]]][[[ [AKA: A NEW HEAVENLY BODY]

Cloudkicker is an incredibly quality project by Ben Sharp, multi-instrumentalist from Columbus, Ohio, combining the heaviness and atonal metal grooves of bands like Meshuggah with beautiful post-metal and rock passages not unlike those from bands like Sigur Ros and The American Dollar. What makes this EP the standout from his discography is the quality of music, both technical and emotional, that Mr. Sharp can fit into slightly over 15 minutes. All these tracks are fantastic, although my favourite is '%', which has a beautiful crescendo, similar to a conventional post-rock song, although with a heavier and more fulfilled sound. My only real complaint with this EP is the length; obviously, I'm not going to come into an EP and expect a 60 minute album, but more would have been very nice.

The album opens with '#', which opens with a soft-ish drum rhythm leading into a guitar riff. The thumping bass soon comes in, with two more guitar riffs layered over the top. This continues, picking up more guitar and bass as it continues, all masterfully played. After this build-up, a perfectly executed guitar solo hops right in on top of brilliant drumming. Ben Sharp not only masters the guitar here, but bass and drums as well.

As I said, the second track, '%' is my favourite, and also the most well rounded. A thumping guitar rhythm opens up, and is then repeated with a different melody at a much softer pace. Then comes the repetition of the epic melody comes in, which crescendos throughout the tracks length, gaining more and more momentum to make a wonderful metal track. The playing is truly fantastic on this track, and is definitely the highlight of the EP, and I'd also dare to say the highlight in Cloudkicker's discography.

The EP closes with '$', another great metal track. The playing here is at its technical best for the album, a choir of slamming guitar, drums and bass perfectly interwoven to create a dense sound. This closes the EP well, although it doesn't have the same cutting sound as '%'. This is really just good ol' Cloudkicker doing his thing, a quality track.

This EP isn't a 5 star masterpiece, but its incredibly quality, and because its free, I'm giving it 4 stars.

-Joel

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