Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cloacal Kiss - 2006 Easter


Band : Cloacal Kiss
Album : Easter
Release Year : 2007
Genre : Mathcore / Grindcore / Experimental

Tracklist :
1. Necrobot
2. Venison Seraphim
3. Makeshift Cock Recepticle
4. Red Mask
5. Technology vs. Horse
6. I Am The Brute Squad
7. Carpathian Kitten
8. Easter

Cloacal Kiss is a metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, with Rich Lombardi, formerly and currently of The Sawtooth Grin on vocals, Kelly Johnson on bass, and Billy Perry as well as Nick Peyer on guitar.
The technicality of these dudes is madness. Their guitars are going fast at all times with arpeggios, tremolo picking, harsh chords, and every once in a while some chug (but that's kept pretty seldom and it adds considerably to the music. Not breakdowns). I know that any metal band that shreds is going to have these elements, but these guys are hitting some pretty original harmonies and note structures. And needless to say, the vocals are the icing on the cake. Many people, i am sure, just get ear aches from this shrill, high pitched, wail of a shriek that presides above the music like a thin line of static at the top of your tv screen; watching zombie movies. But it fits right in place with the strangely heavy and fast guitars that paint a picture that I would describe as yellow; I don't know just exactly how but the name of the album, "Easter," I feel, connotes the feel of the album very well. Not in a religious way at all, but the music seems to create a bright sound, with an ironic, evil twist on it.
Now, it can get repetitive and if you just sit down and let it play all of the songs will very likely hardly be distinguishable (except for 'I am the Brute Squad,' and 'Red Mask'). But that is simply because these guys are producing so much noise, so many notes, so many time signature changes, and stringing it all together with a confident continuity that holds the mood for the entire album. But after multiple listens, and probably even some consideration, the songs start to take more shape and you may actually even recognize some of the things that they are playing, and figure out how they put it together. The bass, as far as I can tell, is right up to par with the speed and technicality of the guitars, and it's pretty well audible; which is really nice, because I always find it disappointing when there is no bass because you know it just means the kid isn't good enough to keep up, so it's just rhythm notes, or they really don' want you to hear it. But the musician ship all around is spot on. They keep it consistent (and sometimes repetitive) but diverse and chaotic enough to make it interesting. The vocals match up great, and he has a good use of growls. The only bummer on the side of musicianship is that the drums are programmed. They are programmed extremely well, but it'd be nice to know that there was actually a guy playing it. OH well.
Overall, I think this album is totally awesome. I highly recommend it for anyone who is into very technical metal, and experimentation. These guys have created a pretty unique sound for themselves, and they pull it off really well. The songs I am the Brute Squad and Red Mask make me wonder if they were just trying to fill some space on the cd, but they can be enjoyable none-the-less. 
 
 
 
 
 

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