CLOUDKICKER — The Discovery (review)

CLOUDKICKER — The Discovery album cover Album · 2008 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
The Angry Scotsman
Post-metal.

It is a very new sub genre of metal, (we're talking early 2000's here) and one of the more intriguing. However, it appears to already be stagnating. The very nature of post metal lends itself to this. If done incorrectly it can be terribly boring and awful, and even done well few out there sound different now. Well fear not! The "big names" in post metal will always be appreciated but Isis, Pelican and Cult of Luna can hand the torch off to the underground!

Cloudkicker is the one man project of Ben Sharp. This, his debut album, is an intriguing one. It is a blend of post and thrash metal. It keeps the post metal feel, (instrumentals, heavy guitar, dense intricate walls of noise, atmospheric breaks, and aggressive soundscapes) but the overall intensity is kicked up a few notches. Besides some faster pace on this album, the riffing is also a bit more intense than your run of the mill post metal. Faster, technical, and filled with djent, (but not overdone like so many other bands). The riffing, and drumming, tends a bit more machine gun like than droning.

Of course there is a good amount of ambiance, both in the albums breaks and segues but also mixed in with the sonic walls of noise.

While Mr. Sharp must be commended on making an album that pushes the boundaries of post metal a bit more, as well as creating some wonderful music, this album is a bit samey. There is no real standout song, and they all sound the same frankly. While this is not a bad thing, it can make this album drag a bit. More so, outside of the occasional break, the density of this album can be also be a bit much by the end. A bit of a mix up would be nice.

An impressive debut album without doubt. Glad to see at least one out there is ready to mix up the post metal formula. A very good listen.

Three and a Half Stars
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