Knut
( Hydrahead )
As long as math-infused post-hardcore excels in finding different avenues of complexity and intensity, Switzerland's Knut will continue to be one of Europe's forerunners of the art. The quartet's previous full-length Bastardiser was heralded as dangerous mix of Botch and Unsane, a sort of ever-moving, unhinged animal every bit as hungry as their stateside brethren. Knut continues to expand on that formula on their self-titled EP. Recorded in 1998-1999, the songs indicate Knut is heading in a more developed direction, where primal anger and raw ability is sharpened into a controlled, prodigious force unheard of for a band with so little work behind them. Opening cut, "Dissolve," is a sludgy, mid-paced effort with winding, dissonant guitar work, dexterous drumming and pained, gravel-throated vocals. Imagine the Melvins and Dillinger Escape Plan improvising a jam and you're damn close. "Aim at the Sun" is another scorcher. Here Knut parlays the intricacies of "Dissolve" into a high-tension riff-and-drum fest characterized by smart dynamic contrast. "The Will to Please," on the other hand, forgoes technicality for subtle, planet-carving movements set in motion by the gargantuan opening lick of guitarist Phillipe. His impressive sound palette is heard better on the EP's final track, "You Deserve Me." Here, Phillipe's despondent, cascading fretboard trickery allows Knut's near-unnatural gait to flow smoother. The result is falls more on the metal side of the fence, but it's position that suites Knut well compositionally and thematically, a sort of slight Voivod/Coroner twist to the post-hardcore tenet.
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