For over two decades Sweden’s CULT OF LUNA have forged a sound incomparable to others – ambitious, epic, visceral, and drenched in emotion. Their forthcoming album The Long Road North is one of their most beautiful and dynamic works to date and features guest appearances from composer Colin Stetson, Phoenix’s Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz plus more. On The Long Road North’s opening track, “Cold Burn”, listeners are immediately immersed in familiar, yet refreshingly new Cult of Luna territory. Its pulsating rhythms pummel, and Persson’s roar sears through layers of guitar.
“Cold Burn” is available today alongside an otherworldly video which previews the single’s gaming experience that will be released on February 11 alongside the album. The video and game, created by Linus Johansson of North Kingdom Greenhouse masterfully combines and captures Cult of Luna’s ethereal soundscapes with real-time technology and interactive storytelling. Within the video, fans are able to explore the visual world created for The Long Road North.
The Long Road North sees its release on February 11, 2022 via Metal Blade Records and marks as a follow-up to this year’s The Raging River EP. As is the case with every album from the band in recent years, there is a lot of shifting of dynamics and sonic density, and perhaps more so than usual on The Long Road North. “It’s a big and cinematic sounding album. I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting clearer where we are heading,” reveals vocalist/guitarist Johannes Persson, who has been one of the primary driving forces behind the band since their inception.
Persson continues, “The long road north is a long road home. A direction dictated by a call that penetrates rock and echoes through the forest. It flows over every lake, accelerated by the wind. When it reaches you, you know it’s time. Time to move forward. You don’t know where it will lead but you put the trust in it. With eyes raised towards the midnight sun it pulls you closer. The road is long and the end is uncertain.”
Recognized for their apocalyptic live performances that unrestrainedly explore the audience’s imagination, Cult of Luna will bring their stunning live show to fans just in time as The Long Road North hits shelves worldwide. Currently they are confirmed to tour UK and EU next Spring with Alcest, Caspian and Holy Fawn – North American dates to follow. For a full list of dates, see below and to purchase tickets, go here. Follow Cult of Luna on Instagram for further updates to come.
