Cloud Rat is a three piece grindcore band from from Michigan. They play a very unique style of grindcore that mixes breakneck speed grind with some mid tempo, heavy-as-fuck riffs, topped off with some clean/soft guitar parts. All the while their singer, Madison, is belting out some of the most sincere and intense screams I have heard since I first listened to Pig Destroyer. It comes out being some of the heaviest/rawest sounding music I have ever encountered, it keeps you guessing and keeps your head bangin. You can't help but notice how much feeling obviously goes into their music, which is what puts this band a step ahead of a lot of the other grind bands out there. I contacted Cloud Rat through e-mail and they were cool enough to answer a few questions for me:
What are the members of Cloud Rat currently listening to? Any bands we need to hear about!
Rorik:
Xtra Vomit, The Oily Menace, Wolbachia, Autarkeia, Panzram, Shoppers, Disconnected (OH), Pizza Hi-Five, Rat Storm, Thou, Wolves In The Throne Room, Isenblast, Kata Sarka, Gripe, Beast In The Field, Merchandise, Protestant, Swimsuit, Discerned, Keitzer, Inerds, Water Torture, Dirt Eyes, Human Touch, Coworkers, so many more. Oh, and The Boss.
Madison:
I'd also like to mention a few other bands I'm diggin. Scum from Detroit. Asylum Party, Bone Awl, Tozibabe, State of Fear, Vomit Punx, Socially Retarded, Shoppers, Disclose, Hoglust... that's it for now, Woo, overall Rorik hit it on the head.
Your lyrics are amazing, I especially love Nest off of Fever Dreams, does the band as a whole write the songs or is it broken up individually into vocals/guitars/drums?
Rorik:
Thank you very much!
Up to this point, we have all just written our own parts, although everyone does have input as to whether we use a certain part or not. Usually a song of ours will start with a guitar part, and then from there gets built and picked apart. Madison writes poetry and lyrics all the time, fitting them into songs as she pleases.
In December you're going on a tour that hits 9 different states (IL, LA, TX, AL, FL GA, TN, OH, IN) is this your first tour of this size? Can we look forward to this happening often?
Rorik:
Yes, this is the biggest tour that we have done yet. 18 days. We would like to tour as much as possible, but we can't be out all the time. I have a daughter who is in the 2nd grade and I work construction, Madison is talking about going back to college, and Adrian works full time as well.
We do, however, plan to tour as much as we possibly can with everything else going on.
I'm stoked about picking up the Cloud Rat S/T LP when you come my way on the tour! How can anyone unlucky enough to not be in your path get their hands on a physical copy of your music or any other Cloud Rat merch?
Rorik:
This tour will be the first with our new split 7" with Autarkeia from Florida, as well as having our S/T LP and 3-Way split LP's with Oily Menace from MI and Wolbachia from Winnipeg.
What do the members of Cloud Rat do when their not making music?
Rorik:
Madison lives at an art/show space in Detroit called the CAID, does Food Not Bombs, and makes sweet art and music of all kinds. She also is considering going back to college (she was an art major, but is now considering culinary school).
Adrian skateboards better than anyone I know, and works at a tobacco shop as a full time Tobacconist (real term). He also makes electronic music and noise under the name of Sawtooth. Cool stuff.
I have a seven year old daughter named Lydia who is in the 2nd grade. I work in construction and am a crane operator. I am an avid reader and film enthusiast, and I cook all the time.
Any comments/thoughts/rants you would like to get out?
Rorik:
Go vegan. Be queer. Respect the Earth, yourself, and others.
All gods, no masters. Grind on.
Thanks a shit ton to Rorik and everyone else in Cloud Rat for finding time to get back to me and helping me start off with a bang.
Also check them out here for tour/show dates and other Cloud Rat news:
Cloud Rat Blog
