Cult of Luna - A Dawn to Fear (2019)

Constantly getting better with time, Cult of Luna is ready to unravel their latest non-collaborative release: “A Dawn to Fear”. Featuring nearly 80 minutes of demoralizing music, this release showcases the band’s evolution into one of the most versatile and complex bands in the world. Picking up where they left off on their “Mariner” collaboration, the band creates lush soundscapes full of intricacies and magical details, making their music highly enjoyable and engaging.

The band wastes no time in setting up a very hypnotic mood with “The Silent Man”. Weaving back and forth between crushing guitar riffs, a trembling bass guitar onslaught and the band’s signature harsh vocals, this track perfectly prompts the listener to strap down to their seats and enjoy the ride. With the ritualistic “Lay Your Head to Rest”, the band sets a trance-like mood that bleeds into the more mellow album title track. We particularly enjoy how the band perfectly times the tempo changes, while keeping things fresh and interesting.

Without giving anything away, “Nightwalkers” is a true musical roller coaster with the band slowly enveloping the listener into their bizarre and dissonant world. This track also features very dreamy lead guitars a bit of a psychotic vibe. Our favorite track is the lush “Lights on the Hill” and it's very ritualistic progression. For those looking for darker and more minimalist atmospheres, “We Feel the End” is a very recommendable song with a few surprises, and the majestic “Inland Rain” will deliver Post-Rock-ish chills for the first half and then traditional Cult of Luna aggressive onslaughts for the second.

Closing strong with the moody crescendos of “The Fall”, Cult of Luna manages to deliver their strongest offering to date. The band has been constantly evolving and refining their complex sound over the years and with “A Dawn to Fear” they show how far ahead of the competition they really are. If you like intricate and aggressive music with tons of atmosphere and Post-Metal/Post-Rock/Sludge influences, you cannot miss out on this one.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: September 20th, 2019

Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal

Country: Sweden