Cloud Rat – Moksha (2013)

October 23, 2013

I fucking love Cloud Rat, who are I think one of the first bands to reap the rewards of being on Jay Randall’s Grindcore Karaoke net label. If you’re into grind and haven’t heard their self-titled record then you must have been living under some sort of grind-resistant-coated rock or something. To me, Cloud Rat invoke imaginings of Converge crossed with Magrudergrind, but with Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s Katherine Katz on vocals. Is that a bit fancy? Fuck it, that’s what Moksha sounds like to me on the first listen.

If you’re familiar with Cloud Rat’s sound then you’ll be happy to know that they do it well here on Moksha; pushing the band’s more “musical” approach to grindcore into further experimental territory. Side A is chock full of amazing songs, which are all over in a blink of an eye. It is on Side B though, and from “The Needle And The Damage Done” onwards that the band’s experimental side really starts to flow. The title track, which closes off the entire record, is a monumental listening experience.

Well recommended if you like your grindcore with a bit more flourish to it, and also I think I would recommend this to people who aren’t really that into grind all that much….Moksha’s almost (dare I say it) mathcore-sounding leanings more than definitely open the band up to a much wider audience. I wish the band all the best with their amazing and unique sound. Now do a UK tour already! Released as a collaboration between IFB Records and Halo Of Flies Records in the USA, and between React With Protest and 7 Degrees Records in Europe.

Seriously, I am chuffed to bits with this impulse buy. This record is fucking fantastic.