Swedish post-metal visionaries Cult of Luna have shared a new single, 'A Way Back'. It's the latest track to be taken from their forthcoming tenth studio album, 'In the Shadow of Your Shadow' which is due November 6th via the band's own label RED CRK.
The release arrives as the band prepare to headline ArcTanGent Festival this weekend with an exclusive performance of their acclaimed 2016 collaborative album 'Mariner' alongside Julie Christmas. The band will also play Damnation Festival in Manchester on November 7th.
Following previous single & album title track "In The Shadow of Your Shadow", "A Way Back" is a quietly powerful, slow-burning song - a hushed standout on Cult of Luna's 10th record. The track sees guitarist Fredrik Kihlberg taking over the vocal reins, with his grave voice giving way to a luminous guitar riff that swells up and blows the song wide open. It's a reflective moment, with Kihlberg's smooth baritone contrasting against frontman Johannes Persson's unmistakable guttural roars elsewhere on the album.
Kihlberg comments: "A Way Back. I often find myself trying to describe a recurring feeling, the sensation of being lost, trapped, or both, and the struggle to find a way out. A way back to yourself, to a safe space, or simply finding a way to make it through when anxiety overwhelms you. At its core, that's what this song is about."
A more-than-worthy addition to their dynamic canon, 'In the Shadow of Your Shadow 'is a 71-minute monolith: a stark rejection of trends, convention and pandering to one's audience. Lyrically, it channels recent experiences of loss into a bleak set of songs. The album features guest appearances from Joe Duplantier, frontman of Grammy-winning extreme metal titans Gojira, and American folk icon David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower, Wovenhand), broadening Cult of Luna's already expansive sonic palette.
Produced together with Daniel Berglund, 'In the Shadow of Your Shadow' is another evolutionary effort from a band who refuse to stand still. It's devastating and diverse, and it cements their place as trailblazers.
Photo: Chad Michael Ward