CLOUD RAT has revealed new single, “Kaleidoscope,” from the band’s upcoming new album, Threshold.
As progressive as it is cathartic, “Kaleidoscope” is a perfect distillation of what makes Cloud Rat such a unique and powerful entity in today’s metal/hardcore underground. Within two minutes, the song covers vast terrain, moving unpredictably through different sounds and emotions. From a swirling bed of guitar and synth to a breakneck blast attack, “Kaleidoscope” not only bridges the gap between Smashing Pumpkins and Discordance Axis, it does so in a way that feels genuine. Every note is delivered with passion.
In a new exclusive interview with Decibel Magazine, Cloud Rat drummer Brandon Hill makes this statement about the song: “We debated naming the album after that song, as the idea and visuals of a kaleidoscope were very much something we thought about and felt with the sheer amount of ideas and textures and changes in the album… I think the name and vibe of the track perfectly encompass what the record is all about. There’s moments of near-prog, synth-laden, odd-rhythm drumming and riffage in the beginning, some rather heart-wrenching passages and riffs, coupled with lots of (even to me) unexpected twists and turns, and perhaps some of the most difficult patterns I can recall playing, approaching the end of the song.”
With more than 20 releases under its belt – a treasure trove of albums, EPs, splits, and seven-inches, released since 2010 – Cloud Rat is a singular force in the extreme music scene. Cloud Rat has been labelled a “grindcore” band, but the prolific Michigan trio is so much more. Cloud Rat’s only rule is realness. Within its punishing songs, the band glides freely through a range of musical forms; underneath its full-throttle grind swirls a Lake Superior of emotion. Vocalist Madison Marshall’s gut-purging screams and drummer Brandon Hill’s hyperactive hammering meld with guitarist Rorik Brooks’ epic riffs and synths, into songs that are equally bone-crushing and heartbreaking.
Kerrang! Magazine’s review of 2019’s Pollinator album reads: “Their music is inexhaustible, spasming through elaborate rackets of heaving riffs, spit-flecked vocals, and berserk percussion without ever slowing down. At the same time, there’s an atmospheric creep to their music that gives it a hard menace.”
Brooks describes new album Threshold as “our best work so far.”
