Sweden’s CULT OF LUNA has always affected in dual-natured ways, the band understanding that anguish and anger are but different sides of the same coin. The group’s stellar back catalogue is filled with abysses and valleys that are monuments to the tribulations of the human experience, but nothing these Umea residents have recorded so far can match the vicarious longing that is latest record Vertikal. Digging deep into what makes NEUROSIS, JOY DIVISION, THE CURE and KATATONIA so life-altering, Vertikal is the aural embodiment of the episodes in life you wish you could entirely erase and never remember again, even if the relief that is years-later hindsight has one realising that it is that very pain and distress that allows you to grow and expand as a person. But, in the moment, the pain is visceral and it’s anything but numb, and it is those exact seconds (and minutes… and hours…) that Cult of Luna so effectively and impressively channels here. By far the band’s best effort (surpassing even the apex that was ‘Mire Deep’ from ‘08’s Eternal Kingdom), Vertikal is a stark and grey assessment of life, one that reminds us that in Buddhist philosophy, it is suffering that causes the greatest insights to genuine fulfillment. Cult of Luna’s choice of album cover is perfect as well, the artwork acting as alpha, but not omega (hopefully), to where this all comes from. Vertikal will be a strong contender for 2013 album of the year, without doubt.
