Tuesday 13 February 2018

An Evening With Knives (Album Review)


Release date: 26th January 2018. Label: Argonauta Records (CD) / Lighttown Fidelty (Vinyl). Format: DD

Serrated – Tracklisting

1.Come Undone 04:33
2.Restless 05:46
3.Blind Man's Guess 06:31
4.Hysteria 06:41
5.Fade Out 09:37
6.Thoughts & Regrets 07:49
7.Drowning in Daybreak 02:33

Members

Peter van Grunsven - Bass guitar
Ivo Jonkers - Drums & samples
Marco Gelissen - Guitar & vocals

Review

An Evening With Knives, the Eindhoven trio who first whetted listeners appetites with their self titled debut EP in 2015 return with their debut album Serrated and without a doubt, this is an extremely hypnotic album that is heavy on riffs and creates an atmosphere that drags you in and doesn't let go. Since the release of the EP the band have spent the time honing their sound and Serrated is the highly anticipated result and those results are decidedly massive.

Serrated begins with the discordant Come Undone and the sprawling mournful mysticism of Restless and these two well crafted tracks set the tone for the album superbly. The woozy Blind Man's Guess follows and is a track that revels in its passion with its hypnotising and an almost repetitive nature taking you into its grasp and consuming you whole and when it reaches its epic conclusion, you cannot help but marvel at its glory.

Hysteria has more post-metal leanings that are just as hypnotic and certainly shows off a different side to An Evening With Knives, but one that sits at ease with what has come before it, it is noticeably bleaker and vaster but never anything other than sublime and sublimely executed with echoes of Neurosis and Amenra in there. That sublime execution is also very evident on the track that follows it which is entitled Fade Out, a track that explodes in a triumphant state and is nine and a half minutes of sheer riff joy.

Serrated concludes with the powerful and pensive Thoughts & Regrets before closing track, the almost all instrumental Drowning In Daybreak finishes things off with a bang. The song has a noticeably shorter running time but it's shimmering glory is definitely a great way to call time on the album.

The main thing that strikes you about Serrated is how well crafted the songs on the album are and how well they are executed with the band playing their hearts out and the vocals, riffs and grooves all coming together splendidly, resulting in a cacophony of sludge, doom and stoner sounds wrapped up in a psychedelic blanket.

An Evening With Knives have created an album that takes you in and mesmerises you but just after doing so, pummels you with its heavy riffs and absorbing rhythms and you will want to listen to it time and time again.

Words by Gavin Brown

Thanks to NeeCee Agency for the promo. You can buy the album here from Argonauta Records on CD and Vinyl from Lighttown Fidelity

Links

Facebook | BandCamp