It seems of late that it’s the “in
thing” in metal to do concept albums... It isn’t like the metal
genre hasn’t had them before, but at the moment many bands seem to
be toying more with concept albums rather than straight up in your face
metal tracks! In the latest run of concept albums we make our way to Cult
of Luna, who have just released the amazing ‘Eternal Kingdom’...
This concept album is a little different to you average, where with most
concept albums the stories are that of fiction and fantasy, ‘Eternal
Kingdom’ is much more realistic. Revolving around a diary that the
band found in a northern Swedish town named Umeå, whilst moving rehearsal
spaces on the grounds of what was a long demolished mental institution.
Cult of Luna had uncovered long forgotten relics of the hospital, including
old apparatus and medical journals. Amongst the discovery was the diary
of Holger Nilsson, a patient who was placed in the institution after drowning
his wife. The diary was titled 'Tales from the Eternal Kingdom' and the
band had described the entries to be more rambling of a madman rather than
anything else. The diary created a completely imagined world in which owl
men and tree men all contributed to a fantasy story that explained why Nilsson
was innocent of the crime. Now, for me being a first time listener of the
bands work, I found Cult Of Luna’s album 'Eternal Kingdom' revolves
around an intricate and bizarre concept that seeps into every pore of the
album, from the very title itself, via the lyrics, song titles and artwork.
I loved the production, the sound is big, especially the drum sound. The
band booms out of the stereo speakers making it sound like Cult of Luna
are playing live in your living room. Songs like the start of 'Mire Deep'
that have a kick drum at the start, pounds at your chest and the epic 'Ghost
Trail’ and the brutal 'Curse' showcases this amazing wall of sound.
Cult of Luna has certainly produced a dark masterpiece in ‘Eternal
Kingdom’, shadowed in the macabre it is the perfect companion to the
band’s doom metal style. Knowing much about the band but never actually
listening to their work up until this point I can honestly say I enjoyed
this album very much, but unlike a lot of doom metal bands Cult Of Luna
change things up, so its doesn’t get repetitive or stale... Some stand
out tracks on ‘Eternal Kingdom included… the epic 12 minute
long ‘Ghost Trail’, ‘Curse’ and ‘The Great
Migration’, this album has pretty much everything you want in metal
album... loud, aggressive, grinding guitar sounds, pounding rhythm section,
dark lyrics and everything your parents will despise!
Owlwood
Eternal Kingdom
Ghost Trail
The Lure (Interlude)
Mire Deep
The Great Migration
Osterbotten
Curse
Ugin
Following Betulas
Rating: 80
Reviewed By: Cameron Edney
- http://www.myspace.com/insideout666ints |
