TeRRoR - REVIEWS

Knurl - A Hail of Blades

This album was released in the summer of 2008 by a label from Poland - "Impulsy Stetoskopu" in edition of 100 CDrs. It is interesting that after almost 15 years Knurl released an album, recorded in stereo. The jewel CD case with inlay lays between two rather thick metal plates, joined with bolts and without a doubt it is one of the heavier releases. And not only soundwise. About the sound. This album was recorded with one more Alan Bloor's self-constructed noise monster, which consisted of round saw blades mounted on a rod. The sound passed two contact microphones with different effects and as a result of all this - indeed very interesting work of Knurl. Album plays for 40 minutes and it is divided into 5 rather different songs. The first of them - Disposed to Embrace - from the very beginning greets the listener with harsh metallic and rather Knurl'ic sound. This piece rolls through ears very intensively. Sometimes it stops for a little, but remains with the same intensivity for the whole 8 minutes. The second track surprises with it's beginning - after harsh and heavy first trip, the start of this one is somewhat choking, saws are stuck and twitching. But there are many places like that in the whole album where not only fierce sweep further while destroying everything else around sounds. More subtle cacophonic improvisations have their part too. Because of these variations the whole album becomes more interesting and pleasing to listen to. The last piece, for example, is slow and full of pleasant low sounds. By it's length it's the longest track and with its' rich sound goes even further from harsh noise propagated by Knurl. Very good and nicely released work of this artist from Canada in which not only all-destroying concentrated antimusic of Knurl sounds, but also rather different variations of round blades of saw. From what I've heard of this noiser, this is, by far, the most interesting and versatile, I should say experimental work up to this day. The noise in all it's beauty.