Review by Mandeep Arora on July 29, 2024.

It took me a while to become a participant of the cult of Cult of Luna and their overawing, melancholic soundscapes. It started with Salvation (I didn't listen to their first two albums until years later) and when I realised what a towering achievement that album was, I had a hard time believing there was anything else to top it, at least in this style of music. And yet, for all that astonishment and reverence, here I am, writing this review for Somewhere Along the Highway and rating it higher than the aforementioned Salvation even if by wafer-thin margin. With nearly 10 minutes and a song lesser to haul than its predecessor, it feels even tighter and more purposeful with singular focus and direction, like carved from a single block of rock by like-minded and talented individuals. But in spite of all that lower mass to haul around, it's still a portly 1 hour and 4 minutes long, with the main songs being nothing short of seven minutes - I think And With Her Came the Birds, not exactly short in itself at six minutes, is more of an interlude song with surprisingly clean vocals and some nifty banjo work, totally in cahoots with its dreary sound and demeanour. The same can even be said for the opener, a slow, soft ballad acting as a forerunner to the controlled chaos this album represents. It may start without a hint of drama but any sense of disappointment in that millisecond is the last time you experience that feeling. The moment it ebbs and flows into Finland, which announces its arrival with a loud thud and ushers in the band's staple sound, things get very good indeed. It's a catchy song, Finland, apparently their catchiest ever and it immediately feels right in every detail. It has to, considering they don't have many a catchy song to begin with, thus slightly marring the dinky little eulogy I just furnished it with. But I'll still vouch for it as captivating enough to goad you to stick around for a bit longer and maybe finish the album too; that main riff pulls harder than a locomotive engine at full throttle and bursts into an impossibly crazy melee of crushingly heavy and majestic riffs towards the end, by which point those 1 hour and 4 minutes don't seem very portly anymore...

They buttress the wall of sound effect to its maximum potential but keep things interesting and dynamic by alternating between slow and medium tempos, interesting and gradual song fade outs, and even some eccentric yet completely at home laser gun sound effects in the outro of Dim. These fade into the slow heartbeat (ish) effect of the album closer Dark City, Dead Man, a behemoth of a song at 16 minutes that provides the ultimate Cult of Luna experience - slow, ploddy even, repetitive, and having that distinct wall of sound effect. Yet with all those peculiarities, it packs some of the best progression on the album and somehow sounds very comforting despite its evidently melancholic facet. The second half especially ups the ante, getting dramatic by the minute and sounding straight out of a suspenseful movie climax - I imagine dark alleyways and dimly lit streets under a mild downpour while listening to this song, elbow leaning on the desk, chin gently cupped in my fingers and gaze sternly fixed on one constant spot... It's a truly hypnotic experience. The vocals aren't my favourite, my common complaint with this band, but they definitely sound better than most of their other albums and I think that's because of a marked difference in the overall feel they aimed for this time - it's a murky sound that's quite heavy in sections but not crushingly so and, this may come across as odd, somehow seems softer and gentler, especially if you directly compare it with their other work. Bleaker, too; if you think Salvation is the absolute paragon of grey coloured nothingness, then Somewhere Along the Highway is about a shade and a half greyer.

That's not to say there aren’t any uplifting-sounding sections, even if they may seem like interlopers at first. That bridge in Thirtyfour is particularly a joy to behold, largely because of the catchy and creative use of percussion courtesy of Thomas Hedlund. It's reminiscent of Waiting for You from Salvation where I was quite mesmerised by the minimalist drumming patterns that stayed with me for long enough even when I'd forgotten the album's other bits (it was my first time listen). But in spite of all that dexterity and creative prowess, Hedlund saves his fiercest invective for Dim, winding aggression into the drums and dialling it out on wish in the nearly infinite instrumental section of the song. And that's the biggest merit of these compositions - their mammoth lengths facilitate a copious amount of buildup for nearly everything from guitars to drums to even keyboards and more often than not, the end results make sure to pay off. The chords may be repetitive and drawn-out but you can still make a strong case of gradual progression for just about every song here. These start slow, mostly comprising of melancholic keyboards or gigantic riffs and rumbling drums, and then wander unashamedly for a great many minutes before giving way to the substantial bits. The music is, mostly, slow with an overarchingly dismal sound; Back to the Chapel Town is one such scrupulous effort that largely owes its air of tranquillity to that stark intro and drums that warble tenderly in the background. The bass is clear-cut and palpable, but eschews the raw nastiness of yore that'd otherwise mutate the heaviness of the sound. Rather, it's more amiable this time around and kind of plays second fiddle to the louder instruments, underlining the forlorn bits wherever and whenever required...

It may not perceptibly be a concept album à la King Diamond but the lyrics say otherwise. The story's rather vague though, touching lavishly upon matters concerning deprivation, longingness and overarching desolation that's strongly reminiscent of Katatonia's finest works. Depicted from a male's perspective, seemingly on the metaphorical edge and about to fall into the abyss, I think it delves into a man's rejection in love and the acute despondency and remoteness experienced as a result. There’s a dark undertow of loss that links the songs together and it's a rather depressing turn of events towards the climax. Considering the lyrical themes and the vibe they set, I don't think there could have been a more apt title for this album. Interestingly, these lyrics are rather scanty in such a vast setting of myriad sound effects and mood shifts - just a few handful of lines in massive song lengths exceeding 10 or so minutes where the likes of Dim and Dark City, Dead Man can almost pass off as instrumentals due to this lopsided ratio of instrumentation to singing. Not that I'm complaining about the prominence of the instruments here; these guys sure know their craft and how to wring out maximum output from their assigned instrument.

I was going through a list of (nearly) all the rock and metal albums released in 2006, right from Three Days Grace to Celtic Frost to even freakin' Napalm Death. A pretty good year with some quality releases, I'd say. Out of all of them, this is easily my favourite album along with Agalloch’s Ashes Against the Grain and Melechesh's Emissaries. I wouldn’t say it moves the goalposts any further after what Salvation already achieved for the band but at this point, it's a game of marginal gains and not giant leaps. I think it's a deep album and not something that easily gives itself away on the first time through; you've gotta give it a chance as there's a lot going on with the mood changing on account of the chords and the instrumental sections. But somehow, it also seems to be the most accessible Cult of Luna album. I've read reports stating that it's rawer and not as polished as Salvation, a sentiment shared by even the band members. Not sure if I could particularly distinguish that in my endless listening sessions but I wouldn't dispute it either. What's paramount is that it upholds the band's core sound and plays it to near-perfection, making for a wonderful companion on an overcast rainy day or a long solo drive - of course it has to be solo, who else listens to post-metal? It might even strike a chord with you if you haven't been super-successful in your romantic endeavours. But whatever the event or circumstance be, there are many moments here to ensure that you momentarily break your countenance into a mild smile before switching back to the original stern appearance it donned courtesy of the melancholic and barren soundscapes. In conclusion, Somewhere Along the Highway is flawlessly executed in every aspect and remains a wonderful addition to this genre's multitude of great albums. I'd even go so far as to say that it exceeds them all in my personal affections.

Rating: 10 out of 10