Managing to produce an eighth album that lasts almost eighty minutes over eight tracks, three years after the release of a critically acclaimed record when the band was not the main source of income for its members, is a challenge that only a panel of carefully selected bands are able to meet. Yet Cult of Luna have passed with flying colours, delivering the brilliant A Dawn to Fear. Trying to tie the northern combo down to one genre would be pointless, even under the label “post-[insert genre here]”, as they have always managed to explore these icy regions without ever repeating the same formula. While Vertikal was cold and packed with gravitas, and Mariner was particularly aerial, A Dawn to Fear marks their return to earth, to the organic, to the visceral. Particularly dense and rich, this record offers a synthesis of Cult of Luna, showcasing all the band’s fortes, from their epic riffs (see the opening notes of The Silent Man) to their trance- inducing long post-rock solos (A Dawn to Fear and Lights on the Hill last 15 minutes) while knowing how (and this is the band’s strength) to surprise even their most devoted fans. Like all great works, A Dawn to Fear is not easily tamed. You must listen to the record several times to comprehend its intrinsic depth. One of the most beautiful metal releases of 2019 to be consumed without moderation, if possible on top volume in front of a fire while a storm rages outside. © Théo Roumier/Qobuz