In June the band were involved in a tragic van accident that left all four members with serious injuries, ranging from broken bones to brain injuries. All proceeds from the album will be going to the members to help them recover. With that in mind, it’s hard to listen to No Love Lost without bearing in mind the scary and painful fact that this snarling, exciting block of brutality could have been their last – but knowing that it most likely won’t be, the listen is a sweeter one.
The straight-edge Delaware four piece have already amassed thousands of fans, with an addictive and blistering rendition of American hardcore that has sent shockwaves through the scene, and their follow up to their Dust to Dust EP deserves the respect that fans will no doubt give. At under 20 minutes long, you might expect No Love Lost to feel too brisk – like it was rushed – but the record feels far from that. There are so many insanely hard riffs crammed into those minutes, it’s like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Furious blast beats, rapid double kick patterns and earth-shaking cymbal hits course through the album in such an organic way, the whole thing feels more like a living breathing creature in a rage, compared to the often-sterile feeling of some other metal subgenres.
“The tormented screams and yells of vocalist Madi Watkins are haunting and frightening to behold”
From the sludgy, ugly riff at the start of opener ‘Sometimes’, to the slow fade into screeching feedback at the end of the title track closer, not a second is wasted. Each second of the action is also in stunning quality; the production on the album is excellent – no surprise, with the legendary Kurt Ballou at the helm. The guitars sound huge and come across very strong in the mix without being distracting, pairing well with the distorted, gravelly bass tone – especially on songs like ‘Wish’ and ‘Your Control’. The tormented screams and yells of vocalist Madi Watkins are haunting and frightening to behold, as she pours her soul out over mountainous riffs and an avalanche of drum flurries. The importance of said drums cannot be overstated; Andrew Kisielewski is a beast behind the kit, seemingly having a perfect groove or furious blast for every kind of riff that comes his way.
No Love Lost is a solid release from a band whose talent and passion we can only hope to see grow and flourish in the future and we wish the band a full recovery. Whilst it may be some time before we see the return of this crucial band, Year Of The Knife can take solace in the fact regardless of the timing of their return to the stage, the scene will welcome them back with arms outstretched.