This new Knurl release is my first encounter with Krim Kram, from Cork in Ireland and, next to Kapotte Muziek, the only name I recognised, so maybe I should invest some time shortly to see what this is about. But we’re here for the Knurl CD, so let’s dive into it.
Knurl is, of course, Alan Bloor, who has been making noise for 30 years now, highly appreciated and of a constant high quality and thorough style. Discogs mentions 100 albums and almost 50 more minor releases, so he’s pretty productive too. The promo text is right where it says ‘”Obtain by Sacrifice” is another solid entry in his vast discography, presenting seven tracks of amplified junk metal screech’. Because that’s what we’re listening to. And those seven tracks cover around 50 minutes, so it’s safe to tell you that you need an open mind for this if you do not know what you’re listening to.
The seven tracks are all in the same style, as mentioned before, though a lot is happening in each. Being a drone artist, I am very focused on sound design. Alan also put some effort into balancing the high-pitched over distorted feedback with the depth of bass sounds generated by his instruments/metal. If you have someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing, junk could easily convert into garbage. Converting junk into musical instruments is an entirely different category.
And about using junk for making music, Knurl is not pop music like the Neubauten, far from that. But listening to Knurl does trigger me into playing ‘Das Schaben’ again. That is where that gnarly metal sound becomes more of a drone instead of noise. That is also where my love for metal scraping noise started. I was searching for extremes and the Neubauten was available for me. The promo also mentions a few more quotes from Alan. It states where love for metal started, “I used to think it would be great to form a band that could play as loud and fast as a grinder grinding metal. That never materialised, so I took matters into my own hands.” And we all know that being in a band also often means you must compromise. Alan doesn’t do that. Relentless, extreme and in your face.
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