Cult Of Luna and Julie Christmas: The Mariner ALBUM REVIEW

 

Seminal release by Swedish band Cult Of Luna, The Mariner, is impeccable. In this effort, Cult Of Luna reinforce their catalogue of Atmospheric Sludge with a collaboration with American singer Julie Christmas. With only five songs, the later half of this record is packed with 10 minute plus compositions. In fact, every next track in this record is longer than the last. However, the music does not overstay its welcome: in some cases, ten minutes is too short of a time. 

It has been a while. In 2023, life got in the way of listening to music more than ever. I can say that I have almost forgotten what a great listening experience feels like... or maybe not. I am an Atmospheric Metal fan. I like it when a great album envelops me in hazy soundscapes, and I love it when I drift way into another world made of sound. That experience is rare, but it does happen from time to time. Well, to put it simply, I have achieved nirvana with this one. 

 

The first song, A Greater Call, sums up the vibe of the record perfectly: it starts out calm and then evolves into chaos. The transition into the suspenseful introduction of Chevron is gripping. The song The Wreck of S. S. Needle is downright one of the best songs I've ever listened to. The vocal performance by Julie Christmas is mind blowing; she conveys some sort of rage in her voice like I have never seen it done. The song it self is a crescendo, accumulating tension through its runtime. It starts out in a fairly calm, although cynical tone, and culminates in a crazy wall of sound and layered scream vocals by Julie: "Put me down where I can see you run". Absolutely chilling. Every second of it is a treat. The next track, Approaching  Transition, is a very welcome calm passage into Cygnus, the explosive conclusion of this album. This last song is also a crescendo, that ends in an hymn: the listener is left with a repetition of the passage "Leave her to her withered songs. In tunnels painted like the dawn. Write your letter to the night. Sightless, songless, silent giant". And so the record bids goodbye.

Exploring the discography of this band was a lot of fun, but this record stood tall as a giant next to its peers. This is definitely an album I'll be spinning a lot; it seems to fit the current hibernal environment. I will most likely be writing about A Dawn to Fear soon, because that album also deserves a review.

Verdict: Buy it on vinyl