ALBUM REVIEW: Interstice – Knoll

Extreme metal has really grown into its own in recent years. A multi-faceted monster of various shades of terrifying aural power, metal’s most visceral and battering collection of sub-genres is arguably in its strongest health ever. Death metal, in particular, is arguably the sub-genre that is running with the league title thanks to a return to from from many of the vanguard and a horde of young and hungry bands committed to keeping the movement alive. Enter KNOLL. The Memphis-based sextet may be fresh-faced but debut full-length offering Interstice is a strong and vicious slab of aural brutality, a record which can trade blows with competition that have years on this promising outfit.

Arguably, the biggest component behind Interstice’s sheer savagery is the simple fact that KNOLL have bountiful amounts of youthful energy at their disposal. Sure, experience is important and when a band who have decades of composing material and performing in a live capacity to crowds worldwide, but, the biggest benefit of youthful energy is that it can translate directly into the music on offer. And that is Interstice’s biggest strength. The raw, unadulterated carnage is utterly relentless, battering you into submission at every possible opportunity as KNOLL‘s energy never threatens to wane across the album’s duration.

As far as opening salvoes goes, Callus of The Maw and Gracing Axiom are a brutal and bombastic one-two punch to open up the record and offer listeners the first glimpse into KNOLL‘s sonic depravity. Frenzied riffs intertwine manically with the relentless drumming whilst the vocals switch from ear-piercing shrieks to guttural lows with the utmost efficiency. Talk about making an instant impact. From there KNOLL keep the beatings flowing thick and fast. Lambent Urn keeps the throttle in top gear with another blast of vicious grind, Impetus In Mire‘s dissonant riffing is twisted and deranged, making for an unsettling listening consumption, and Earth’s Iron Lung boasts some truly neck-snapping riffs that showcases the band’s potency for crafting material that makes a lasting impression.

That being said, Interstice is not just a one trick pony of shock and awe-driven extreme metal. It’s not just 12 tracks of snappy death metal-cum-grindcore, there are moments across the record where KNOLL take an almost refrained approach, allowing their compositions to breathe and making the soundscapes all the more terrifying. Grasp brings proceedings to an almost doom metal-esque crawl as the prolonged thud of the guitars, drums and screams build the tension before releasing like a vicious tsunami.

Aside from some solitary vocal work, Door To Moil opts to focus solely on unsettling ambient noise to create a prolonged sense of dread and whilst it offers little but filler, the way in which it flows into the stomping Inherent of Life is very slick and allows the track to make maximum impact. And then there is Fjord Peaks, the last and longest song on the record. Weighing in at nearly seven minutes, the extended runtime allows KNOLL to fuse a blackened edge to their deathgrind as the riffs feel more nastier, the drums hit harder and the atmosphere has a much more sinister edge to it. It’s a colossal, hulking monster and ends Interstice on a fantastic note.

With Interstice, KNOLL have shown that, despite their young age, they can trade blows with the veterans of our world. This is a record that is packed to the brim with aural extremity and the precision at which the band can unleash their fury is remarkable, especially for a debut outing. With bands like KNOLL and the extreme music scene in its greatest ever health, thanks to such a massive wave of killer bands coming from every corner of the globe, the future is bright indeed.

Rating: 8/10

Interstice is out now via self-release. 

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