Vertikal II

Let’s just usher the prog-sized elephant out of the room before we begin discussing this latest four-track collection from Sweden’s Cult of Luna, and if you don’t know what ‘prog’ is then you’ve probably clicked the wrong link to begin with.

Vertikal II has ‘cult appeal’ written all over it. For starters, it’s an ‘album appendices’, which usually only appeal to dedicated fans to begin with, but throw in the fact that it’s an extension of the post-sludge metal group’s Vertikal – inspired by a key piece of silent-era German expressionist cinema (are you keeping up?) and witness even diehards considering leaving the room with the same stampede-like grace as that aforementioned white elephant.

But you don’t need to understand its dense artistic reference points to enjoy the ominous crush of the group’s atmospheric drones and industrial precision.

Following the same dogma of “machinery, repetition, and clear, linear structures” that Vertikal was drafted on (inspired by 1927 silent film Metropolis), these additional 35 minutes see these seven architects upholding their militaristic regiment to composition and performance.

Each instrument is locked, like a cog in a machine, to produce chillingly imposing yet expressive sheets of heaving sound.

‘Oro’ rises to a dirge of tar-black guitars, moody thuds, and spectral vocals until guttural howls peak the building tension five minutes in.

‘Light Chaser’ displays the group’s union of rare but intriguing bedfellows, as unfussy (even outdated) electronic beeps and loops are coupled with bloodthirsty vocals and a grinding metal mantra.

Bleak, eerie, opaque – Vertikal II is a challenging listen for certain, but it’s also an expertly crafted bit of mood-making delivered with a dangerously serious intent.  

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