It’s a unique pleasure to see a worthy band make the transition into something far more than another band of whatever renown from whatever big or small label would take under any normal circumstances. The revered name of Cult of Luna has enabled these very talented musicians to do a lot in their time with plenty of landmark albums being released under their name, but it was time for a slight change as they now take their own destiny into their own hands with the creation of their own label with a brand new EP being the perfect delivery and embodiment of this massive shift for this massive band.

Coming off of an album that is a real marker in their career that was already bombastic to begin with and then hurling themselves into such a unique position that only a handful of bands are ever able to make with relative ease with such a ravenous fan base to boot, this gorgeous EP is in its essence a bridge more than anything else. That’s not to say that “The Raging River” is a symbolic album with no substance since there’s no such thing as a Cult of Luna effort that isn’t well worth diving into, but the connections are simply undeniable as these five tracks show us Cult of Luna putting their best foot forward in order to craft an experience into the next era of their evolution. Should you be at all familiar with what this band has done, you already know what you’re in for in some way when you tune into “The Raging River”. In many ways, this is a continuation of the magnificent 2019 effort that was “A Dawn to Fear” with it both sonically and thematically lining up, but the EP effortlessly takes on a different set of overtones given the situation to make it feel as though this band is shedding its skin in a way to present us with a form that sees this band shiny, fresh, and ready to take on the world as every iota of “The Raging River” is an embodiment of all that this band has been leading towards in its modern form that is no less than monolithic with its widespread influence and talent being next to legendary in status as a modern name that carries immense weight, and it’s between the engorging emotions and overwhelming talent that’s brought forth for all five of these powerful songs that one cannot help but see the undeniable significance of “The Raging River”.

Any release from the likes of Cult of Luna is cause for celebration and excitement, but it’s this EP that comes at us with recent events playing it up to become something so much more. Even if you disregard the band’s forward momentum and outside accomplishments, “The Raging River” is another exemplary work from an exceedingly revered name that never seems to disappoint or earn enough praise in any way as they seem to get better and better in one way or another with each successive release.

“The Raging River” releases on February 5th via Red Creek Recordings!

LISTEN to the single, “Three Bridges”, on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

PRE-ORDER “The Raging River” via Red Creek here.

LIKE Cult of Luna on Facebook here.