Knut Bastardiser

Simply put, Bastardiser is a brutal album. Knut hammers listeners with crushing metal riffs, strained vocals, and relentless grooves. Although much of the material is up-tempo, there is a slight sludge factor present, providing the record with an added element of heaviness. In fact, portions of this effort sound faintly similar to mid-nineties group, Fudge Tunnel, both vocally and structurally. The vocals are fairly one-dimensional, but they undoubtedly fit the bill in this role. In other words, they're very heavy. Knut's true specialty is consistency. Though there really isn't one particular song on here that could be considered amazing, there's nothing weak either. Songs such as the pounding stomp "Crawling On All Fours" and the chugga-chugga "Merge", won't connect with listeners on a cosmic level, but the driving force of these tunes demands respect. Although certainly competent, Knut doesn't display any technical wizardy or virtuosity. However, their pulverizing product should satisfy those of you who like straight-forward metal. Rest assured, these guys aren't cheesy, and there is nothing remotely trendy or nu-metal about Bastardiser. Bottom Line: With the plethora of technical hardcore/metal bands around these days, sometimes it's nice to jam to something refreshingly simplistic. Get your dropdown groove on in a mean way with this one.