Post Metal isn’t the easiest of genres to digest. Christ, it took me three years of casual listening to realize how goddamn awesome Mastodon are. But Cult of Luna are a different kettle of fish to Atlanta’s finest. Usually if you want to listening to some skull crushing post metal you will put on a band like the above mentioned or The Ocean. A pissed off mood calls for some pissed off music; much like a mellow mood will call for mellow music. But then Cult of Luna show up with their new album and decide to screw up this age old and much loved system.
To truly be in the mood for listening to Eternal Kingdom you would have to be in a state of fist clenching anger while feeling as if you were a water lily floating upon a tranquil lake. While the vocals are very traditional and stay true to the genre, the instrumental work holds more resemblance to bands like Russian Circles or Pelican.

Neurosis are the only directly similar band of Cult of Luna, they both also share the same trait of being exceedingly hard to get into. When listening to Eternal Kingdom for the first time the statistics of liking it instantly are astronomically low. If you really want to get all you can from this album then repeat listening are required, and lots of them. I really don’t want to say listening to this album is a chore, but at times it can be, like I said, you need to be in the right mood.

The theme of this album isn’t exactly full of straight forward thinking either. The band claim to have practiced on the ground of a demolished mental institution, and during a rehearsal they came across some medical equipment and a diary of a patient who drowned his wife. The dairy was entitled ‘Tales from the Eternal Kingdom’. The mad man tells the readers of a mysterious entity that is believed to be Satan (who was truly responsible for his wife’s death). He also rambles on about owl-men and tree-men. He believes that his little fantasy world and the little J.R.R Tolkien rip off characters can explain his innocence.
So please, light some scented candles and put on a violent film. Get in the mood for Eternal Kingdom and reap the rewards.