Cloud 10's forecast for success

When you hear an unsettling rumble in a darkening club, look to the stage. It might be Cloud 10 blowing in. Young, enthusiastic and sinister, these fresh-faced teens from north Georgia swim on the muddy side of the Black Sabbath, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden banks. Tempering their angst-ridden goth with art-metal riffs, subtle keyboard fills and a guitarist who slings his guitar so low he's in danger of tipping over, the effect isn't nearly as gloomy — or comical — as you'd expect. Rather, this quintet seems possessed by their internal thunderstorms, reverberating into a distinct combination of their ominous influences.

Recently awarded best emerging band at the Atlanta Local Music Awards and currently in the semi-finals of the Top of the Tree II battle of the bands, Cloud 10 roars with remarkably intricate arrangements, a talented multi-octave lead singer in Zack Hooper and a youthful excitement that makes even their most somber songs (such as "The Sky is Falling") seem hopeful. "We're going with the harder, heavier stuff in the breaks, but with singing instead of screaming, which is what the mainstream is now," explains Hooper.

Anatomy of the Soul — Cloud 10's recently released five-song EP — combines a raw mid-tempo metal/rock edge with a subtle Tool-ish prog attack and astonishingly mature grasp of dynamics, especially for a band this young. Even the disc's lone ballad, "The Passing Tides," exudes a melodic sweep that doesn't sound stilted despite its clichéd title.

While they're still a little rough around the edges, Cloud 10 has an exceptionally bright future on the horizon.

Cloud 10 plays the Roxy Fri., Aug. 17.??