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| Artwork by Renata Rojo. |
My daughter likes watching tarantula videos. Her favourite part is the “takedown” when the tarantula strikes quickly to take down their prey, enveloping them in a multi-limbed attack for the kill. Cloud Rat take a similar approach. Pollinator is the latest example of their multi-faceted and killer grind spearheaded by piercing vocal venom. It doesn't take a myriad of eyes (or ears) to know Cloud Rat are worthy of attention.
Blasting through 14 songs in under 32 minutes barely gives you room to breathe. “Luminescent Cellar” will put some air in your lungs with a dreamy, melancholic opening before crushing your chest with some fucking heavy, doomish devastation. It's all devastating and it's all sure to make it virtually impossible not to move. Violently.
Obviously, it's not all a foot-to-the-floor maelstrom of flailing limbs. Just the majority of it. “Wonder” hides a black metallic melody within its frantic pace, and “The Mad”, though hard as hell, has parts that one might call airy and emotional that get broken down into some serious elbow swinging swagger.
If you want an onslaught of spine-bending riffs look no further than “Al Di La”. There's plenty to choose from. It's a serious adrenaline shot with a.....different ending. “Biome” feels the same energy-wise, a whirlwind of speed that works in a bangin' riff. And for the love of chaos, the two tracks between them, “Last Leaf” and “Zula”, do nothing to temper that momentum. Lightning in your headphones, man.
From start to finish Pollinator vibrates with a bristling energy. It puts a stranglehold on the listener throughout. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what separates Cloud Rat from other non-meathead grind bands. Unspoken intangibles are often more fun than clinical analysis. One thing's for sure though; Cloud Rat cannot disappoint. Pollinator is one of those albums that will leave you utterly spent and wanting for nothing. A half-hour of pain provides all the pleasure.