Vertikal is the sixth studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna and is also the band's first studio album since Eternal Kingdom (2008). The album was released in Europe on January 25, 2013 through Indie Recordings, and in the US on January 29, 2013 on CD through Density Records and on vinyl through Back on Black.[2] To promote the album, Cult of Luna released the song "I: The Weapon" for online streaming prior to the release of Vertikal, and released a music video for the song "Passing Through" in February 2013. The album was critically acclaimed upon release and earned an average score of 85 based on 10 reviews at Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics.[3]
During the writing process, Cult of Luna was heavily influenced by Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, which became a major source of inspiration for Vertikal's conceptual theme, sound and imagery. Thematically, the album features ideas of cities, machinery, and factories, and it was also noted for incorporating a heavier focus on keyboards and electronic elements than on previous Cult of Luna albums. The writing sessions were particularly fruitful, leaving the band with a large collection of songs to choose from for the album. As a result, the band released the companion EP, Vertikal II, in September 2013.
Writing and recording
The 2013 release of Vertikal marks the longest period of time between studio albums in Cult of Luna's history; the band last released Eternal Kingdom five years prior in 2008. The band cited the fact that all members were living in different cities, had busy lives with their own families and jobs, and not being signed to record label at the time as various reasons for this long gap.[4] Ultimately and retrospectively, Cult of Luna guitarist Johannes Persson said this additional time was beneficial for the writing process. He said, "we didn't rush into anything, and we wrote a whole lot of different songs of which not all of them made it into the recording process. We could actually choose songs that would be working toward the goal we had."[4]
When the members of Cult of Luna decided they officially wanted to start working on a new album, they began messaging each other ideas of what they wanted it to sound like using books, films and photographs for inspiration.[5] Cult of Luna first noted that their two previous albums, Somewhere Along the Highway and Eternal Kingdom, had very rural conceptual theme to them, so the band made the conscious effort to aim for a city theme with Vertikal.[4] Common themes that arose out of the exchange of media for inspiration included Futurism and German Expressionism of the 1920s,[5] in addition to compiling a list of ideas for how including: industrial, factory, monotone, repetitive, harsh and grey.[4] One idea that prominently popped up during these discussions was Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis[4][5] — a landmark film in German Expressionism. Cult of Luna drummer and percussionist Thomas Hedlund commented on the band's interest in the film, stating: "We wanted to find a contrast to the previous albums. They were more rural, earthy and organic in a way. This time we wanted to explore the city; the machinery that is a society. Metropolis dealt with questions about belonging, the need for a change, human vs. machines, love. All of which were topics that we found inspiring in the making of this album."[6] Speaking on the importance of having a conceptual theme for an album, Persson said, "I think one important aspect of artistic work is having boundaries and limits. I think many people do themselves a disservice by working too freely, as then you don't challenge yourself – anything can go."[4]
Cult of Luna did not begin composing music until this concept was solidified.[2][4] Persson said that having this clear direction in place made the writing process easier and noticed there were fewer arguments between the band members.[4] The band has stated that Vertikal's sonic themes include "machinery, repetition and clear, linear structures."[2] Cult of Luna also wanted to achieve a more "static" sound on the album. To do this, the band recorded with more downpicking on the guitars, the drums parts had the cymbals recorded separately, and the band recorded the sounds of, "hitting metal rods and ladders and stairways [and] cutting them up like beats."[4] For the first time in Cult of Luna's career, keyboards and electronics became an integral part of the writing process, whereas before they were just an afterthought.[4]
For a time, Cult of Luna considered releasing Vertikal as a double album with the amount of material they had written, but instead released three additional songs that were written during these sessions (but not yet recorded) as Vertikal II later in 2013.[7]
Promotion
Cult of Luna performing live in the Netherlands on November 1, 2013.
