In the beginning of this year CULT OF LUNA returned with "Vertikal", which is considered their best work until now. "Vertikal II" is a supplement EP to the original record with three new tracks and a remix of the killer "Vicarious Redemption". Metal Temple reviewed the "Vertikal album previously this year, written review by Spiros Stasis. I am sure that you will have a better insight of "Vertikal" if you read about this for the first time or want to refresh your memory.

"Vertikal II" starts with "O R O" that is a very minimalistic song with a constant electronic beat, very dissonant clean guitars and vocals sounding like processed through a Leslie speaker that runs for seven minutes. "Light Chaser" builds around a keyboard riff that goes through the whole song over brutal vocals and more menacing guitar riffs. The last song, "Shun the Mask" continues the minimalistic approach, with slow speeds, haunting harmonies and brutal vocals and an epic duration of twelve minutes. The remix of "Vicarious Redemption" is a very interesting take in the same spirit as the rest of the songs, a very clever adaptation of shorter duration done by Justin Broadrik of GODFLESH).

Overall, "Vertikal II" is a very consistent album on its own but a relevant entity to the mother album "Vertikal". The songs are mesmerizing and intriguing, but there is always the question why release something that bears great connection and resemblance to the original material. It remains a huge debate these days why people are not paying for releases, the decaying of the industry and so on. In that sense, it is logically assumed that people should head for the main release and "Vertikal II" remains an opt for the fans who want to dig into something more than the original album. You can always try to stream it from some sites or via Spotify and you can decide for yourself.