Photo by Dege Legg
Progressive sludge metal duo RADIANT KNIFE will release their fifth full-length, Pressure, on July 14th, today unveiling the record’s first single, cover art, and preorders.
Emerging from the swamp-ridden landscape of South Louisiana, RADIANT KNIFE features Greg Travasos on drums and Stephen Sheppert at the helm of guitar, synths, and vocals. Principally inspired by artists like Today is the Day, Zeni Geva, Loincloth, Yes, and King Crimson, together, the pair manifests a heavy sonic landscape rife with unorthodox time signatures, grizzly guitar tones, and layered, sci-fi influenced synth textures.
The band’s critically lauded The Ghost EP — the second in a two-part EP series released in 2020 — rose from post metal roots with ethereal vibes that embraced space. Wrote Invisible Oranges of the output, “The Ghost is more Jar Of Flies than Dirt in its sparse but meticulous layering and clean delineation. RADIANT KNIFE have carved themselves a nice, idiosyncratic corner in the metal spectrum, and are quickly becoming masters of their domain.” Grizzly Butts concurred, noting, “The Ghost… is an ethereal font of cathedralesque, shimmering, and spaced-out balladry.” Added Last Rites, “while there’s no denying the swampy power of their [home state’s] forebearers, Lafayette duo RADIANT KNIFE brings a progressive edge and ear for experimentation that sets them apart. In fact, despite thick, heavy riffage, there’s a certain lightness to RADIANT KNIFE’s approach.”
This year’s Pressure is a crusty-eyed gaze into the crushing weight of the modern world with the energy of each song progressing to the ultimate exhale of final track, “Demon Legs.” Pressure is all about the riff, with metal focused production, breakneck time changes and a fast-paced delivery that would satiate any Botch fan.
Elaborates the band on the record’s surrounding themes, “While not every song deals with it, a lot of the album’s lyrics center around being sold on the American dream, but also realizing it’s oftentimes used as a thin veil to cloak a dubious system/entity aimed at bleeding you dry, even after death. A lot of ‘pressure’ comes with that, and a means of dealing with it could be taking a nihilistic mindset as expressed in the song ‘Give Yourself Away,’ or trying to outrun the rat race as expressed in the aforementioned song, ‘Demon Legs.’”
In advance of the release of Pressure, today RADIANT KNIFE unleashes first single and video, “His Capa Was Detated,” now playing at Invisible Oranges.
Writes Invisible Oranges in part, “RADIANT KNIFE’s upcoming album Pressure rips along with a zealous thirst for speed and creative heaviness that feels rooted in the less-structured chaos of the genre that thrived right around the turn of the century. RADIANT KNIFE are looking even farther back than that, though; citing bands like King Crimson and Yes as crucial inspirations, unusual time signatures and rhythms are integral to Pressure. If you peel back some of the distortion and sonic chaos, there’s definitely prog rock roots here, but simply absorbing the crushing, twisting mix as-is works extremely well, too.”
Notes the band of the track, “‘His Capa Was Detated’ is a reflection on the malevolent intent of most mainstream media outlets, pushing cloaked content to sell for puppet masters such as pharmaceutical companies and all things big business.”
Watch RADIANT KNIFE’s “His Capa Was Detated” visualizer at Invisible Oranges at THIS LOCATION. Stream the track at THIS LOCATION and all streaming platforms.
Pressure was self-recorded in early 2022 at the band’s home studio, Starless Sound, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Obituary, Sunn O))) -16-).
Pressure will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find preorders at the RADIANT KNIFE Bandcamp page HERE.
Pressure Track Listing
- Slumber
- Ghost Samurai
- Phil Collins Was Right
- Give Yourself Away
- Sunsets From Space
- Mortals
- His Capa Was Detated
- Cleanser
- Demon Legs
RADIANT KNIFE:
Stephen Sheppert – guitars, vocals, keys
Greg Travasos – drums
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http://www.radiantknife.bandcamp.com
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