It’s been five years since KNUT released their 2005 album, Terraformer (TMT Review). In that five years, a lot has changed. For one, an internet user can no longer Google search KNUT without confronting pictures of a German polar bear celebrity. Also, Micheline Calmy-Rey became the second female Swiss president in 2007. Then there was that whole global financial meltdown a few months ago.
Still, I don’t think those things matter much for KNUT. The band has released only three proper albums since their 1998 debut Basterdizer, and on each of those albums not a whole lot changed. They played some sludgy thrash metal, melted a lot of European faces, and kept the progressive sound that made their debut so refreshing. Now, KNUT is back to grab and twist at your two swollen… ears… for a fourth time.
On June 26, KNUT will release Wonder on Hydra Head. The band claims the full-length “stands as a testament to our will for survival and defiance in times of adversity and crippling doubt.” But even if it doesn’t fulfill that promise, Wonder is at least going to smash a few KNUTs (damn, I almost made it).
Wonder tracklist:
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 Boat
10. Segue 2
11. Wonder/Daily Grind
• KNUT: http://www.myspace.com/unknut
• Hydra Head: http://www.hydrahead.com
[Photo: Juan-Carlos Hernández]
