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Album Details

• Artist: Cloacal Kiss
• Album: Easter
• Label: Arclight
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: on 2006-10-18

Every time I listen to “Easter”, I become more and more convinced that Cloacal Kiss is made up of grindcore cyborgs (or as I like to call them, “grindborgs”). This Raleigh, North Carolina ensemble is comprised of two guitarists, a bassist, one of the most intense screamers I’ve ever heard, and a drum machine used in ways one might never have thought possible. Time signatures change just about every measure, making every second a surprise. For a band to be this tight with each other through these songs, let alone with a drum machine that’s playing everything so precisely, is nothing short of unbelievable. The songs are all very linear, with no real key signatures; speedy chromatic runs attack you in stereo with twin guitar harmony that puts most well-known death metal bands to shame. All this is happening under the screeching black-metal highs of Rich, the vocalist. Imagine a prison rape using rock salt for lubricant, and you have an idea of what the vocals sound like. This is pretty astonishing in the world of metal vocalists. Technically, Cloacal Kiss is practically flawless. The only real problem with all this wizardry is that it begins to run together after several listens. Each song has truly amazing parts, but in an album that has no hooks, no melody, and lyrics that are absolutely impossible to decipher, individual tracks can be difficult to hold on to. It becomes waiting for your favorite part of each song, which can range from a harmonic that lasts less than a second to a bone-crushing minute and a half long breakdown in six (someone pinch me, I must be dreaming). If you don’t need to remember a song to enjoy it, however, this record could be for you. I can really see “Easter” on the shelves of grind, prog, and metal fans across America.

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