Cult Of Luna / The Old Wind – Raangest – Split EP Review

Source // pelagic-records.com

An uncompromising – and yet very welcome – split release, Raangest offers fans of the well known (and cherished) Cult Of Luna an opportunity to discover like minded souls and The Old Wind prove to be the perfect partner. 

Cult of Luna’s input is limited to just the one track, a cover version of “Last Will And Testament” from UK crust-punk pioneers Amebix. At first glance this is perhaps an odd choice but Cult Of Luna do embody the spirit – if not the sound – of this legendary cult band and their drawn out post-metal retains the edge of Amebix’s experimental crust-punk original.

The Old Wind are the true reason to pick up this EP however.

An altogether darker, colder proposition, “Wooden Scythe” offers up a range of unpassable mountainous riffs amidst a twisted version of post metal more akin to Neurosis. It’s abrasive, wounded and throughly engrossing and elaborates on the groundwork laid down on TOW’s 2013 release Feast On Your Gone.

If possible, the sludge-like “Daughters Of Cleanse” ascends further into an anguished personal hell, drowning in a sea of atonal riffing as its crushing weight slowly suffocates underneath wave after wave of tribal drums and raw-throated howls; uncomfortable but utterly mesmerising.

An artistic and excellent advertisement for both bands forthcoming releases, Raangest is a triumph. 8/10