Cult of Luna

Cult of Luna are a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå whose slow-building, heavy music has drawn comparisons with Neurosis and Isis. Formed in 1998 from the remnants of the local hardcore punk band Eclipse, they first operated under the name LUNA inc. before settling on the one they still use. Their records pair crushing weight with long, atmospheric passages, and that combination has earned them a devoted following well beyond their home city.

Early releases Cult of Luna (2001) and The Beyond (2003) earned critical respect and an underground following, but Salvation, released in 2004 during their spell with Earache Records, marked their breakthrough. Somewhere Along the Highway followed in 2006. After a long period of inactivity they returned with Vertikal and its companion EP Vertikal II in 2013, both drawing on Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. The band curated the Beyond the Redshift festival in London in 2014, closing at the Forum, and in 2016 released Mariner, a space-themed collaboration with American vocalist Julie Christmas. Live releases Years in a Day (2017) and Mariner Live (2018) followed.