SOMEWHERE ALONG THE HIGHWAY
Somewhere Along the Highway by CULT OF LUNA creates a somber mood that hangs in the air for 3 or 4 minutes at a time during any given song, before the band finally decides to cause havoc by starting to scream, and playing either a thunderous, mid-tempo breakdown or some other mid-tempo pounding. This formula is executed throughout the entire 64-minute album, which comes across more as one, long song, rather than 7 separate songs. Keys and electronics are used to enhance the quieter moments, and even to supplement the heavier parts such as in the last song, “Dark City Dead Man”.
If you approach this album as one grand piece of music, and not just a collection of songs, then you will get more out of it. The tracks often bleed into each other, and you wouldn’t be able to tell that a different song is starting if you didn’t actually look. There are 7 band members, which consists of 3 guitarists and 2 drummers, in addition to the expected vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist, but the amount of members certainly isn’t a novelty, but more so a way to thicken the sound. If you need comparisons to help in deciding whether they’re your cup of tea or not, the vocals are similar to that of Meshuggah, and the music is in the same vein as NEUROSIS and ISIS. The pacing of the album can also draw parallels to another experimental and daring band, THE MARS VOLTA.