In December 2012, Cult of Luna made the song "I: The Weapon" available for online streaming to help promote the album.[8] After the release of Vertikal in February 2013, the band released a music video for the song "Passing Through". The video was directed by Markus Lundqvist and filmed in a hospital in Sweden that closed in the 1960s, "where the mentally ill were routinely castrated and lobotomized."[9] Cult of Luna also recorded an acoustic version of "Passing Through" for the website Off The Record. The acoustic version was recorded live and outside during a snowstorm in Finland. Johannes Persson said of this recording, "Halfway through the first take, my fingers went numb. It was freezing cold and that was actually the wind and snow that you hear in the video; there were no sound effects. The snow fell so hard that the bell instrument was almost muted and you could barely hear it."[10]
In support of Vertikal, Cult of Luna embarked on a January–May 2013 European tour.[11] In September/October 2013, Cult of Luna toured North America, co-headlined with Katatonia and featuring the openers Intronaut and Tesseract.[10][12] This tour marked the first time the band had toured in the United States since 2005[10][12] — at which point the band was touring in support of their third studio album, Salvation. A member of the band Kongh acted as a live, fill-in bassist on this tour.[10] Persson commented on this tour, stating, "Well, we weren't sure what to expect in the US because Monday was our first show in the US in eight years. The audience was really great. The last time we played in the US the audience was about twenty people. This time, it was a lot more than twenty people."[5]
The album was generally well received critically. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 85, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews.[3]
Writing for Allmusic, Gregory Heaney gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and said that, "While Cult of Luna have always been an impressive band, the solid construction and merciless execution of Vertikal makes for an incredible listening experience.[13] Dean Brown of PopMatters gave the album a 9/10 and said that, "The fact that after six full-length LPs Cult of Luna can still deliver an opus as challenging, engrossing and intricately layered as Vertikal is a testament to the abilities of this Swedish collective; a band who have now earned their place as one of the most essential in progressive metal."[1] However, Grayson Currin of Pitchfork gave the album an average to low review of 6.8 out of 10 citing issues with sequencing and transitions between songs, and the length of some songs and the album as a whole. He said, "Vertikal is an interesting and accomplished hybrid, but it isn't perfect. In fact, it works best on a track-by track basis, though the record clearly aims to be its own holistic, all-encompassing universe."[18]
The concept and themes of Vertikal related to the film Metropolis were generally well received. Brown said that, "Cult of Luna have been laborious in their attempt to ensure that the music of Vertikal is reminiscent of the austere atmosphere of the expressionist film that forms its muse, and the Swedish septet have more than succeeded in doing so. Vertikal is chillingly futuristic and its quasi-industrial stance is almost Teutonic sounding; much like the aural equivalent of its stark artwork."[1] Jordan Mainzer of Slant Magazine gave the album a three-and-a-half out of five stars and said, "on a conceptual level, the dubstep beat transposes Metropolis's theme, man versus machine, in a contemporary setting. If Lang's film portrayed man operating in clocklike motion, battling, succumbing to the machine, Vertikal suggests that man has conquered it by taking control and using it to explore and communicate his emotions."[20] Raziq Rauf of the BBC gave the album a positive review and said, "With a concept loosely based upon Fritz Lang's dystopian science fiction film, Metropolis, it sounds as stark and uncomfortable as you might expect."[14]
Many music critics gave attention to Vertikal's almost-19-minute track, "Vicarious Redemption." Heaney wrote, "Confident in their craft, the bandmembers are careful never to rush things, allowing the songs on Vertikal to play out the way they're supposed to, as is the case with the 18-and-a-half-minute epic 'Vicarious Redemption,' which seems to grow exponentially as it slowly plods toward its conclusion."[13] Brown called the song an "intimidating centerpiece," but also that it, "may be the pinnacle of Cult of Luna's artistic output; a piece which covers plenty of ground through well-paced ascending and descending passages which directly maintain a strict sense of cohesion that renders running times redundant."[1] However, Currin stated that, "The distended build that opens the 19-minute 'Vicarious Redemption' demands an edit that it doesn't get; as is, some of the heaviest and best moments on the record, when the septet works in perfectly combustible unity, get diluted by the deep slog that surrounds them."[18]
Vertikal II is an EP by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna that was released on September 17, 2013 through Density Records/Indie Recordings.[22][12] The EP features three previously unreleased tracks that were written during the original Vertikal sessions, but not recorded. The CD and digital versions of the EP also feature a remix of "Vicarious Redemption" (originally on Vertikal) by Justin Broadrick of Jesu and Godflesh fame.
Vertikal II is seen as a continuation and completion of the band's "journey into the harshness of the monotone city landscape" that began with its early-2013 studio album, Vertikal.[12] Cult of Luna guitarist Johannes Persson said, "With Vertikal II, we complete and end a chapter that, for the last few years, have been a big part of our lives. Now we leave the inner city and look up into the vast void above."[12] At one point in the writing process, Cult of Luna considered releasing Vertikal as a double album, but scrapped the idea because, as Persson puts it, "double albums are hard, as it's hard to maintain a consistent quality."[7] The band's idea then was to release a few additional tracks shortly after the release of the studio album as a continuation – a plan that was kept secret from both their fans and record label until the EP's masters were almost completed.[7]
The remix of "Vicarious Redemption" by Justin Broadrick was not originally a part of the EP.[12] Cult of Luna's record label pressured them to include a remix on the release. The band caved into the label's demands and asked them to get Broadrick to remix "Vicarious Redemption" out of spite because, at almost 19-minutes long, it was the most difficult song to work with. Persson, who said he believes remixes to be a "waste of time," said Broadrick was chosen because he is "one of the few people I'd trust with a remix," and later praised his work on this song as an "amazing way of doing a remix."[7]
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green renamed the band and decided to use a drum machine for percussion. Melding heavy metal with industrial music and later with electronic music and dub, Godflesh's sound is widely regarded as a foundational influence on other industrial metal and post-metal acts and as significant to both experimental and extreme metal.
Jesu are a British experimental metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of his band Godflesh. It shares its name with the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent 'pop' songs".
