Psychedelic, ambient, and droning, Religious Knives are the mature sound of Brooklyn. The six tracks that make up Religious Knives’ newest release on Ecstatic Peace, “The Door”, consist of meticulously sculpted noise, layered with grungey guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and synths, transformed into brooding narratives that mimic a dark and sprawling cityscape. The first three tracks on “The Door” alternate between being pulled by Todd Cavallo’s thick syrupy bass and pushed by new member (and 1/2 of Mouthus) Nate Nelson’s heavy tribal beats. Michael Bernstein’s and Maya Miller’s chant-like vocals recall Wildbirds & Peacedrums’s Mariam Wallentin’s soulful and haunting voice. and complete the album’s dark ambiance. The final tracks allude to Bernstein and Miller’s earlier work, giving more texture to the sounds and increasing the pace. As a whole “The Door” is a well crafted somber album, if it is a bit too evocative of the neo-Gothic revival.
By Misho
Misho does a new music show called “Poughkeepsie Omnivore” early Thursday mornings from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m..
