Cult Of Luna release second new single ‘A Way Back’

Cult Of Luna have released a second new single, “A Way Back”. The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming new album In The Shadow of Your Shadow, out on November 6 on their own label RED CRK. Pre-orders are available here.

About the new single: “I often find myself trying to describe a recurring feeling, the sensation of being lost, trapped, or both, and the struggle to find a way out. A way back to yourself, to a safe space, or simply finding a way to make it through when anxiety overwhelms you. At its core, that’s what this song is about.” – Fredrik Kihlberg / Cult Of Luna

A more-than-worthy addition to their dynamic canon, In the Shadow of Your Shadow – co-produced by Daniel Berglund and mixed by Magnus Lindberg – is a 71-minute monolith: a stark rejection of trends, convention, and pandering to one’s audience. Lyrically, it channels recent experiences of loss into a bleak set of songs.

“We all have our history, we all have our baggage,” Persson explains. “Everything that you’ve gone through leads you to where you are right now. It’s a boring cliche, but it’s true. There were certain things that I thought I’d left behind, and certain events during the last couple of years have brought them back. When you put the lid on things for decades, it’s interesting to see how they come back. This parasite is back again.”

The new album also features two amazing guest musicians. On “Sadness Will Reign”, a blunt, misanthropic statement, guest vocalist Joe Duplantier – frontman of Grammy-winning extreme metal titans Gojira – makes his appearance. “What I like about Joe is that he has a very particular voice,” says Persson. “I think it’s one of the reasons why Gojira stands out as the metal giants that they are. It has its own unique character and would stand out even if you put him next to a hundred or a thousand other vocalists.”

On “One More Day” – a song about the emotional struggle of depression, getting through life one day at a time – drops to a Fields of the Nephilim-like crawl, emphasizing the baritone of guest David Eugene Edwards, 16 Horsepower leader and American folk icon. “David has been a huge influence for years,” says Persson. “I’ve been a huge fan of 16 Horsepower, his solo projects and Wovenhand for decades. ‘One More Day’ is one of my favorite tracks on the album. His voice fits perfectly on the song and it carries the subject matter with conviction.”

In The Shadow Of Your Shadow tracklist:

1. In the Shadow of Your Shadow 
2. Sadness Will Reign (feat. Joe Duplantier) 
3. Landby 
4. Breach 
5. The Rift 
6. A Way Back 
7. One More Day (feat. David Eugene Edwards) 
8. From Grey to Black 
9. Burial 

Pre-orders are available here.

Hailing from Umeå, Sweden–home to fellow legendary innovators Meshuggah and Refused–Cult of Luna built an ardent fanbase with their albums Cult Of Luna (2001) and The Beyond (2003), before Salvation (2004) catapulted them to global acclaim. The raw and vast Somewhere Along the Highway (2006) won Sweden’s prestigious P3 Gold Award for Best Rock/Metal Album of the Year, and inspired the band to fully embrace their metal side for 2008’s crushing Eternal Kingdom.

Each subsequent release added new shades to their sound: Vertikal (2013) took influence from industrial cityscapes; the Julie Christmas team-up Mariner (2016) was a space-metal rocket ride that got nominated for a Swedish Grammis Award; A Dawn to Fear (2019) was their longest standalone album to date; and The Long Road North (2022) featured contributions from musician/actor Mariam Wallentin as well as the critically acclaimed musician/composer Colin Stetson (Hereditary OST). Cult of Luna have also collaborated with such beloved musicians as Godflesh’s Justin Broadrick (who remixed “Vicarious Redemption” for 2013’s Vertikal II EP) and Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan (guest vocalist on “Inside of a Dream” from 2021’s The Raging River EP), as well as curating their own genre-busting festival, Beyond the Redshift.

New album In the Shadow of Your Shadow is another evolutionary effort from a band who refuse to stand still. It’s devastating and diverse, and it cements their place as trailblazers.