Cloud Rat- s/t LP review

Cloud Rat- s/t LP review

As a prologue, I must say that the guitar of this band, Rorik, gave me this back in March 2011 at a show he played at the Metal Frat; it’s a mere 48 hours before 2012 as of this writing, and it’s just NOW that I’m writing this review for him.  My apologies to Rorik and any potential readers that may have checked out this band had I written this earlier.  This is NOT a band to sleep on, and you’ll see why.

I refuse to acknowledge this release as a grindcore album, because I) grindcore sucks and II) this record does not.  In fact, it rules.  Singer Madison’s banshee shrieks encapsulate the vocals of the album, and the shrill pitch of the words accompanying the music is something so rare in music this fast that it has to work.  Needless to say, it does; Madison captures the angry, emotional, feminine vibe well, and this record would not be what it is without it (As a side note, an emotional feminine vibe is not paired with radical feminism, though Madison herself is a very reasonable and active feminist).  Guitarist Rorik’s ominous, creepy guitar intros, fills, and chords are the other part of this album that makes it so good, so very different.  Out of any DIY punk band I’ve heard, this is cream of the crop guitar work; I’ve not heard anything like it, and I really fucking dig it.  The drums keep the beat, fast or slow, and are adaptive to the change in tone as is necessary.  The lyrics are very well penned, thought-provoking, and again (with the d-word), different.  Even as a person wary of anything bordering on grindcore, this record is the bomb (yes, the bomb, from the 90s, the one that didn’t explode and kill all the shitty grindcore bands from the musical map and wipe them from the history books).

In addition to the killer work on the album, the band is living fucking proof that DIY is not dead or unsustainable; it’s alive, well, and manages to tour time and again, despite the punishing schedule the band sometimes endures.  I have mad respect for this band, for their music, and their mentality.  Nab this sooner rather than later; anyone who likes punk above 120 beats a minute won’t regret it.  I sure didn’t.

-Aunty Social