Knurl - Hematoma

Title: Hematoma
Artist: Knurl
Format: CD-r
Year Released: 2005
Label: Obscurica

Here we have Knurl, one of Canada's most 'prestigious' noise artists. For this recent offering on the Oregon label Obscurica, he plays 38 minutes of harsh, white noise a plenty noise spread over 5 tracks. Somewhat reminiscent of some of Emil Beaulieau's live work, the noise here is relentless, harsh, and last but not least heavy. This goes beyond harsh pedal noise. 'Cytheamia' is probably the most diverse and headache-inducing track out of the bunch, having more low-end and 'no-fi' high-speed bass drones. There is also a background sound, i'm not sure whether it's metal, pedals, or just the headache i'm having, but it just kills you. Unlike a lot of noise artists, Knurl plays actual harsh noise, with all the elements that are need to create a killer headache: white noise, pedals, and anything else that's just ear-raping. This is actually the first time i'm scared/get a headache after listening to noise. Another top-notch release for Obscurica, and another excellent release on Knurl's behalf. Think you can take it?