One of the most appealing aspects of getting to listen to Cloudburst’s self-titled sophomore (Samstrong Records) effort is learning that they hail from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Through years of tape trading, international touring and eventually communicating online we’ve always known that the extreme music market is indeed a global one, but it’s always exciting to receive these imports.

Cloudburst’s take on Metallic Hardcore is one that seems distilled from the fiery concentrate of trailblazers like Zao, Coalesce, Converge and Burnt By The Sun. Burnt by the Sun you say? Slap on ‘Crimson Mask’ and try to tell me that Cloudburst weren’t inspired by that New Jersey noise institution. And that’s perfectly fucking cool. Take as much as you can from those came before you. We only have Doom Metal because Black Sabbath fucking rules.

The acidic vocals and thrashing musical madness behind them on ‘Tornado’ definitely recall Zao classic cuts like ‘Five Year Winter’ and ‘Savannah.’ Give me more of that hardcore maelstrom. Dump a whole bucket of that stuff over my head.

https://burstingcloud.bandcamp.com

And there’s more of that in store, but we’ve got to hit some odd patches before we get there. ‘Eternal Gunfight’ scratches the hardcore itch with its angular riffs and cascades of noise, but to get there we have to sit through obnoxiously long samples including a particularly odd screed from WWE’s Vince McMahon. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but the farther we can keep the McMahon family circus from my music the better. The most egregious offender of the bunch is ‘Human Origami’ which is perpetually stuck in the mud by spoken word verses that are just about mature enough to be on the B-side of Slipknot’s Iowa (Roadrunner)

Those looking for more Metallic Hardcore in their diet shouldn’t be dismayed by the missteps on Cloudburst. These are merely growing pains and areas that can be turned into future success. Personally look forward to more extreme music from that side of the globe.

6 / 10

HANS LOPEZ