The tour announcement follows the February release of Cult of Luna’s latest album, The Long Road North, on Metal Blade Records earlier this year.  The release made it to No. 14 on the German albums chart.

The band have been releasing music for over two decades, and the new album is no exception to their dense, dynamic sound.  In a recent press release, vocalist/ guitarist Johannes Persson opened up about the group’s direction on The Long Road North, saying “It’s a big and cinematic-sounding album. I think one of the reasons why we have been able to be so productive the last couple of years is that we have been consistently writing from the heart. We have let our instincts guide us, and I think it’s getting clearer where we are heading”.  Persson went on to describe the new album as a “long road home”.

Reflecting back on the band’s 2022 tour and looking forward to the upcoming one, he said, “not knowing what to expect when we got out from our unexpected and involuntary hiatus, we were blown away by the numbers of people that came to see us. The love we received was truly moving and it felt like the tour just started when it was over. But time moves quickly and soon it’s time to get out again. In these chaotic conditions that the world is in right now, we can’t do much than trust in music as a rewarding constant. A tool of power and comfort. We hope to see you out there next year”.

Check out footage from the band’s 2022 tour here:

The Long Road North also features appearances from Mariam Wallentin of Swedish duo Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz of French pop-rock band Phoenix, and Composer Colin Stetson.

Tickets for the upcoming tour are now available to purchase here.

Dates and venues are:

17/03/2023 – Store Vega – Copenhagen, DK
18/03 – Huxley’s Neue Welt – Berlin, DE
19/03 – Kulturzentrum Schlachthof – Weisbaden, DE
20/03 – Tivoli Ronda – Utrecht, NL
21/03 – AB – Brussels, BE
22/03 – L’Olympia – Paris, FR
23/03 – Im Wizemann – Stuttgard, DE
24/03 – Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
25/03 – Kino Siska – Ljubljana, SO
27/03 – Arena – Grobe Halle – Vienna, AT
28/03 – Muffathalle – Munich, DE
29/03 – Roxy – Prague, PL
30/03 – Klub Studio – Krakow, PL
31/03 – Progresja – Warsaw, PL

The band released their sixth album, ‘Vertikal’ in January, their first in nearly five years. A concept album strongly influenced by the 1927 Fritz Lang classic Metropolis, which used a linear, structured – but still often brutal  – sound to examine the themes of claustrophobic, machinist modern life, ‘Vertikal’ was a huge critical success, hailed by Kerrang as, ‘breathtaking’, and Classic Rock as ‘an instant classic’.

Eight months on, ‘Vertikal II‘, the albums sequel, continues the theme with three tracks from the writing sessions, as well as a bonus remix of the first album’s track, ‘Vicarious Redemption’. It is not clear whether ‘Vertikal II’ is intended to be considered a canon album, or simply a bonus disc. While it is only four tracks long, prog being prog, it’s still longer at 36 minutes than the output of most bands.

Discussing ‘Vertikal II’, guitarist and vocalist Johannes Persson stated:

‘Vertikal II is the continuation of our journey into the harshness of the monotone city landscape. The songs were written during the ‘Vertikal’ session and we always intended them to be released close to the album. Justin Broadrick’s remix was not a part of the original plan but since it came out phenomenally good we thought that it would fit perfectly as closer of the whole ‘Vertikal’ project. With ‘Vertikal II’, we complete and end a chapter that, for the last few years, has been a big part of our lives. Now we leave the inner city and look up into the vast void above.’     

‘Vertikal II’ will be released on CD on September 21^st. The track listing is as follows:

1. Oro
2. Light Chaser
3. Shun The Mask
4. Vicarious Redemption (remix by Justin K. Broadrick)

The album will also be available in very limited edition on vinyl.

Cult of Luna are currently touring Europe, and play their last UK date, The Fleece in Bristol TONIGHT. Tickets are still available. They will also perform at Novembers Damnation Festival in Leeds.

Check out a sample of ‘Vertikal’ below, the official video for, ‘Passing Through’