******
- Verified Buyer
From the depths of industrial catacombs rises an unrelenting beast - awakened like a forgotten, advanced race of cyborgs from a parallel dimension. Cult Of Luna's second offering goes beyond the debut's cryptic tone and relishes in the post / cyber-apocalyptic realm of futility to literally churn a new warp hole of cataclysmic proportions. The band is arguably at their heaviest here - thundering guitars eclipsing time itself backed by Rydberg's lion-like roars make up the impenetrable backbone of the album, and it's thicker than any steak sauce on the market. Production all around is a step up: crisp, booming, rich, and with plenty of distortion for the listener to get lost in like an abyss.A good lot of the songs on here hover around ten minutes in play-length and contain three different measures of intensity - interludes / breaks, build-ups, and straightforward, colossal, riff-infested typhoons. Nothing is too conventional structurally, but the emphasis on adventurous concepts isn't lost, either. The first few tracks (barring the programmed introductory one) are consecutive earthquakes - not seismic shockwaves as a result, but out-of-the-blue earthquakes with massive consequences. One after the other, we're caught off-guard by bellowing bass rupturing in chaotic support of the psychotic, overwhelming guitar attacks: distortion never goes through the roof as it would with drone, but the amount of it being shed layer after layer provides for a massively treacherous tone. Celtic Frost's Monotheist still reigns supreme in the guitar tone department, but this one doesn't get tiring or redundant; it provides a warm, fuzzy, comforting feeling while still sounding merciless and intimidating. However, the use of a monstrous guitar tone can only truly be backed by competent riffs. From the despondent, perilous spirals of "Receiver" to the crushing, tyrannical waves of "Arrival," one will surly feel like an insignificant entity in this vast, infinite expanse called the universe.Thankfully, the ambient, electronic, and soundscape undertones are kept to a strictly background role. The guitars and bass are at the front, surging like electricity traveling through rusty pipes. The tone keeps you on your feet - it always sounds like there's some ominous, unknown enemy lurking in the darkest corners of the deep space; it waits for its time to reawaken. The build-ups let you know when the squids are about to surf through your bedroom window, living up to their role and bracing you for the inevitable. The interludes come and go whenever they please: "Circle" has one right at the beginning that sounds more country than most pop-country, "Arrival" and "Further" sport jarring Noam Chomsky-sampled breaks, the outro of "Deliverance" rises like tides of tranquility, and the rest seep in and out of their respective tracks much like the ambiance rolling off the oil drums like slick grime.Deep and monolithic, we behold The Beyond and its omnipresence as a voice for all life. After that, all life capitulates to Rydberg's burly hollering, giving his all through his own voice and almost reaching growling power that would shred anyone else's vocal chords. They're a tad hardcore-ish, as indicative of his past history, but here they sometimes get altered electronically - that is, like a machine splitting up his vocals into layers. As loud as the guitars and bass get, his vocals do get overpowered, but he does enough to stay above the waves of riffs most of the time, especially on the doomtastic final track. Drumming is right behind him, firing like artillery rounds of shocking cymbal crashes and numb-inducing drum bass that'd turn an octopus inside out. The rhythm of every song manages to never careen endlessly; a steady, buoyant pace is contained throughout The Beyond, which means drumming sits back and checks with timely, calm playing during the breaks and erupting bashes of pitiless, amphibious assaults during the high marks; no concern for blast beats, complex patterns, or viciously fast pummeling.With a diabolical, cynical tone led by Rydberg's distinguished boisterous capabilities, The Beyond stands its ground with a guise that'll devastate all mankind. Cult Of Luna's reputation began with this album and today it still continues to answer the call to remind us of the universe's darker secrets. More than meets the eye here, but there's no mistake in what you hear.
