So a couple weeks ago I was on the Amtrak heading into downtown Chicago (long story) and decided that it was the perfect moment to check out the new Cult of Luna joint, “Vertikal”. From the review that I had read in Decibel they had mentioned how this album was heavily influenced by the infamous 1927 film “Metropolis“. I had never seen the film and didn’t know much about it except from what I had learned in my high school film media class- it was really famous, extremely ambitious for its time, and was considered a major cinematic achievement in the history of film. I thought listening to the album while travelling into the heart of Chicago would really enhance the listening experience, but for some reason it didn’t quite click. I don’t know if it was the harsh vocals or if it was because it was the middle of the day and I was sitting next to a giant Amish family, but whatever it was I decided I would have to return to “Vertikal” at a later time because it still sounded pretty cool.

This is the best metal album I’ve heard so far this year!

One of the problems I’ve always had when listening to “post-metal” (or any lengthy, intricate experimental metal that can come off as pretty boring for that matter) is that I really have to be in the right mood for it…usually in some sort of an altered state and/or in conjunction with a movie or something. So last night I decided to just geek the fuck out and straight up listen to “Vertikal” on my iPod while watching Metropolis on Netflix. While I wasn’t expecting a Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz situation or anything like that, I feel like overall it was quite a success (except after awhile it did get a little boring)…

However, I would highly encourage you to do the same as well!! Here’s what I did…

The version of the film I watched was “Metropolis Restored” on Netflix (streaming), and I started the album right when the screen says “Directed by Fritz Lang”. It’s important to note that I don’t have the actual CD, so if you’re not listening to this on your computer or iPod I would keep that in mind due to the lag in starting up a CD on a CD player (or similar device). Anyway, if you do it right you’ll notice that it matches up pretty well, especially with the album’s first two tracks (“The One” and “I: The Weapon”). After this I found myself getting kind of bored and it doesn’t sync up amazingly after that, but who knows! Maybe it syncs up better to another version of the film (my understanding is that there are a lot), or maybe the album just doesn’t sync up well at all.

Anyway, I really like doing this stuff so if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, check it out!!