Knoll: Beyond The Realm Of Experience
Memphis-based grindcore band Knoll have released their latest album Metempiric earlier this year and it is an intense and cathartic listening experience with the kind of fierce passion that we have come to expect from KNOLL and sees the band reach new sonic highs throughout the record’s duration. We spoke with vocalist Jamie Eubanks to hear all about the creation of and reaction to Metempitic and hitting the stage again with this awesome new material.
With new album Metempiric coming out back in June, KNOLL have been extremely keen to get this album out there for people to absorb, and this is an album that deserves to be delved into and to really envelope the listener with its intensity as Jamie tells us how pleased he has been with the reaction to it so far and how excited he is for the future of the band’s music. “We are beyond thrilled. It definitely takes KNOLL‘s conceptuals a leap forward and, in my opinion, dwarfs our debut. I think this record also set us up with a freedom to explore for the next release. In my eyes, there is an uncertainty after this record to see where we might go next. There are so many elements in Metempiric that we touched on that we could further capitalise. There is another album nearing completion that I think will surpass its predecessor as Metempiric did. This record has made us more excited for the future, really.”
The recording of the album also turned out to be a fairly smooth process with Jamie and his bandmates knowing exactly what they wanted when it came to the sound and aesthetics of Metempiric. “Working with Andy [Nelson, who engineered and recorded the album] is always great! He is well in touch with how we operate and how to get the best out of us. We had some COVID hurdles but the record was still fulfilled exactly to the intended vision. I was able to spend a lot of time on the record working from home before we went into the studio – I knew exactly what each detail needed to sound like while leaving room for flowing interpretation in the moment. I think we’ll do it similarly next time. These records tend to cultivate detail over long stretches of time and in deep labours of thought and having the capability at home to visualise them before going into a studio environment is key for us.”
As well as working with Andy, KNOLL once again worked with Kurt Ballou on mixing and Brad Boatright on mastering for Metempiric. Having worked with all three on debut album Interstice, the band decided on keeping a winning formula as Jamie agrees when this point comes up. “Definitely, hence the identical roster. We might end up switching things up slightly for a different colouring next time around but Interstice turned out so fantastic and we felt that we were still in a similar stage with those relationships with it being a short time in between and could get Metempiric executed as envisioned. All of these people are exceptionally professional and talented and we had no real need to ‘graduate’ to anything better as we already went all out for the first record with people we admire.”
Knoll also worked with Ethan McCarthy, who handled the artwork for the album and Jamie explained why they chose him and what the artwork of Metempiric represents. “Ethan is special to us. This coming from him – I know that he locked into our visual aesthetic much tighter with Metempiric and he had more room to create something special. There were about eight months to think over and execute the art, minus his extensive touring. I am in touch with him personally and have the ability to share the conceptuals for the record as deeply as I need to. We wouldn’t really have that with anyone else and I trust him over anyone to sift through my pages of rambling to procure something memorable and fitting. The artwork itself depicts a vague spiritual cohesion in no dimension.”
The intense nature of the music of KNOLL has always been what makes them special and the band have reached new heights of intensity with this album, and this is something that Jamie also agrees with and explains how the music of KNOLL will grow in the future. “Easily. Everyone is playing far more strenuously and Metempiric feels far more focused and punishing in the delivery. We are always striving for extremity in a myriad of avenues. We use textures and timbre from many genres to birth something a little more avant garde, foregoing some of the pretentious undertones that that term can carry. We are a band of punks at heart, not critics. I think all of our music will continue to get more intense as we progress. In some ways, I think we would fail if we did not.”
With Metempiric being KNOLL‘s second album, Jamie told us about the experience of feeling pressure following up their debut album Interstice? “There is always a pressure there to create something better than the last thing but our musical ability evolves so naturally over time that I never really worry about it. We immediately knew that Metempiric was far more than adequate to follow Interstice. I think there is no contest between the records. I’ll always be proud of what we put out but it would be strange to me as a musician to not love your most recent creation the most.”
As well as the release of the new album, KNOLL have just got off tour in the United States and have announced another west coast tour this September. Jamie told us about the highlights and how excited he is to be hitting the road again with KNOLL. “Touring is amazing. We really hit a stride in June with how we function on the road and it is a blissful experience. We prioritise taking care of ourselves with eating right, sleeping, and exercising and it makes a world of difference. Life is simple on the road and I am definitely a creature of that realm. The last tour was so sick because we played a ton of new places and many of them packed out. The northeast will always be a treat to us – so many friends to be with and very short drives. I think that is the highlight and what the DIY community is about.”
