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

Speaking on social media, Cult of Luna said regarding the announcement: “Now that almost all the lights are in the green, it’s time to bring you the show we’ve dreamed of for so long, and what a great honor to be joined by Russian Circles and Svalbarduk for this.”

The ever-prolific Cult of Luna recently released their ninth full-length studio album in February The Long Road North, which follows along from 2020’s The Raging River. The album was well-received by fans and critics alike, with Metal Injection saying in a glowing review that the record is: “more mature, nuanced and consistent than their 2019 masterpiece, A Dawn to Fear.”  You can listen to “Into the Night” from the record down below.

Co-headliner Russian Circles have also been busy lately, having just announced a new album entitled Gnosis, which will mark their eighth full-length record. The band has released a single “Conduit” alongside the album announcement; a tune that explores the grittier, heavier side of the band’s sound, which can range from thoughtful and placid to crushing and dissonant. Awash with grimy tremolo picked guitars and a thick distorted bass sound that growls and bellows in the background, the song sets the tone for a dark, noisy metal record. Take a listen down below.

Support act Svalbard are an excellent genre-blending group who any metal fan should know about. The outfit, comprised of guitarist and vocalist Serena Cherry, drummer Mark Lilley, bassist Matt Francis and guitarist Liam Phelan have been at it since 2011, and released their third studio album When I Die, Will I Get Better? in 2020. The record has since been named the 5th best metal album of 2020 by Metal Hammer. You can listen to the record on all streaming services, and you can also listen to it on YouTube, via the link below.

A complete list of dates for Cult of Luna’s EU tour with Russian Circles and Svalbard can be viewed down below.

17/03/2023- -Store Vega- Copenhagen, Denmark
18/03- Huxleys- Berlin, Germany
19/03- Schlachthof- Wiesbaden, Germany
20/03 -Tivoli Ronda- Utrecht, Netherlands
21/03- AB- Brussels, Belgium
22/03- Olympia- Paris, France
23/03- Wizzemna- Stuttgart, Germany
24/03- Les Docks- Lausanne, Switzerland
25/03- Kino Siska- Ljubljana, Slovenia
27/03- Arena- Vienna, Austria
28/03- Muffathalle- Munich, Germany
29/03- Roxy- Prague, Czech Republic
30/03- Studio- Krakow, Poland
31/03- Progresja- Warsaw, Poland

Sorry guys…BEYOND THE REDSHIFT on March 12th and October 2022 tour are still ON. Stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/MhFmregD8Y

— Cult of Luna (@Cultofluna_off) January 14, 2022

The band posted a statement regarding the cancellation across their social media, saying: “We hoped that it wouldn’t come to this. You all know the situation we’re in and at the moment it’s too unsafe to tour Europe, which means that we have to cancel the February/March tour. We’re all super disappointed about this but we have to adapt to reality. These are dark times for sure but it’s important to keep in mind that people’s health and lives are the only thing that’s important- everything else can wait.”

The band added: “Pandemics happen every now and then, it’s just that our generation hasn’t experienced anything like it. As before, humanity will get through this… All tickets will be reimbursed and we will update you as soon as possible regarding new touring plans.” You can read the full statement here, or at the link above.

Despite the pandemic slowing down their touring schedule, Cult of Luna have been very prolific when it comes to releasing music as of late. Last year, the band released the E.P. The Raging River, less than a year after releasing their eighth full-length album A Dawn to Fear. Much to the delight of fans, the band will be releasing their ninth full-length studio album The Long Road North in just under a month’s time, on February the 11^th. The album will be released on Metal Blade Records, which the group signed with back in 2019. The band has released two singles from the record so far, “Cold Burn” and “Into The Night”. You can view the band’s visualiser for “Into The Night” down below. More information on the upcoming album, as well as pre-orders, can be found here.

Forming in 1998 in Umeå, Sweden from the ashes of a hardcore punk group called Eclipse, Cult of Luna released their self-titled debut album three years later, in 2001. Stylistically, the band blended the fury of hardcore punk with the melodic sensibilities and lengthy song structures of post-metal, culminating in a sound that was not too dissimilar to genre titans Isis (the band, not the other thing) and Neurosis. The band’s 2004 record Salvation is widely considered to be their “breakout” album, which received overwhelming acclaim, with Metal Hammer awarding it an extremely rare 10/10 rating. Cult of Luna’s entire musical catalogue can be found on all streaming services.

The album marks the follow-up to this year’s The Raging River EP, and proves that for over two decades. It proves as the band put it that they have forged a sound that has grown incomparable to others ambitious, epic, visceral, and drenched in emotion.

Vocalist and guitarist Johannes Persson stated in a press release “The long road north is a long road home. A direction dictated by a call that penetrates rock and echoes through the forest. It flows over every lake, accelerated by the wind. When it reaches you, you know it’s time. Time to move forward. You don’t know where it will lead but you put the trust in it. With eyes raised towards the midnight sun it pulls you closer. The road is long and the end is uncertain.”

After 2019’s A Dawn To Fear, Cult of Luna reached a career highpoint and have continued that journey with their 2021 EP The Raging River EP which now concludes with The Long Road North. Their new release stands as one of their most dynamic and beautiful works to date. Pre-order from their website will begin on December 1st, 2021 and you can view the album artwork below.

The band will also embark on a European tour to showcase their new release with tickets available here

The Long Road North European Tour:

Support: Alcest & Svalbard

02/24/22 DK – Copenhagen – Vega Copenhagen, Denmark
02/25 Berlin – Huxley’s, Germany
02/26 Krakow – Klub Studio – Krakow, Poland
02/27 Warsaw – Progresja, Poland
28/02 Prague – Roxy, Czech Republic
03/01 Arena – Vienna Austria
03/02 Kino Siska – Ljubljana, Slovenia
03/04 Les Docks – Lausanne, Switzerland
03/05 Wizemann, Stuttgart, Germany
03/06 Muffathalle – München, Denmark
03/07 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, Germany
03/08 Skaters Palace – Münster, Germany
03/09/ Tivoli Vredenburg Ronda – Utrecht, Netherlands
03/10 Depart – Kortrijk, Belgium
03/11 L’Olympia – Paris, France
03/12 The Forum / Beyond The Redshift Festival – London, UK

Support: Caspian & Holy Fawn

10/02 Rockhal – Esch, Luxembourg
10/03 Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
10/04 – CH Geneva, Alhambra – Geneva, Switzerland
10/05 – FR Toulouse, Le Metronum
10/06 – FR Biarritz, Atabal
10/07/10 – ES Barcelona, AMFest
10/08 – ES Madrid, But
10/09 – ES Porto, Amplifest
10/11 – FR Nantes, Stereolux
10/12 – FR Lille, Aeronef
10/13 – FR Strasbourg, La Laiterie
10/14 – NL Zwolle, Hedon
10/15 – DE Leipzig, Felsenkeller
10/16 – PL Wroclaw, A2
10/17 – HU Budapest, Durer Kert
10/19 – GR Athens, Fuzz Club

TesseracT’s latest release, Altered State, came out earlier this year. Check out the video for their track Singularity here: