Review Cult Of Luna – In The Shadow Of Your Shadow

„Stagnation is the only thing that scares me,“ says CULT-OF-LUNA frontman Johannes Persson in the run-up to the release of the new album „In The Shadow Of Your Shadow“. „I don’t care if people think we’re repeating ourselves. As long as we feel that’s not the case, we’ll keep going.“ For some listeners, the last album „The Long Road North“ was the first time it felt as though the musical concept had worn thin, if only slightly – which makes expectations for full-length number ten all the higher.

The opener and title track starts out as a typical CULT-OF-LUNA post-metal steamroller, only to mutate into a first-rate post-rock soundtrack in its second half. CULT OF LUNA doing CULT OF LUNA things, were it not for Persson’s throaty vocals, which come across noticeably nastier and more aggressive – more like most recently on the FINAL-LIGHT collab album with PERTUBATOR. Aside from this detail, it’s still an exceptionally typical, albeit cool, track from the band without any major surprises. Quite the opposite of „Sadness Will Reign“, which at around five minutes in length comes closest to meeting the criteria for a single – and, almost in passing, features GOJIRA‘s Joe Duplantier as an exciting guest at the mic, who provides a great additional melodic component.

„The Rift“ is also more than convincing, as the eight-minute track is a straight uptempo number with a strong hardcore leaning – which could in future lead to the first circle pits at CULT-OF-LUNA shows ever, as unimaginable as that may sound. Of course there’s also an atmospheric quiet mid-section here, but even after that the track still kicks plenty of ass – and the pummelling finale is simply spectacular. „A Way Back“, a reverb-drenched strummed-guitar ballad with clean vocals, recalls on the one hand „Passing Through“ from the „Vertikal“ album and on the other the collab with Mark Lanegan on „The Raging River“, is thoroughly appealing and, like the likewise acoustic interlude „Landby“, provides variety.

„One More Day“ is perhaps the absolute highlight on „In The Shadow Of Your Shadow“. A twelve-minute mammoth of a song that comes up with another unexpected guest appearance: David Eugene Edwards, singer of the iconic dark-folk co-founders „16 Horsepower“, elevates the track with his distinctive and emotional voice even in the heavier sections, while the lead guitar almost brings post-punk vibes à la CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, not to mention the magnificent final section. You haven’t heard anything like this from CULT OF LUNA before – so much for repetition.

In bare numbers, this means that around 40 of the total 70 minutes of „In The Shadow Of Your Shadow“ are a lot of fun and here and there even offer genuinely new things or at least material you haven’t heard in a while. From this perspective, the remaining half hour is not really bad – it’s simply CULT OF LUNA in the classic sense. CULT OF LUNA doing CULT OF LUNA things. „Breach“, „From Grey To Black“ and „Burial“ are expansive, atmospheric post-metal delivered at a high level, but (especially for fans familiar with the discography) here and there a little predictable and, harsh as it may sound, at least in the case of „Breach“ with clear potential for being shortened.

Nevertheless, „In The Shadow Of Your Shadow“ is, all in all, a successful blend of everything that has defined the Swedish septet for decades now: characteristic, atmospheric post-metal with a strongly cinematic streak, a certain willingness to innovate, the odd genuine surprise and a powerful album sound, for which drummer and studio wizard Magnus Lindberg is once again responsible. Despite minor signs of wear in the form of the odd overlong passage, it therefore still holds true that you have to reckon with CULT OF LUNA even after ten albums when it comes to sophisticated post-metal.

Publiziert am 5. November 2026 von Stephan Gossen