Review : KNUT – “Wonder”

Knut – Wonder
Release Date: 2010Jun29 (US)
Label: Hydra Head Records
Rating: 4.5/5

This is the latest album from Swiss sludge-metal/post-hardcore group Knut, their first since 2005’s Terraformer. “Leet” opens up this album with distorted, sludgy guitars mated to hardcore drumming, with a dark, brooding feel to it. “Damned Extroverts” follows in a similar mold, albeit shorter. “Suckers” has a distorted, psychedelic feel to it. By the time we get to “Ultralight Backpacking”, the pacing slows down and we’re treated to more distorted, sludgy guitars and just a slight hint of psychedelic doom in the background. It’s certainly one of the stronger tracks on this album. “If We Can’t Fly There, We’ll Take The Damn Boat” is another strong track that offers more of the same and it’s similar in style to “Ultralight Backpacking”. It should be noted that both the former and latter tracks break into two respective segues before going on to the next song. This brings us to the closing track,  “Wonder/Daily Grind”. If you’ve been listening along, this track is like the cherry on top of the sundae. It’s slow, haunting and far more expansive than previous tracks. Wonder is another one of my top picks for 2010 that I believe fans of Kyuss would enjoy.

Try: 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 11

01. Leet
02. Damned Extroverts
03. Suckers
04. Calamity
05. Ultralight Backpacking
06. Segue 1
07. Fast Forward Bastard
08. Lemmings
09. If We Can’t Fly There, We’ll Take The Damn Boat
10. Segue 2
11. Wonder/Daily Grind