so i figure id get off my ass and do the first review of the year finally....and its a doozy.....if you know me, then you know how i feel about cloud rat. one of the absolute best bands going today....ive been with them since 2010 and i don't see that changing anytime soon.....as for this record, its the patented cloud rat formula of thick charging riffs and huge sounding blastbeats with madison's gnarly vocals splattered across it like so much venous blood spurting from a ripped carotid artery.......this time they add a few layers, some new tricks on top of their tried and true recipe and branch off into some interesting directions, both chaotic and surprisingly melodic at times..."infinity chasm" could almost be an outtake from a welcome the plague year or joshua fit for battle album .. there's even some singing on a couple tracks, including a neil young cover ("needle and the damage done").....this monster is growing, maturing, but without the artistic shittiness alot of bands go through in the name of "growth". they remain savage and loud and feral and emotional. no need to resort to trend hopping, polished production (although their production has always been top notch) or going in a totally different direction....cloud rat are who they are and i hope they will continue being that for the forseeable future because its a great thing to hear and behold......i can foresee after their imminent european tour (march-april) that they will be an internationally recognized force to reckon with, that is if they aren't already. these people mean the world to me and seeing them progress and move forward like this makes me proud that something this good has arisen from my home state, even if there's not much else to be proud of around here.........this band is connected to so many great recent memories....even little ones like stopping in big rapids at meijers on my way home from seeing them to get something to eat and reading through the liner notes of their split with republic of dreams on an 80 degree morning with not a cloud in the sky and the sun blazing full tilt.....those are the little things that keep me connected to these people, that keep me coming back, now its seriously a whiteout blizzard outside right now but im still so stoked to get down to mt pleasant next month and see my favorite people again, and get some crucial hang-time before they head off to conquer europe......if you are in their european path of destruction, i urge you to take a day off and go see them, you'll be a better person for doing so......album of 2013 so far.
cloud rat - moksha
