This is the debut album from US grindcore band Kuzu Knot.
Deceitful Above All Things contains 34 minutes of merciless grinding darkness, but of a rarefied sort. Kuzu Knot’s music is abrasive and harsh, but is also a good deal more than just this.
Sometimes you really need a specific itch scratched so hard that it draws blood. Deceitful Above All Things achieves this nicely. It’s a snarling, brutal slab of grind intensity, and it claws down to the bone. However, Kuzu Knot deliver an atypical and contemporary hybrid form grindcore. It’s fuelled by elements of dark hardcore, melodic and dissonant death metal, emotive crust, and blackened sludge, allowing the artist to explore a much wider range of vistas than anything with a grindcore tag has any right to. There’s far more emotional depth and content on this record than you’d usually find on anything that’s ostensibly similar. But then, there aren’t a huge amount of bands operating in the liminal space that Kuzu Knot exist in.
As a very rough idea of reference points, consider a mix of bands like At the Gates, Discordance Axis, Full of Hell, Gridlink, Nails, and Wake. Certain songs lean more or less into their various influences, but you get the idea.
Deceitful Above All Things offers up a greater multifaceted experience than that of many simple blast and groove grind bands. This is sophisticated extremity, with serrated teeth that bite down hard. Alongside the core of feral heaviness and lethal aggression that fuels the heart of Kuzu Knot’s material, you’ll find a wealth of ideas and textures that elevate this record above the norm. As just a few examples, you’ll encounter chunky hardcore guitars rubbing shoulders with slithering dissonance. Shattered colourings and outright bright melodies are used more than you’d expect, and there are a satisfying amount of bleak atmospheric components that are liberally sprinkled through the musical carnage. Also peppered here and there are creative enrichments, such as moments of ambience or stirring solos. In places the music really leans into epic emotive worldbuilding, and it’s all done very well.
Essentially, there’s a lot going on here. Every song has a feel and character of its own, yet all feed the whole with a flow that’s sometimes angular, sometimes smooth, sometimes unsettling, but always effective. Kuzu Knot use the many tools at their disposal to provide a well-rounded experience. Come for the aggression, stay for the depth of feeling.
Deceitful Above All Things delivers curated violence that is remarkably enjoyable. The music is well-written and performed with skill. It boasts a wealth of ideas, all executed strongly, and every track doesn’t just hit the spot, but destroys it utterly. Hopefully the name Kuzu Knot will become known far and wide by connoisseurs of extreme metal, but until then, embrace what this superlative act has unleashed into the world.
Essential listening.
Wonderbox Metal 