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Knifeworld: The Unraveling
Knifeworld The Unraveling CD Album Review

Knifeworld: The Unraveling

Progressive Rock
4.0/5.0

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Inside Out Music
Words: Craig Hartranft    Added: 24.07.2014

By the definition of progressive rock in your Dictionary of Rock Music, you can put the picture of Knifeworld and their first full-length album The Unraveling. The certainly fit. The title may suggests what you may need to do to decipher or deduce the band's sound. But mind you, it might not be an easy task, and one that could leave you frustrated.

Knifeworld The Unraveling Band Photo

Knifeworld: the gang's all here.

But isn't that what we expect from the best of melodic progressive, avant garde or art rock? Knifeworld is both in those camps and all over the place. Through in some sixties to seventies psychedelic bong hits, and let the weirdness begin. Best description, with any of those parts, is to throw together King Crimson, Gentle Giant, some Beatles, maybe some Buzzocks or Sonic Youth, but certainly founder Kavus Torabi's The Monsoon Bassoon in shake vigorously.

Then stand back as the music shake spews forth gregarious poly rhythms, requisite shifts in time signatures and tempos, odd sounding vocals, yet generous guitar leads, in often busy arrangements that border on cacophony. This is some nuts stuff, but also strangely interesting. Other times it reminds me of music written for the circus, clowns, acrobats or jugglers specifically, or maybe carnival music, especially listening to I Can Teach You How to Lose a Fight or Send Him Seaworthy.

Yet, later, the majority of the music simply sounds eerie, vague, and directionless. Scrap away the vocals from The Skulls We Buried Have Regrown or I'm Hiding Behind My Eyes, and the music might be perfect for a House of Horrors carnival ride sidetrack. There is some normalcy to Destroy the World We Love, but it could be stripped of vocals and used as the atmosphere for silent movie of an eclectic mad scientist playing in his laboratory. Alternatively, The Empty Room Once Was Alive is nearly crippling in it's bending and sharp, nearly metallic, sullenness.

Once more The Unraveling is strange stuff: diverse, challenging, and odd. Perhaps it's made mostly for the curious, those that linger at a bloody traffic accident or easily venture into a backroads carnival freak show with no fear. Be perplexed or entertained, either road makes for an interesting path.


KNIFEWORLD - Destroy The World We Love (OFFICIAL VIDEO)





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In Short

Knifeworld's The Unraveling is strange stuff: diverse, challenging, and odd progressive rock. Perhaps it's made mostly for the curious, those that linger at a bloody traffic accident or easily venture into a backroads carnival freak show with no fear.

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