A couple years ago, I reviewed the self titled debut from Germanic blackened thrashers Knife. While I wasn’t immediately head over heels for them the way I was for similarly natured acts Hellripper, Bewitcher, and Wraith, I did appreciate their knack for ripping ’80s guitar solos, punkish aggression, and deranged thrashing akin to Power and Pain era Whiplash. All of this, coupled with an unholy, blackened spirit, made for one wild ride of an album, characteristic of what we’d expect from a Dying Victims Productions release.
Fast forward a couple years later and Knife are back with album number 2, Heaven into Dust, only this time they’ve found a new home: Napalm Records. I know. I didn’t believe it either. If we’re being completely honest here (and that’s a quality we pride ourselves on), Napalm isn’t exactly known for releasing metal of a primal, cult nature. Sure, there are exceptions, but these are far and few in between. Would this change impact the direction of Knife? Truthfully, probably not. Whether these maniacs were signed to Dying Victims or the poor excuse of a label that is Earache (how the mighty have fallen), chances are they’d still be playing metal that’s fast and evil.
Unsurprisingly, Heaven into Dust is exactly that. The band wastes no time at all, battering down the hatches with the blackened speed mania of “Hawks of Hades”. The riffs and arrangement have that aforementioned Power and Pain feel, but with diabolical vocals and traditional metal soloing thrown in for good measure, setting the tone for a truly punishing release. Cuts like the title track and “Black Oath and Spells” fuse wicked speed and mosh-worthy thrash guaranteed to get the pit spiraling out of control, while the frenetic urgency of “Night Vision” and “No Gods in the Dark” border on crossover.
The hard rocking filth of Motörhead and Discharge rears its ugly head on “Realm of Violence”, while shades of Venom shine in all its hellish glory on the reckless “Iron Scepter” and infernal “With Torches They March”, the latter channeling the midtempo crawl of “7 Gates of Hell”. The band’s sonic palette grows even larger on the Mercyful Fate inspired “The Arson Alchemist” and blackened power thrasher “A Phantom Devised”, largely thanks to the adventurous guitar work of one Mr. Laz. He was the star of the last release and remains so on this one too, determined to establish Knife as more than “just another blackened speed/thrash band”.
Musical explorations aside, I dig Heaven into Dust just as much as its debut predecessor. No one song stands out among the others, simply because every song on here is a rager. I also commend Knife for keeping this album to a conservative 34 and a half minute runtime, shorter than their debut by 2 whole minutes. Any longer could’ve potentially jeopardized the short sharp shock attack of this outing, and that’s exactly what you want when playing this type of music. Two albums in and Knife hasn’t grown dull yet. We shall see what awaits on album number 3.
7 out of 10
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Wraith, Toxic Holocaust, Hellripper