THE DISCOVERY

Cloudkicker's The Discovery is an instrumental barrage of metal. The imposing, only occasionally interrupted wall of sound sometimes grows tedious, but never horrendous. It is recommended to those who like extreme metal but cannot tolerate growling. The dredg-like intervals wisely inject a measure of emotion and sonic diversity into the album.

"Genesis Device" Emergency sirens blare, warning the innocent of the impending thrashing of guitars and drums.

"Dysphoria" What makes this an outstanding bit of metal are the subtle bends and slides from the electric guitars. Something about the second half makes it sounds like heavy metal Styx.

"Avalanche" No snow is coming down here; instead, it's a cataclysm of thunderous guitar noise interspersed with eerie quiet.

"Everything's Mirrors" Passing into quieter, more melodic music, this delay-laden piece breathes and invigorates what was heretofore a good but somewhat stuffy metal album.

"Viceroy" After the beautiful interlude from space, Cloudkicker reenters the atmosphere and plows into the earth with more heavy mayhem. A battery of drums floods the middle section.

"Segue:" As the title implies, this is an interlude. It whispers underwater-like tones and pulls the focus away from metal altogether, treating the listener to an Enya-like new age experience.

"The Discovery" A bit predictably, the lengthy title track launches right back into the hefty, coarseness after a tender respite. I appreciate the variations in the rhythm, particularly with the bass drum.

"Covington" The third of the softer, delay-inspired clean guitar intervals serves the album well, and is, I find, the most like dredg.

"Triumverate!" Here is sixty-three seconds of energized and rhythmically interesting metal.

"States" The final track maintains its heavy metal exterior, but it stands out from the others because it has a hollow center; that is to say, the middle passage of the music has much less intensity.