Knut
Challenger
Hydrahead Records
Maybe it's just the geographer in me, but it's interesting to observe how a band is affected by its place of origin. Some prime examples of this are grunge coming from dreary Seattle, or death metal putting down strong roots in the bleak Scandinavian landscape. Switzerland's Knut (pronounced "newt") falls neatly into the geographic theory as well. Don't believe any preconceived notions about the notoriously neutral country, Switzerland is far from a land of milk, honey, and Riccola men. More specifically, Knut hails from Geneva, the traditional home of many faceless, oppressive supranational governmental bodies and lopsided treaties of war and politics. And the last time I checked, heroin was nearly legal. With so many dark elements to the country, its no wonder Knut sounds like it does.
Challenger is an album that tells its tale in two halves. Tracks 1-4 are significantly faster than the remainder of the album, which settles into a slower, heavier groove. The guitar work on the first half is fast and discordant with the chaotic tempo changes blindsiding you out of nowhere. "Bite The Bullet" best represents for the faster version of Knut with all the crazy tempos, but what makes this track is that out of nowhere, it has one of the biggest, nastiest breakdowns I have ever heard. One can only imagine all the flailing arms and legs when that bit of the song goes down in their live set. The breakdown also serves notice that things are about to change, as is demonstrated by the steely deliberativeness of the following song, "Neon Guide."
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