THE DISCOVERY

Right off the bat I'd like to say that though this album may not appeal to all fans of progressive rock, I find that there is a distinct Meshuggah inspired style here which everyone should at least explore, and for this reason I have awarded it four stars. What I love most about Cloudkicker is that it's not a 100% rip off of Meshuggah; it's a unique take on that style with a healthy doses of melody and atmosphere. This album abounds with that atmosphere, and as a whole it flows extremely well, almost as if it were one song. When I put this album on I rarely don't finish it; it's a very "complete" work. There aren't any extra songs that don't belong; it's all concentrated rhythmic goodness.

Genesis Device: This track opens the album with a droning siren which leads straight into a heavily syncopated and driving rhythm. It's a short track but it's sufficient as the album's intro.

Dysphoria: This song is definitely my favorite of the album. Awesome opening riff with some nice droning guitars in the background. I really like how he layers the clean guitar parts of the syncopated rhythms on this track. Nice texture all over this song.

Avalanche: Killer rhythms right after another on this one. After a cool break a little past midway in the song, we are led up into a very "epic" ending. Another great track.

Everything's Mirrors: This is a short 2:02 track that is just clean guitar drenched with delay and playing a neat little repeating melody. Some guitar harmonics enter and the beauty is astounding. It serves as a nice rest from the chaos of the heavier songs and is very pleasant to listen to.

Viceroy: A slow, churning rhythm starts off this track. This track is very streamlined -- there's a chance that the prog fan with a short attention span may get a little bored here. It's a nice track none the less with that is very typical of Cloudkicker.

Segue: This song is almost like an Everything's Mirrors pt. 2. It's clean all clean guitar again playing another great melody -- both this track and Everything's Mirrors are very characteristic of post-rock. As the title suggests, it acts as a segue to the next song.

The Discovery: A couple of typical Cloudkicker rhythms and riffs, and then an awesome drum driven section that leads the way. The gain on the guitar is backed way down and the atmospheric droning in the background is quiet audible. It builds and builds in intensity and then finally hits one of the best parts of the whole album. It's a droning and flying melody over the top of a driving rhythm which is completely awe-inspiring.

Covington: Another post-rockish track albeit this time with more drumming. These little tracks are great segues to the heavy songs as I said earlier. It makes the piece as a whole more comprehensible and it allows the album the breathe nicely.

Triumvirate!: This is a really short catchy track, only 1:04 long. It's a great track but there's not much here.

States: This track starts with an affirmative rhythm, almost as if it's letting you know that it's going to end the album strongly. Another drum driven rhythm part, similar to the one in The Discovery, leads into a powerful riff which itself is bookended by a melodic line that slowly fades out to end the album.

Overall I'd say that this album is extremely consistent in quality throughout. Though some may become impatient with the rhythms that are all played in a similar style, it is essential that we take these riffs and rhythms as individuals and recognize that they all have something unique to say. The lighter post-rock style tracks really make this album a pleasure to listen to, as they prevent the stagnation that many bands in this genre tend to fall into.