Cult Of Luna - The Garage, London - 22nd January 2013 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Written by Ben Bland
Sometimes a bill really does make you sit up and take notice, and the London date of this Cult of Luna UK tour really hits the spot in that fashion. No disrespect to the wonderful Her Name is Calla (who supported on the rest of this brief UK jaunt), but Amenra being roped in to support the Swedish legends at their first London show for nearly five years makes for a pretty jaw dropping evening of sublime post-metal.
Kicking things off Leeds’ finest exports of the twiddly heavy riff, Humanfly, go all prog on us, which is actually a good thing. Their new material eschews the more obvious hardcore influences that previously infused their work in favour of more classic progressive influences to good effect. They make for a slightly laidback start to the evening ahead of the more vicious sets waiting. Amenra are nothing if not vicious live. Their records are hard enough to listen to on account of their sheer power but on stage this band really are something else. Shrouded in darkness the mammoth sludge riffs combine with Colin H. van Eeckhout’s haunting screams to create the closest thing to true soul combustion you will ever see live. Spectacularly heavy and atmospheric, the Belgian quintet may not have the same large fanbase as Cult of Luna, but their performance renders many onlookers completely speechless.
Cult of Luna could be forgiven if they seemed a little lacking in intensity by comparison. Thankfully though the septet are old hands enough to be able to cope with astonishing support acts. Opening with 'I: The Weapon' is a good move. It may be a track off their new record, the exceptional 'Vertikal', but it packs enough punch even on the first listen to put to bed any doubts that Cult of Luna were going to sound lightweight in comparison to Amenra. Rapturously received old tracks like 'Ghost Trail' and 'Finland' are equally devastating to head and ear, but the real brain buster is newbie 'Vicarious Redemption'. Its dubstep mid-section gets a few alarmed looks but it is its sheer colossal nature that really cements the brilliance of this set. Stretching on for twenty minutes, the track aptly demonstrates Cult of Luna’s ability to weave astonishing soundscapes as well as anything in their entire discography. The only real criticism, in fact, of the band’s set is that it loses momentum a little towards the end. 'Passing Through' fails to garner much interest and results in closer 'In Awe Of' not getting quite the attention its gargantuanly proportioned riffs deserve. Nevertheless, this is a stirring reminder of Cult of Luna’s credentials, and an early contender for gig of the year.
'Vertikal', the new album by Cult of Luna, is out now via Indie Recordings. We already reviewed it (read here) and gave it 4.5 out of 5 so you should probably buy it now.
'Mass V', the latest record by Amenra, is out now via Neurot. We reviewed it (read here) and gave it a full 5 stars; if that’s not a reason to go and buy it immediately then what is?
'Awesome Science', the new album by Humanfly, is out via Brew on 11th February. It’s as awesome as the name suggests; look out for the Stereoboard review later this week.
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Kicking things off Leeds’ finest exports of the twiddly heavy riff, Humanfly, go all prog on us, which is actually a good thing. Their new material eschews the more obvious hardcore influences that previously infused their work in favour of more classic progressive influences to good effect. They make for a slightly laidback start to the evening ahead of the more vicious sets waiting. Amenra are nothing if not vicious live. Their records are hard enough to listen to on account of their sheer power but on stage this band really are something else. Shrouded in darkness the mammoth sludge riffs combine with Colin H. van Eeckhout’s haunting screams to create the closest thing to true soul combustion you will ever see live. Spectacularly heavy and atmospheric, the Belgian quintet may not have the same large fanbase as Cult of Luna, but their performance renders many onlookers completely speechless.