Isis was an American post-metal band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997 by guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner, bassist Jeff Caxide, vocalist and electronic instrumentalist Chris Mereschuk and drummer Aaron Harris. After a demo and the EP Mosquito Control were recorded by the original lineup, Mereschuk was replaced by Jay Randall in 1999, who joined the group alongside guitarist Michael Gallagher. Jay Randall would later be replaced by guitarist and keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer after the recording of Red Sea. With roots in hardcore punk and doom metal, the band borrowed from and helped to evolve the post-metal sound pioneered by bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, characterized by lengthy songs focusing on repetition and evolution of structure. Isis disbanded in June 2010, just before the release of a split EP with the Melvins, reforming only once in 2018 as Celestial for a one-off show to pay tribute to Caleb Scofield.
Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music. Following Godflesh's initial breakup in 2002, Broadrick formed the band Jesu.
Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå founded in 1998. Their style of music is similar to contemporary bands Neurosis and Isis. Cult of Luna was signed to Earache Records in the early 2000s and released five albums, including the commercially successful albums Salvation (2004) and Somewhere Along the Highway (2006). After an extended period of inactivity, Cult of Luna returned with its Indie Recordings debut Vertikal (2013) and companion EP Vertikal II (2013), both drawing inspiration from Fritz Lang's 1927 film, Metropolis. In 2016 the band released their space-themed collaborative album, Mariner, featuring American vocalist Julie Christmas.
Slavestate is the second EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released in July 1991 through Earache Records. The EP saw the band experimenting with more samples and electronic sounds than their predominantly industrial metal prior releases.
Somewhere Along the Highway is the fourth studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna, released in 2006 by Earache Records. A concept album, it revolves around the motif of male loneliness. It was warmly received by critics and accordingly claimed several awards.
Songs of Love and Hate is the fourth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. Released on 20 August 1996 through Earache Records, it is the band's first album to feature live drums, played by drummer Bryan Mantia, combining a heavy metal sound with a more pronounced hip-hop influence, toning down the industrial and mechanical elements of previous releases. The cover is a photograph of Cancer Alley, Louisiana.
Hymns is the sixth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 23 October 2001 through Music for Nations and was the band's final album before breaking up in 2002. In 2010, Godflesh reformed and in 2014 released their comeback album A World Lit Only by Fire. Hymns had a troubled production and was intended to be distinct departure from Godflesh's intensely regimented industrial sound to something more traditionally hard rock. It was the band's second and final album to feature a live drummer rather than a drum machine.
Callisto is a post-metal band from Turku, Finland.
This is a partial discography of Justin Broadrick, a prolific English songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and general multi-instrumentalist musician most known for being the leading force of the industrial metal band Godflesh. Broadrick is also recognized for his experimental project Jesu, his key contributions to the seminal grindcore album Scum (1987) by Napalm Death, and his strong presence in the electronic and industrial remix community.
Eternal Kingdom is the fifth studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna. It was released in 2008 on Earache Records like the band's previous three albums. The album was recorded at Tonteknik Studios in Umeå where the band originates from between February and April 2008.
Messiah is the fifth EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. The EP was originally recorded and mixed during 1994, and was released independently to members of the band's fan club on 5 December 2000 along with four remixes, which were created in 1995. After Justin Broadrick disbanded Godflesh, he reissued the material through Relapse Records on 1 April 2003.
Improvised Electronic Device is the fourteenth full-length studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released in 2010.
Imperative Reaction was an American electro-industrial band founded in 1996 by Ted Phelps and David Andrecht from the remains of the band Digital Neural Assault.
Julie Christmas is an American musician from Brooklyn, New York. Christmas is her legal middle name; she was named so after the fact that she was born on Christmas day. She is the former lead singer of defunct Brooklyn-based noise rock band Made Out of Babies and the former lead singer of defunct post-metal supergroup Battle of Mice. In 2010, she released a critically acclaimed solo album titled The Bad Wife, and in 2016, she became a featured member on the Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna's album Mariner.
A World Lit Only by Fire is the seventh studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 7 October 2014 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own label, Avalanche Recordings, and was the band's first full-length album since 2001's Hymns. It was preceded by the digital singles "New Dark Ages" in August 2014 and "Imperator" in September 2014, and it was followed by several international tours.
Mariner is a collaborative studio album between the Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna and the American vocalist Julie Christmas, formerly of the bands Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice. Serving as Cult of Luna's seventh studio album and the first time Christmas has appeared on the entirety of a full-length album since her 2010 solo debut The Bad Wife, Mariner was released on April 8, 2016 through Indie Recordings. Contrasting the industrial city themes of Cult of Luna's last studio efforts, Vertikal and Vertikal II from 2013, Mariner focuses its concept on space exploration.
A Dawn to Fear is the eighth studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna. It is the band's first studio album since Vertikal (2013) and first new material since Mariner (2016), their collaborative album with Julie Christmas. The album was released on September 20, 2019 through Metal Blade Records. Due to its length, most physical editions are released in two CDs.
The Long Road North is the ninth studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna. The album was released on 11 February 2022 through Metal Blade Records. It peaked at No. 14 on the German albums chart.
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