The impending strength of prolific Swedish metal band CULT OF LUNA harnesses their power and unleashing it’s force in their new single, “Cold Burn,” that is set to be a part of their upcoming album The Long Road North. The catastrophic soundscape is a muscular track that allows the listeners to embark on an epic journey into the unknown. Welcoming dark, ominous overtones with a tense ethereal essence, the quintet takes the next ten sonic-minutes to describe their dystopian energy.
From the beginning, our ears are triggered by the loud sirens and prepare us for the overwhelming distortion. Magnus Lindberg’s production process organizes the blaring sound of chaos with impenetrable tension and theatrical stylism to capture the elegance. Matched with Kristian Karisson’s inwardly soothing synth arrangements, he uses the ethereal soundscape as a backbone for the instrumentations. Allowing layers of heavy down-tuned guitar playing of Johannes Perrson and Fredrik Kihlberg to fashion a widened wall of sound throughout the stereo field. All carried by the sturdy rhythm section: the profound drumming of Thomas Hedlund and hefty bassline of Andreas Johansson. Each musical element brings back the traditional Cult of Luna heavy sound, but this time, they further tap into a cinematic cadence that is equally menacing as it is sophisticated.
Alongside with the single, Cult of Luna releases a music video that shapes the soundwaves into an illustrative cataclysmic world of deep natural destruction. A video and game that was created by Linus Johansson of North Kingdom Greenhouse that was digitally sculpted to match the music using real-time technology and interactive storytelling.
Shot in black and white, the video follows a guiding beam of light that hurdles its way through dangerous weather and dystopian vast land. Amongst the tornadoes, under the thunder and lightning, and through the tempestuous meteor shower, this dark world will visually eat, swallow, and spit you out in front of the calamity. Meanwhile, the soundscape magnifies this earth-ending sensation, but somehow still feels bittersweet. Although the natural world is dissipating with havoc, it is doing it in the most beautiful way.
Cult of Luna is known for their powerful songwriting that is crafted with strength and length. Compared to their 2021 release The Raging River, the band has curved out a specific mood and agenda that would ultimately lead them into this new direction. When asked about their new sound, Persson said, “It’s a big and cinematic sounding album. I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting clearer where we are heading,” which explains why the track feels naturally different to me. And “Cold Burn” exemplifies their ability to harness their primal energy and release both their elegant noise and raw humanism to showcase the beauty inside the storm.
“Cold Burn” comes from the Swedish post-metal band’s upcoming new album, “The Long Road North“, scheduled to be released in February via Metal Blade Records. The upcoming new album is the follow-up to The Raging River EP, which was released back in February this year.
Comments the band: “It’s a big and cinematic sounding album. I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting clearer where we are heading,” reveals vocalist/guitarist Johannes Persson about the upcoming album, who has been one of the primary driving forces behind the band since their inception. “The Long Road North is a long road home. A direction dictated by a call that penetrates rock and echoes through the forest. It flows over every lake, accelerated by the wind. When it reaches you, you know it’s time. Time to move forward. You don’t know where it will lead but you put the trust in it. With eyes raised towards the midnight sun it pulls you closer. The road is long and the end is uncertain.”