Asked if KNOLL have been playing a lot of material from Metemperic and how it has been going down, Jamie told us excitedly about it, especially when told how good Gild Of Blotted Lucre from the new album would sound live! “Definitely, and thanks! We are playing of the majority of the record on these tours, including Gild Of Blotted Lucre. We have to stay well oiled and maintain memory to keep this pieces up to par. I have definitely had to put in a lot of work while gutting my effects board to organically recreate some of the textures on Metempiric. That has been a fun challenge as I used complicated gear routing to achieve those sounds. Channelling that into a more compact, but still large rig, for touring is something else. Our drummer, Jack, is a total workhorse and puts in a load of work staying fit enough to play the songs with short breaks. It is a huge cardiovascular challenge, for real. He and I have pretty physical jobs but I am lucky to not have to maintain my voice like an instrument. I love to play these songs live as they explore my range more and some of the vocals are not conventional screams, but rather muted breaths and actual strangulations warped by overtone shaping.”
With more US tours happening later this year, Jamie enthusiastically told us about plans to make it over to these shows next year when fans in the UK and Europe can witness the power of Metempiric in a live setting as well as updating us with the tantalising news of new music to come. “I can finally, happily, say that this is in the works. It won’t be until a short few months into 2023 but we are making it happen and it will be a truly special first time. There will be another two US tours before then and we will probably finally play some weekend runs and hometown shows around our local market – something we haven’t done much. Other than that, we are finishing a third album and recording it in January. This is something that I can’t and probably shouldn’t speak too much about but I will say that it is completely pulverising, much more so than anything of ours to date, and will arrive sooner than you think. I am incapable of sitting still and not creating so we will probably have something else in the pipe this year, too.”
With the return of touring Jamie also told us how he felt as KNOLL started to play live again. “Nervous! That was our first ever out of town show, too. It was in Knoxville, Tennessee, so not too far from home. We got rid of more inventory than we ever would have expected that night and it definitely made us more confident touring, especially with us having some van issues immediately after. The driver’s side window got stuck in the door and made us a huge theft risk for a couple of days, with ten plus hour drives as well. Definitely a whirlwind!”
As well as hitting the road again in full swing, Jamie also told us about the experience of KNOLL doing the Roadburn Redux Festival online last year and his own appearance at this year’s festival as he guested with FULL OF HELL. “That was great! I’m overjoyed to have met Walter then and I’m very glad that he took an interest in our band. We filmed and mixed the session by ourselves. The response was great and I really feel at home with Roadburn. Hanging with FULL OF HELL was unforgettable, too. They know what it is like being frequently compared to peers and I think as such have taken us under a wing with what we have going on in KNOLL. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to call those guys friends – they are the best and kindest in the business and we owe them a great deal. Dylan brought me out a couple of different nights during their full album playthroughs at Roadburn to do a vocal spot as well as made sure that I was having a good time at the fest and I had never seen so many people from a stage in my life. I could not see the end of the crowd. They are doing something special with extreme music and I am as geeked as anyone should be to be able to share that with them in some way. Excited to do it again one day!”
Asked if KNOLL have got plans to play at the festival again, Jamie explains teasingly, “wink and a nudge. I can’t confirm anything right now but we’re hopeful and I think Roadburn is the greatest festival there is. Bringing the band there would undoubtedly be a surreal experience.”
As well as Roadburn, Jamie elaborated on another memorable live experience for KNOLL. “There are many fond memories but one that comes to mind immediately is booking a last minute gig with FRAIL BODY in Skid Row, Los Angeles two days prior and it selling out. I made the flyer in the van after a ton of great bands hopped on and I think we got a very true experience of our first time in southern California. There were so many kids there that they couldn’t fit in the space and it was a deeply punk feel. Flickering lights and lots of Los Angeles flavoured balloons. We never really sold any patches typically but that show we sold seventy or so. Just about every attendee had some kind of crust attire lined with raw patches. People dug all of the music, screamo and grind alike. That kind of happening is a DIY treasure and something you remember forever. There’s a video somewhere!”
As we reach the end of the interview, Jamie enthused about the highlights of his time with KNOLL so far, how excited he is for the future of the band and their music and how grateful he is for the music of KNOLL to be appreciated. “I want to say that everything is a highlight. Each time we approach a new record or tour we have gained so much from the last related experience that we do it better and have more fun. Being in a band is a beautiful thing because there is almost nowhere you can go but upwards as long as you are putting in consistent effort and approaching your craft with an artistic state of mind, regardless of what you are getting back out of it. I am also always immensely happy to be able to talk about KNOLL and share these ideas with some people who might care or take it into their own work. Thanks for having me!”
Metempiric is out now via self-release.
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