Genre : Post-metal
Released : February 5th, 2021
Label : Red Creek
FFO : The Ocean, Conjurer, Isis
Although this could normally be considered a full LP with its almost 40 minutes of run time; in the world of Cult of Luna's lengthy tracks that buildup over tens of minutes, 5 tracks constitute a "brief" EP.
And to be fair, it does feel brief for a CoL project and nothing here overstays its welcome.
"The Raging River" is the first project the band has published through their new independent label, Red Creek, and is meant to be an expansion on the band's 2019 LP "A Dawn to Fear" both in terms of sound and thematic.
And I'm really happy that's the case since I absolutely loved what CoL had created on that LP with its menacing, slumbering atmosphere alternating between hard-hitting sludge and anxiety-inducing post-rock, agremented with really cool synth work that darkened the atmosphere even further.
And this is pretty much what you get on this new EP, the only major difference being Mark Lanegan's guest spot on "Inside of a Dream", which to be honest, although I appreciated the experimentation, I did not really care for that much.
I don't have much to add aside from the fact that CoL have expanded on their style of songwriting from their previous LP on this project and have once again created a fantastic somber hypnotic soundscape in which it's really easy to get lost within and that's what I enjoy so much about this band.
They are able to pull the listener inside their universe so easily and keep him entertained throughout with these long buildups, melodic leitmotifs, badass riffs and cool drum patterns.
I especially like the way drummer Thomas Hedlund uses accents on his hi-hat on tracks like "Wave After Wave" (I'm not a drummer so let me know if I'm spewing nonsense here).
All in all, if like me you enjoyed "A Dawn to Fear", you'll enjoy this EP, but don't expect any major changes in the band's sound or style of writing.
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