Prolific progressive metal project Cloudkicker releases surprise new album, “Unending”

Though he chooses to remain under the radar for reasons of his own choosing, Ben Sharp, AKA Cloudkicker, has remained one of the more intriguing progressive rock/metal projects of the last 10+ years. The one-man project has released a number of critically acclaimed albums over the years (we’d recommend the more ambient Let Yourself Be Huge or his 2010 sophomore album Beacons for a solid example of Cloudkicker’s sound), and while Sharp doesn’t tour, he did make an exception that resulted in the stunning live album collaboration with Intronaut in 2015. However, it’s been 4 years since 2015’s Woum was a bit…underwhelming. Of course, that can be forgiven considering the quality that preceded the record – and it seems that Sharp is back to form on Unending, which saw a surprise release August 15th on Bandcamp.

Unending is probably closest to 2012’s Fade than anything else, as Cloudkicker have gone back to their more post-metal/ambient post-rock work than anything else. The 7-minute “Xaoc” is a sprawling album highlight, and really, we’re just glad Ben Sharp is back. Unending is a definite return to form.