Knut Terraformer
Hydra Head Records HH666-107 November 7th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Ill terra you what, Knut rock. I sincerely wish I had been introduced to them before Terraformer hit store shelves, but thats the way life goes it seems. Apparently, unless 99% of the metal press is wrong, this Swiss four-piece used to replicate Botch to a certain degree and even had the pleasure of releasing a split album with them back at the turn of the century. Somewhere along the line, though, they elbowed their way into the sludge, doom, and drone scenes without truly forsaking their muddy, technical past.
Having been a unit since 1994, this record is the quartets third attempt at perfecting the full-length Bastardiser and their major debut with Hydra Head Records Challenger preceded this 2005 effort. Still, despite Wyriwys being kind of like a sludgy version of Rosetta with scratchier vocals, Solar Flare being sort of like a sinister alternative to Jesu, and other numbers rife with frenetic playing (perpetuated by chaos, noise, and dissonance), Im puzzled when I try to put my finger on exactly what it is that Knut achieve here. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything. But to be fair, if youre inspecting Terraformer too closely, then you probably deserve to trudge away empty-handed. I for one have no qualms confessing my love for Wyriwys and Evian; the latter akin to Isis in myriad ways.
If anything, Terraformer prefers to leap from stylistic branch to stylistic branch, though they never really abandon the concept of doubling-back. These twelve tracks spanning forty-five minutes are awash in sludge, doom, drone, and tech. Occasionally the former will overlap somewhat, but Knut predominantly choose a style and stick with it for one whole composition. Nevertheless, whatever they opt to do is all right with me, as long as I feel free to revel in it as much as I have with their latest. Ultimately, this is another fine showing from a reputable label.
7.5/10
Official Knut Website
Official Hydra Head Records Website
Hydra Head Records HH666-107 November 7th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Ill terra you what, Knut rock. I sincerely wish I had been introduced to them before Terraformer hit store shelves, but thats the way life goes it seems. Apparently, unless 99% of the metal press is wrong, this Swiss four-piece used to replicate Botch to a certain degree and even had the pleasure of releasing a split album with them back at the turn of the century. Somewhere along the line, though, they elbowed their way into the sludge, doom, and drone scenes without truly forsaking their muddy, technical past.
Having been a unit since 1994, this record is the quartets third attempt at perfecting the full-length Bastardiser and their major debut with Hydra Head Records Challenger preceded this 2005 effort. Still, despite Wyriwys being kind of like a sludgy version of Rosetta with scratchier vocals, Solar Flare being sort of like a sinister alternative to Jesu, and other numbers rife with frenetic playing (perpetuated by chaos, noise, and dissonance), Im puzzled when I try to put my finger on exactly what it is that Knut achieve here. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything. But to be fair, if youre inspecting Terraformer too closely, then you probably deserve to trudge away empty-handed. I for one have no qualms confessing my love for Wyriwys and Evian; the latter akin to Isis in myriad ways.
If anything, Terraformer prefers to leap from stylistic branch to stylistic branch, though they never really abandon the concept of doubling-back. These twelve tracks spanning forty-five minutes are awash in sludge, doom, drone, and tech. Occasionally the former will overlap somewhat, but Knut predominantly choose a style and stick with it for one whole composition. Nevertheless, whatever they opt to do is all right with me, as long as I feel free to revel in it as much as I have with their latest. Ultimately, this is another fine showing from a reputable label.
7.5/10
Official Knut Website
Official Hydra Head Records Website
