Customer Reviews

Eternal Kingdom

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cult of Luna have been improving little by little with every release. Eternal Kingdom finds the band possibly at the top of their game. This release is haunting, beautiful and devastating all at the same time. Cult of Luna manages to craft lush soundscapes that transcend typical heavy guitar music. At the same time, CoL manages to bring in a few absolutely crushing parts at key times in the movement of the album. The lyrical content was taken from the journal of a madman while the music was crafted around the eerie feel that such a journal could invoke.

Guaranteed to blow your mind or your money back! It is rare to find a band that continues to evolve, push, and progress like their lives depended on it. Not in the business of letting down, CoL delivers 10 tracks of complete magnificence. Whether you're a CoL loyalist, a fairly new member, just passively passing by, or perhaps discovering Sweden's greatest export for the first time, obtaining the Eternal Kingdom should be your top priority. I am about to mention bands to use as a reference only. I am not comparing. Perfect flow throughout, nothing in excess, crisp consistent vocals in the vein of Isis and Rosetta, guitars like that of Russian Circles and Red Sparrowes, and some random sounds similar to Neurosis, NIN, or a video game of sorts that takes place in space. CD booklet has all lyrics as well as curious detailed drawings on each page made to look and feel like an old story book. The Eternal Kingdom is a beautiful, inspiring, and hardcore journey worth seeking for I assure you.

I must have been under a rock. I had no idea this album was even coming. In that respect I had no expectations. Of all the "Disciples of Neurot" Cult of Luna is my favorite. They aren't too heavy on pretense, and their writing is phenomenal.

This album is typical Luna. Slow heavy riffs, Hardcore vocals, dark brooding dramatic atmosphere...this is where they excel above many other groups. This album has plenty of that. Where I have trouble with this record is the songs in general. Where is my "Circle" or "Echoes"? What about "Thirtyfour" or "Dark City Dead Man"?

Besides track 3 "Ghost Trail" nothing grabbed me in the manner that the other albums did. Granted, there is a concept and theme (both lyrically and musically) and they've executed it perfectly. This album just doesn't speak to me like the others have. Still, it's heads and shoulders above your average metal. I'd recommend any of their records in a heartbeat.

As metal bands age and progress, the general tendency seems to be that the music gets lighter and more commercial with each successive release. Then there is Cult of Luna, who with their fifth album "Eternal Kingdom" have released what is arguably their darkest, heaviest, and most complex work to date.

This album in not light in any sense of the word, and even though I am a massive Cult of Luna fan, it still took me a while to really get into this album. There are lot of slow, plodding, monster riffs here, combined with tempo changes and other nuances that are all awesome once you pick them up, but also act as a barrier of inaccessibility. Personally, I find that this album has some issues with the overall flow that the previous two did not. It's just not as easy to listen to this one straight through.

But they make up for it and then some with "Ghost Trail," which ranks up there with the best songs Cult of Luna have ever done. When this song ramps up to full steam, the band seems to somehow find another gear of intensity. The way they layer the guitar on this song creates a new sound for Cult of Luna that I wish they had explored more on this album.

Eternal Kingdom is good, but it doesn't quite stack up to "Somewhere Along the Highway" and it is definitely no "Salvation." Don't get me wrong: the album is dark, heavy, and awesome. Cult of Luna only comes up short when you compare it to Cult of Luna.

Yes, even more than obZen. A perfect marriage of music and corresponding artwork, including concept. Beautiful production and thematic recurrence. This band is now it's own fully original entity. No more comparisons to Isis. Eternal Kingdom is on par with the best of the "post metal" albums you know you love. Listen to it on acid for an even deeper experience. That's right... ACID.

I have followed Cult of Luna's work for years, consistently impressed and often pleasantly overwhelmed with the sheer talent, amibtion, and musical unity which the band exudes. While I thought I understood each record, I found myself discovering new elements in a song I've listened to dozens of times upon each listen. And while The Beyond, Salvation, and Somewhere Along the Highway all took some time to digest, I must say that Eternal Kingdom is the thickest, most dense, and ultimately most satisfying record Cult of Luna has created to this day.

The theme and story of the album is insipred by the diary of a deceased mental patient that was discovered by the band in an old mental institution. The individual was commited after drowing his wife, and his diary is filled with wild thoughts of a fantasy world where animals are gods and the trees march for war. The idea of translating the deranged thoughts of a real phsychopath into a post-metal album is very ambitious, and Cult of Luna pull it off in spectacular fashion. The atmosphere is dark, bleak, and often hopeless. The chords build upon each other and you feel the tension in the agonizing growls and pounding rhythms of dual drummers. The eery yet beautiful keyboards create a sense of madness and surround the crushing riffs like a gray mist. Everything on the record is top notch, and every song is incredibly deep and well-layered.

A musical journey through sheer insanity has never felt so real, and only a perfect collaboration of minds and talent like Cult of Luna put together for Eternal Kingodm could produce such a terrifyingly real result. Recommended for any music fan with an open mind and the willingness to explore the deep, brutally beautiful, and often intimidating sound of Cult of Luna.

Simply put, this is an amazing album. i love COL and pretty much everything they have put out. having said that though, the sound on this picture disc is bad. somehow, i accidentally ordered this thinking it was standard vinyl and was disappointed to find out later that it was the picture disc. when i ordered it the description was sort of vague. whereas now it's pretty clear that it is the picture disc. picture discs as you may or may not know, normally have inferior sound because the layer of vinyl is thinner to accomodate the graphic "inside" the disc when it is pressed. plus i'm pretty sure as with all COL albums (as well as albums by other bands in the "genre" like neurosis, isis, etc), that due to the length of the songs on their albums, this would normally be a double LP if it were on regular balck or colored vinyl. however, this picture disc is a single LP. they must've compressed the heck out of everything to make it fit on a single LP. that may be another reason for the bad sound on this LP.

so to be short- fantastic album and i'm sure the regular 2xLP in normal vinyl is amazing as is the 2XLP of somewhere along the highway and their other releases. and the cd sounds good too. if you can find the normal version get it! if you are wanting this pic disc for great sound though... forget it. if you want it because it looks "cool" then i guess go for it. i kept mine but have only played it once. i guess it's kind of cool to "have" but, i like to listen to my vinyl.

in summary GREAT album, by a GREAT band. bad sound on this disc. my fault for ordering i guess due to confusion in description at the time. and if you're semi-new to the vinyl addiction remember that picture discs may look cool but, the sound is almost always inferiror to regular black (or colored) vinyl.

Swedish post-metal along the lines of ISIS (but not a rip-off of them). This album is so good, I bought the CD, 2xLP, and picture disk. Believe.

This album was rehearsed in an abandoned mental hospital, and its lyrics are based on the diary of a mental patient who murdered his wife (if you don't believe me, look up the Wikipedia page on this album). The music perfectly captures the dark, foreboding themes of the lyrics and the settings of the rehearsal space. There are plenty of memorable riffs and passages on this album, and it flows together so well that it feels a lot shorter than its 60-minute-plus run time.

I'm not sure if I can say this is Cult of Luna's best album, but at the very least, it is just as good as, if not better than, The Beyond or Salvation.

I really like this album. Cult of Luna have continued doing what they do best, epic, massive and heavy atmospheric rock combined with some ambient passages. I love how much dirtier and distorted the bass is on this album especially the first track. It reminds me of the nasty bass sound on Sleep's album, Dopesmoker.

If you like this stuff also check out upcoming instrumental album from aussie band Shirlow (www.myspace.com/shirlow) album out this year, check out some tracks if you like Cult Of Luna, Isis, Pelican etc