Somewhere Along the Highway
Encyclopedia
Writing for Decibel
, Andrew Bonazelli posited that the album "finally exceeded the American post-metal standard", after "early efforts Cult of Luna
and The Beyond
mirrored the aggro facet of the Neur
-Isis
template, and 2004's Salvation
practically suffocated on its own infatuation with sustained tension, Highway makes its points straight away, evoking a rich gamut of bad moods, then marching purposefully toward the gray at the end of the tunnel." He praises it as "far and away their most original and gripping effort", and complements the timing of the release being before that of contemporaries Isis' In the Absence of Truth
, citing it as a reason that "nobody's going to call copycat". For allmusic, Rick Anderson draws distinctions between Cult of Luna and Swedish compatriots Meshuggah
and Amon Amarth
, proffering that "the overriding concern seems to be more with building a carefully constructed soundscape rather than just venting spleen". His review is not quite as glowing as Bonazelli's, determining that "if the pattern gets a bit predictable and tiresome by the album-ending instrumental 'Dark City Dead Man', it's still a powerful and compelling one".
It placed fifth in Decibel's
top albums of 2006, as well as it being awarded the best rock/metal album of the year at the P3 Gold awards in Gothenburg
, Sweden
. The only region in which it charted was Sweden
, where it peaked at number 59 on May 4, 2006.
Other personnel
Decibel magazine
Decibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
, Andrew Bonazelli posited that the album "finally exceeded the American post-metal standard", after "early efforts Cult of Luna
Cult of Luna (album)
Cult of Luna is the debut full-length album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna, released in 2001. It was originally released by Rage of Achilles, and later by Earache Records after the band signed a record contract.- Track listing :...
and The Beyond
The Beyond (album)
The Beyond is the second studio album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna, released in 2003. The subject matter is dissent with authorities, similar in some ways to contemporaries Isis' Panopticon. This album sees the rawness of the self-titled debut channeled into a cleaner sounding and more...
mirrored the aggro facet of the Neur
Neurosis (band)
Neurosis is a post-metal band, based in Oakland, California. They formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk band, and their sound progressed towards a doom metal style that also included influences from dark ambient and industrial music as well as incorporating elements of folk music...
-Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
template, and 2004's Salvation
Salvation (Cult of Luna album)
Salvation is the third full-length album by Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna, released on Earache Records in 2004; on October 4 in Europe, and October 10 in the United States.-Track listing:All tracks written by Cult of Luna.# "Echoes" – 12:30...
practically suffocated on its own infatuation with sustained tension, Highway makes its points straight away, evoking a rich gamut of bad moods, then marching purposefully toward the gray at the end of the tunnel." He praises it as "far and away their most original and gripping effort", and complements the timing of the release being before that of contemporaries Isis' In the Absence of Truth
In the Absence of Truth
In the Absence of Truth is the fourth full-length studio album by Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band Isis, released by Ipecac Recordings on October 31, 2006...
, citing it as a reason that "nobody's going to call copycat". For allmusic, Rick Anderson draws distinctions between Cult of Luna and Swedish compatriots Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
and Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...
, proffering that "the overriding concern seems to be more with building a carefully constructed soundscape rather than just venting spleen". His review is not quite as glowing as Bonazelli's, determining that "if the pattern gets a bit predictable and tiresome by the album-ending instrumental 'Dark City Dead Man', it's still a powerful and compelling one".
It placed fifth in Decibel's
Decibel magazine
Decibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
top albums of 2006, as well as it being awarded the best rock/metal album of the year at the P3 Gold awards in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The only region in which it charted was Sweden
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
, where it peaked at number 59 on May 4, 2006.
Track listing
Personnel
Band members- Thomas Hedlund – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Andreas Johansson – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Fredrik Kihlberg – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Magnus Lindberg – drums, recordingRecordingRecording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
and mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Erik Olofsson – guitar
- Johannes Persson – guitar, vocals and lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
- Klas Rydberg – vocals
- Anders Teglund – keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
and electronics
Other personnel
- Martin Gustafson – backing vocals on "Marching to the Heartbeats"
- Pelle Henricsson – mastering
- David Sundqvist – intro loop on "Dim" and programmed drums on "Dark City, Dead Man"