Conor Fynes 'The Map Is Not The Territory' - Cloudkicker (6/10)

Returning again for another dose of rhythmic madness, Cloudkicker's Ben Sharp gives us 'The Map Is Not The Territory,' a logical extension of his first album that continues his impressive legacy of mathematically geared metal, albeit with less sucess than with the debut.

With this, first 'shorter' release of Cloudkicker's career, the rhythmic energy and finesse that made 'The Discovery' such a dazzling album is still here, but it still feels less engaging than before. Perhaps this is the result of the fact that there is little here to distinguish 'Map' from it's predecessor, or simply because of a lack of overall cohesion in the EP. In any case, alot of the beauty and melodic charm that Cloudkicker burst out onto the scene with doesn't seem to be here in such high esteem. Regardless of that, the technicality and heavier aspect of the project's music is still here in full.

For those who aren't familiar with the work of Cloudkicker, it is essentially a man that independently releases (and independently performs) math metal of epic proportions, much in the vein of Meshuggah. Unlike Meshuggah however, there are no harsh vocals to distract us from the instrumental proficiency, and hints of post-rock and atmosphere to give the music the added vibrance. While this might not sound like a formula for emotion, Ben Sharp does manage to throw in hints of feeling in there with the mechanical aggression. Such is demonstrated in the more subdued parts of his music. In 'Maps,' quite possibly the best example of this is at the very end of the EP with about two minutes left in 'Ever Thus To Deadbeats' (possibly the most involved track on the release) in which the percussive heaviness abates to make way for a moment of sombre aural tranquility before a breathtaking finale. If the rest of the album could have only reached the potential of the last two minutes, it would have even topped 'The Discovery.'

Luckily, many of the problems of 'The Map Is Not The Territory' would be solved in the successor, 'Portmanteau.' However, this stands as being a pretty good piece of work, even if it it's a bit too dry for it's own good.