vertikal weren't as good as Eternal Kingdom and EK wasn't as good as Somewhere Along the Highway (perfect album and their peak IMO). Still love Vertikal and EK, however. And they are definitely better than all the pre-SATH albums. But Mariner is the only CoL album that I didn't enjoy. And if you're a fan of the band, you would clearly see why.
I have 2 COL tattoos and listen to them regularly REGULARLY and have seen them a total of 3 times (Iwish i could see em more), I own every release includeing the eviga riket book/album )but not the vinyls cuz i ain't no goddamn hipster audiophile), I am a COL fan, Mariner is great, their worst album in my opinion is their first, not because it's bad, but because they hadn't found their way yet. Julie Christmas really adds something new and exciting, which is what every COL release has been about.
I fucking love her vocals. I didn't at first, but they grew on me. At first I thought that it was kind of generic to bring in a female vocalist for the melodic parts, and that her shrill parts were unpleasant and like someone trying and failing to do metal vocals...but then I realized that's exactly what I like about them? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, is there anything _more_ metal than someone who can't quite pull off harsh vocals but is so dedicated to brutality that they will _shred their vocal chords to attempt to replicate them_? Like, I know that's probably not the case, but it fucking sounds like she's tearing her throat out to deliver these tortured, harpy yowls. The fact that they're so messy and off-key and ear-piercingly shrill is what makes them fucking _metal_.
For that exact reason The Wreck of S.S. Needle is my favorite song on the album.
I agree with the guy who doesn't like her vocals. I also understand the guy who says that her shrill voice and "shredding vocal chords apart" being brutal. But there are a lot of bands that do that and still sound shit. Neurosis does it better in their albums from the late 90s onwards.
CoL's Somewhere Along the Highway and The Beyond blow almost everything that Isis did out of the water, imo. With exception of Oceanic, the Red Sea, and Mosquito Control.
verikal was way different compared to there old stuff, i prefer there old stuff then verikal, all time favorite band by the way. salvation, somewhere along the highway and following betulas.
I'd like you to review the new Steven Wilson album, The Raven that refused to sing. Prog fans would be delighted for sure. :)
Come on man I thought you'd be above playing the "dubstep" card
I agree with this review, but I would have given it a 6. I'm a huge fan of Cult of Luna and they are one of my favorite bands, but this album is probably my least favorite of anything they've released, mostly because of how linear it is. The sounds of all the songs have these wicked awesome industrial sounding beats going that are cool for about 2 minutes until you realize they are doing the same thing the whole song without actually going anywhere. You should review Priestbird's "In Your Time."
Good review. I disagree with your opinion, but you explain very clearly and eloquently why you feel like you do, so I don't see how this would be a bad review.
Okay. The main thing I dislike about Vertikal is the listening curve. I: The Weapon is very busy and the Vicarious Redemption throws you off a cliff into sleep. Which is awesome, imo. Apart from that, this album's got its own sound and does its own thing, and apparently Anthony didn't hear/feel that 'thing'. Pity :/
And yeah, Mariner the same. It's a totally different thing from what Cult of Luna has done before - it's sludgier, and evidently less detailed, which I personnaly don't really dig, but it still does its own thing. It's not really to be compared to earlier Cult of Luna albums, because it's just a completely different thing. I love Julie Christmas' vocals and I think they work miracles with the genre and the music.
Anthony: you just missed the album. Whatever I think you deem important isn't that important, with Cult of Luna it has always been about the entirety of the album and the 'thing' the album tries to achieve/do, which you have completely missed on this one. Also please don't review Mariner. I really think you wouldn't 'feel' that album as well
I've a friend who despises the term post-metal. To quote him, "THEY ARE PERFECTLY FINE KEPT UNDER THE LABELS ATMOSPHERIC, SLUDGE, ETC!"
dude, the album is based on Metropolis! If it had sounded any different than a monotonously devastating badass machine, it would've been totally pointless.. The album sounds just like it should sound, an industrial revolution.
Vales (Formally known as Veils) - Clarity EP would be an amazing review :)
Good review but it sounds like you haven't really done your research. The repetitive, grey, industrial feel and sound was all done on purpose. They portrayed the city of metropolis and did a very good job capturing the atmosphere as well as the essence of the city.
Interesting review. I have to say I personally disagree with the review in parts. I think the album functions as a whole rather than having individual parts. The synths are the main addition to their sound which I agree is limiting, however I totally loved this. Particularly vicarious redemption which feels like a beast of a song. Really enjoy your reviews though, so thanks for reviewing this record. I miss ISIS.
I thought this album was pretty great. Maybe top3 so far out of the 15 releases I have heard, but it doesn't beat Somewhere Along the Highway in terms of CoL-albums
Review the album "One Wing" by The Chariot. Hardcore chaotic punk. I'd love to get your opinion.
THE GROWLERS - HUNG AT HEART
Hell yeah, I saw them in a shitty little club about 6 years ago during the Panoptican tour, there was about 80 people there and it was fuckin' awesome!
I can see from the thumbnail what the genre will be.
@theneedledrop When you listen to an album, do you listen to the regular album, or the deluxe?
Plus the album IS based on a 1927 sci-fi movie called Metropolis ;)
I've always thought that you're not very good at seeing/hearing the album as an autonomous, complex piece of art rather than more or less coherent collection of "tracks", but most of the time you at least mention how the album works as a whole. Not this time though and I think this is not good because Cult of Luna themselves present Vertikal as a work with very strong concept which defines not only lyrics and artwork, but also the music. - see 2nd part of the comment.
Great shout, I love Tall Ships but he only reviews new releases!
hey, Antony disagrees with me, so instead of respecting his opinion as different from my own, I'm gonna call into question his knowledge on the band and even the entire genre.
srsly gyz?
not only did he prove he is familiar with the band by name dropping their 2 best albums, but the more important point is that an album should NEVER require one is familiar with the group's history to be enjoyable on its own.
this happens to be a very lackluster effort by a band that can do much better. no o
review Promise You'll Find Us, Thomas Aquinas
It looks like you shouted that, must be the icon image.
I love your reviews dude, and I appreciate it's your opinion but I think you really missed it on this one. Along with Somewhere Along the Highway this is my favourite COL release. However the review was as interesting as always :)
You sure need to spin some records more. Its a conceptual record the vibe is as it was meant to be. And Vicarious Redemption is fucking amazing!
What do you think of the two Portal tracks?
The new This Town Needs Guns album dropped today, PLEASE REVIEW IT!
I loved your review but completely disagree with it. I think going with a more sci-fi/dystopian kind of view, which kind of glues the whole album together, even the most disparate ideas and sections. I liked that it kept the riffier approach of Eternal Kingdom while backing up the atmospherics with more dense and melodic electronics, and then just little by little all the pieces keep falling in place until it becomes grander than the sum of its parts. In a way it feels like the Blade Runner movies: kind of slow and meandering at times, but the way shit kicks the fan gives the whole thing an awesome perspective.
I felt like you the first few times hearing this, but now it's one of my top 5 albums period.
I didn't like this album at first, It really took time to sink in for me. Its strange how some albums are like that.
Where should I start with Isis?
Like what album?
Ingmar Fris Definitely Panopticon
Panopticon ofc
Panopticon is good, but I'd say listen to their albums in order of release, starting with Oceanic. I find them to be less appealing than CoL, as they seem more meandering, and less cohesive in terms of composition.
Syria.