KNUT
Wonder
(Hydra Head Records)

The last time I was abducted by aliens I had no killer import metal to play for them but now I do. It’s Wonder, the latest release by KNUT (pronounced cnoot) on Hydra Head/Conspiracy Records. (Knut is also the name given to a cute polar bear cub in a Berlin zoo but there’s nothing cute about KNUT.) Didier, Roderic, Christian, Tim and Jerom make up the latest incarnation of the band and they are a screaming kick-in-the-soft spot on your head metal band from Switzerland, totally worth losing some hearing over.

Tracks like “Ultralight Backpacking” (instrumental or should I say instru-metal) and “Calamity” (my favorite) are the stuff that your neighbor’s nightmares are made of. Loud screaming, terrifying and fun in that “Holy shit we almost just died!!” kind of way. KNUT proves on every track why they have lasted so long (since 1994) and why they are a must for any fan of indie metal from Europe. If you’re a KNUT fan you probably already have this: if you’re a metal fan you should get this: but if you’re a cute bear cub fan, don’t bother, this is not for you.

So the next time I’m abducted by aliens I’m gonna grab them by their slimy little necks (or whatever that thing is) and shove KNUT in their faces. I’ll play “Fast Forward Bastard” or “Damned Extroverts” for them and they will bother with me no more.