Courage Cloak
“...Sometime last week we were tipped off to the debut EP from a Boston band called Courage Cloak, and were directed to the record’s November 14 release party at the Democracy Center in Cambridge. We marked the date in our calendars and figured we’d write something fancy about it a day or two before. Then we couldn’t stop f*cking listening to it, especially the hammering post-metal track “A .’. A .’.” (which we’re glad we don’t have to pronounce). Rock waits for no man. So we’re hyping it a bit early. We’re told Courage Cloak features ex-members of Maintain, Matahari and Life & Limb, and the early comparisons they’ve been getting are quite favorable, revolving around the all-approved likes of Cave In, Hum, and Deftones. Sure, cool, great, whatever, just f*cking listen to it. Many bands strive for an “October” sound, but this EP sounds appropriately November to us, perfect for closing your eyes and letting the sound pummel you into someplace better...Don’t sleep.” - Michael Marotta / Vanyaland
“When you mix 3/5 post-hardcore band Life & Limb with 1/5 of hardcore band Matahari, you get Boston’s post rock/shoegaze band, Courage Cloak. “We all come from a hardcore / punk background which is awesome because in that world you learn how to work your ass off and how sh*tty or rewarding being in a DIY band can be. That experience provides a great work ethic,” Sean Farrell (vox/guitar) explains. “Going from being in hardcore bands to Life & Limb to Courage Cloak has felt like a pretty natural and deliberate progression as the music shares a lot of concurrent, underlying themes.” Less screamy, more reflecting, and influenced by the likes of Deftones, Hum and The Life and Times, Courage Cloak has released their debut S/T record, available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp for $5 digital download and $10 limited edition 12” vinyl (500). A 4-song creation with 75% of the tracks clocking in at over 6 minutes and labeled as an “LP”, this record just makes the cut as such with a minute fifteen to spare if we were depending on Official Chart Company’s (UK) qualification of an LP as over 25 minutes. “Heavy music is a beautiful and effective means to convey the heavy emotions we all experience, the good and bad. We are trying to make music that evokes an emotional response and creates a connection with the audience,” Farrell tells Bishop And Rook. “The lyrical content is more about the subconscious and ideas of transformation and growth. Since everyone's reaction or interpretation is going to be subjectively influenced by their own experiences we'd like to make music that can establish a broader connection and let people's own minds run with it.” What is so appealing about this genre is how the instruments can unearth or decipher, audibly, these unbeknownst feelings. The buildup, the climax and the crucial photo finish. Post-rock shoegaze is like the electricity in the air when his manic pixie dream girl meets her tall dark and handsome. It’s a true talent to orchestrate a score that is gifted with the ability to encourage such unintentional, thought-provoking moments. And we can grasp the potential for that ability scattered about this 4-song record. It will be interesting to see how this band evolves...” - Kristin Nicholls / Bishop And Rook
"Courage Cloak's debut is noticeably strong, a four-song EP melding post-metal and space rock with patience and atmosphere. Though the shoegazey vocals are somewhat timidly delivered at times (oddly reminding me of a band who share half their name, though it might just be the Hum influence), they still fit the package quite well and occasionally carry a range better than either of those aforementioned bands. Opener "Lunar Atoll" is the longest track here at seven-and-a-half minutes, a fairly brave length to span as far as first introductions go. But the dynamics are scattered throughout, making it a compelling start. "A .'. A .'." begin with a rhythmically and atmospherically excellent buildup sounding enough like Rosetta that one half-expects that band's throaty growls to come busting through at any second; instead, they momentarily scale back the sludge and the ominous singing comes in. There's plenty more great soft-to-loud movement happening here as well, and what sounds like a great chorus even though it's never repeated as the band slip in a cool Cave In ca. Jupiter riff towards the end. The back half pairs up two six-minute, more upbeat tracks, "Iceage" and the softly finale-sounding "Nightforms", which aren't quite as good or sprawling with cool effects pedals and powerfully jolting volume and tempo changes, but are solid nonetheless. Courage Cloak is as good as most first recordings go, though, a nearly fully-formed style that makes for an enjoyable body of work." - Punk News
RIYL: Explosions In The Sky, Russian Circles, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, This Will Destroy You
TRY: #2, 3, 4
Download full album here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/
More Info Here:
http://couragecloak.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/couragecloak
https://twitter.com/couragecloak