Warthur Cult of Luna might have invented a cool story for their latest album (come on, you don't seriously believe that yarn about them just happening to stumble across the story in someone's diary do you?), but on the whole it seems to be business as usual for them on the musical front. A harder-edged and more clearly metal release than the preceding album, Eternal Kingdom does have its quieter moments - such as Ugin, which puts me in mind of Neil Young's avant-garde soundtrack to Dead Man - but on the whole the album presents a heavier, scarier incarnation of post-metal which might alienate fans of the band's more peaceful side but will probably win over most metal listeners.

Warthur Cult of Luna keep their post-metal sound fresh on Somewhere Along the Highway by, in essence, not using it so much - on the whole, the album is split between passages of post-metal mayhem and gentler sections of music more reminiscent of post-rock. The risk of such an approach is, of course, that the end product will come across as an attempt at straddling the fence between the two sibling genres without committing to one or the other, but in this case I think it works well - Cult of Luna essentially draw on the sonic toolkit of both genres in order to diversify their sound and use the right approach at the right moment in their compositions. The end result is an album which would appeal to fans of either genre, and sounds far more diverse than most works in this line.

Warthur At first I wasn't so sure about this album, but it turned out to be what I think of as an "instant grower" - when I started listening to it for the first time I wasn't so impressed, but even in the middle of that first listen I started hearing more and more that I liked until by the end I was very enthusiastic about it. A capable and competent piece of post-metal with expertly judged compositions combining tormented, outraged death metal and mellower post-rock segments, Salvation is one of those rare 73 minute albums which feel much, much shorter than they actually are - simply put, absolutely nothing here outstays its welcome.

Doomster Yet another reason why Sweden is my personal favorite metal country.

Alot of people say Cult of Luna's following effort, "Somewhere Along The Highway" is the band's best album, however, I personally disagree. Don't get me wrong, I love SATH with all my heart, but I will always have a soft spot for CoL's preceeding release, "Salvation". "Salvation" is arguably where this Swedish post-metal/atmospheric sludge metal act first showed the world their true genius. The band's first two albums, the self-titled debut and "The Beyond", were the most, raw, agressive, and visceral outputs by the band.

On "Salvation", however, things have changed up a bit. Like Dirge from France, and Isis and Neurosis from California (who are all also post metal bands), the band has arguably incorporated less metal elements as their music evolved. "Salvation" is one such case of this with Cult of Luna.

While it is true that there are mostly softer, cleaner elements on this album, that's not to say that "Salvation" isn't a metal album. There are plenty of heavy moments here. For example, a song would start off as soft, and then completely explode in your face, usually taking a large chunk of time to do so, adding false buildups to shake things up. Some songs, though, are heavy right off the bat, like the song song "Adrift" (which has one of the greatest riffs ever, I may add) which stays mostly heavy during it's entire duration. Another song worthy of mention is "Waiting For You", which has one of the most unfuckingbelievably righteous build ups I have ever heard in a metal song, before evolving into some hypnotic heavy riffage, some vocals...and then the song ends.

This is my favorite album by Cult of Luna. Sure, there sound isn't for everyone, but I personally think this is their best outing yet. Highlights include: "Adrift", "Waiting For You" (my personal favorite CoL song ever) and "Vague Illusions". If you are a fan of Isis, Neurosis, Pelican, Dirge, etc., pick it up.

arcane-beautiful I have a confession to make...Post metal isn't really my thing.

Now don't get me wrong! Now and then, a band or 2 might come along that interests me, but it doesnt really grab hold of me, and it's not a genre I would say I fully understand.

Cult Of Luna are ok. Their not gonna be a band that I would buy all their albums and religously listen to them, but if something comes along now and then, yea I will take a gander at what they have to offer, main reason why I bought this album (also their's an owl on it, and who doesn't love owls).

This album is something different and isn't something I come across now and then. It's a good album I have to admit. It's not amazing, it's not perfect, it has its flaws and moments that I don't like, but the vast majority of it I liked. I think it's more of an albums album, as the singular songs are a bit laxidascial on their own, but together they seem good, and is a great listening experience.

Now if you haven't heard these guys before, here's a synopsis. It's basically just Neurosis with the odd experimental and post metal bit thrown in their. I'm serious, even the vocalist does a very bad Scott Kelly impression. Now the vocals do let it down a bit, and usually in post metal it always does...and here's why. One of the main aspects of post metal is to represent emotion, but all post metal vocalists seem to do is sound constipated (although I think Scott Kelly has a more interesting tone to his voice).

Songwise is pretty standard post metal stuff. Big long intros, atmospheric points etc. But Cult Of Luna also are able to add the odd experiment touch now and then, which keeps the album interesting as possible.

This album also seems to be a concept album, because the lyrics were taken from some Swedish guys journal. I have to admit that is pretty cool, and I think the only other band that did that was Modest Mouse. But their is some nice interesting images of earth and natural imagery, and animals and such, but when its told by a guy that sounds like he's having a poo, then it's not the best, but its still their for your reading pleasure.

1. Owlwood - Has a very doomy Neurosis vibe to it. The vocals are a complete Scott Kelly pastiche though. Some nice build ups and break downs. Bit lengthy though to be honest. Nice intro to the album, and the ending is pretty cool too. 6/10

2. Eternal Kingdom - Some pretty cool jazzy riffs. Love the rhythm changes throughout. One of the most interesting songs on the album. 8/10

3. Ghost Trail - Nice main riff. The build up in the intro is pretty cool. Great use of different atmopsheres and tones throughout. Pretty trippy too. Great climax towards the end. The increase in tempo is cool too. Being the longest song on the album, the length doesn't let it down, in fact it's the perfect length for this song. 8/10

4. The Lure (Interlude) - The use of piano reminds me of Pain Of Salvation's Ashes. Great arrangement, and the use of horns is amazing and adds to the atmosphere. Probabbly the best moment on this album. 9/10

5. Mire Deep - Intro reminds me of Animal Collective. One of the albums more upbeat moments. Nice instrumental sections. The song actually has a chorus, and the use of dischords is pretty cool. 8/10

6. The Great Migration - Nice doomy intro. Some nice eerie moments throughout. Vocals can be a bit strained at times though. 6/10

7. Österbotten - A nice electronica sounding instrumental...with live drums. Nice arrangment. 7/10

8. Curse - Pretty much the same as the sound of the band, but watered down. 5/10

9. Ugín - A nice wee post metal guitar interlude. 5/10

10. Following Betulas - Nice ending to the album. One of the more standard post metal songs. More upbeat than the rest. Great main riff, but it's a bit too long at times. 6/10

CONCLUSION: Saying that I'm not a big fan of post metal...and I actually liked this, it must mean these guys are doing something good. Maybe you'll like it even more if your into this stuff.

6.1/10