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Knut (Russian word for "whip", pronounced "cnoot") were a Swiss
mathcore Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatur ...
/
sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge doom or simply sludge) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, down-tuned guitars and nihilis ...
band from
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, formed in 1994.


History

The band started by playing in the local underground squat scene, publishing a couple of seven-inch releases as well as their first CD in 1997, titled ''Leftovers''. This early material was put out on Snuff Records, which was run by Roderic Mounir and Didier Séverin. In 1998, Knut released their first full-length, ''Bastardiser'', which showcased a sharper and more focused aggression, combining heavily distorted guitars, odd-time signatures, use of discordance and repetition, and harsh vocals. The band started touring Europe and shared the stage with bands like
Zeni Geva Zeni Geva is a Japanese noise rock band featuring singer and guitarist KK Null and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Formed in Tokyo in 1987, the group's name translates roughly as "money violence" ("Zeni" is an old Japanese term for money, and "Geva" co ...
,
The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...
, Blockheads, Voivod and
Neurosis Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...
. The year 1999 would prove crucial for Knut, with tours alongside
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) app ...
and Botch, both of whom had released records on the
Hydra Head Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental ...
imprint. They brought Knut to the attention of label owners
Aaron Turner Aaron Turner (born November 5, 1977) is an American musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal bands Sumac (band), SUMAC and Isis ...
and Mark Thompson, who quickly decided to reissue ''
Bastardiser ''Bastardiser'' is the first full-length album by Swiss mathcore band Knut Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur ( Icelandic) is a Scandinavian and German first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany b ...
'' in the United States and invited them to tour. In August 2001, Knut completed an extensive trek on US soil opening for
Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
, playing alongside
Thrones A throne is a seat of state for a potentate or dignitary. Throne, Thrones or The Throne may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * The Throne (group), collaboration pseudonym for rappers Jay Z and Kanye West (as on Drake's "Pop Style") * Thron ...
,
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) app ...
, Keelhaul,
Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...
, Premonitions of War,
Anodyne An anodyne is a drug used to lessen pain through reducing the sensitivity of the brain or nervous system. The term was common in medicine before the 20th century, but such drugs are now more often known as analgesics or painkillers. The term ' ...
,
The Cancer Conspiracy ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
, ending at New York's infamous
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...
club. In 2002, '' Challenger'' was released. Recorded at Serge Morattel's Rec Studio in Geneva, the album exceeded all expectations by pushing the envelope of heaviness, dynamics, atmosphere and chaos simultaneously. It ended in
Terrorizer Magazine ''Terrorizer'' was an extreme music magazine published by Dark Arts Ltd. in the United Kingdom. It was released every four weeks with thirteen issues a year and featured a "Fear Candy" covermount CD, a twice yearly "Fear Candy Unsigned" CD, a ...
's end of year list next to
Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
,
Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
,
The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of Consonance and ...
,
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
and
Meshuggah Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. Since 2004, the band's lineup consists of founding members Jens Kidman (lead vocals) and Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar), alongside rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, drumm ...
. Knut kept touring as much as they could, but never as a full-time activity. In 2004, the band took a break while planning their next moves, writing the follow-up to '' Challenger'' and working on an experimental remix album, ''Alter'', with contributions from
Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...
,
Mick Harris Michael John Harris (born 4 October 1967) is an English musician from Birmingham. He was the drummer for Napalm Death between 1985 and 1991, and is credited for coining the term "grindcore". After Napalm Death, Harris joined Painkiller with Jo ...
,
Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...
, Francisco López, and
Asmus Tietchens Asmus Tietchens (born 3 February 1947, in Hamburg), who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music. Tietchens became interested in experimental music and musique concrète as a chi ...
. '' Terraformer'' was recorded in late 2004 in Geneva, engineered by their friend Jerome Pellegrini (former Nostromo guitarist, now in Mumakil). Originally meant to be a demo of the album, the session proved satisfactory enough for a proper release. In May 2005, Roderic joined Jesu for a European tour, filling in on drums for
Ted Parsons Ted Parsons is an American drummer most notable for his membership in rock/metal bands such as Swans, Prong, Godflesh, Killing Joke, and Jesu. Biography Parsons' early career began in 1985 with Swans, when he contributed to their ''Holy ...
. Before the release of '' Terraformer'', Phil Hess quit the band. Jeremy Tavernier took over guitar duties (as, in fact, he had done on most of '' Terraformer'') while Jerome Doudet joined on bass, quickly followed by Tim Robert-Charrue on second guitar. After several European tours in 2006, including the UK with Taint and an appearance at
Hellfest Hellfest (), also known as Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one o ...
alongside
Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. The band incorporates folk music, folk, blues, classical music, classical, and jazz elements into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from deat ...
,
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
,
Ringworm Dermatophytosis, also known as tinea and ringworm, is a mycosis, fungal infection of the skin (a dermatomycosis), that may affect skin, hair, and nails. Typically it results in a red, itchy, scaly, circular rash. Hair loss may occur in the a ...
, Capricorns and
Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
, Jeremy decided to leave and concentrate on his
grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...
band Mumakil. Christian Valleise took his spot and Knut quickly hit the road, including Eastern Europe with fellow Swiss noise act Monno. In 2008–2009 the band played a number of shows, refining their new formula and taking time to write what would become their fifth studio album. In 2010, they released their first new studio album in more than five years. Not content to simply recreate the sound of their past albums, Knut strove to reinvent themselves in ''
Wonder Wonder may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Wonder'' (film), a 2017 drama based on the R. J. Palacio novel * ''The Wonder'' (film), a 2022 drama based on the Emma Donoghue novel * Wonder, a character in the 2006 American family film ''Z ...
'' by incorporating new melodic elements and
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
ambience into their songs. Festivals and tours followed, including Europe with Keelhaul, and Russia for the first time. But in January 2012, Knut announced that they were on "indefinite hiatus". In December 2013, the band briefly reconvened at Serge Morattel's Rec Studio for a cover of
Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. (later Fall of Because) but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals, programmi ...
's " Merciless" song, featuring
Franz Treichler Francisco José Conceição Leitão Treichler (born 14 November 1961), better known as Franz Treichler, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, musician, composer and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist and sole consistent member of the Swiss ...
of
The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...
on vocals. The track would open a tribute album titled ''Fathers Of Our Flesh – Tribute to Godflesh'', released in 2014 by Italian label Fobofile Productions and featuring
Nadja Nadja may refer to: * Nadja (given name) * Nadja, pen-name of Louisa Nadia Green (1896—1934), British poet * ''Nadja'' (novel), 1928 surrealist novel by André Breton * ''Nadja'' (film), 1994 vampire film by Michael Almereyda * Nadja (band), ...
,
Eagle Twin Eagle Twin is an American metal band formed in Salt Lake City, Utah by singer/guitarist Gentry Densley and drummer Tyler Smith. Eagle Twin's music could be broadly classified as doom metal or sludge metal, but also touches on progressive rock, b ...
,
Author & Punisher Author & Punisher is a one-man band from San Diego, formed in January 2004 by mechanical engineer and artist Tristan Shone. Most of the instrumentation and controllers Shone uses, called "Drone Machines" and "Dub Machines", are custom-designed a ...
, Transitional, Omega Massif,
Gnaw Gnaw is a New York City noise band founded in 2006 by Alan Dubin (of OLD, Khanate), Carter Thornton (of Enos Slaughter and others), Jun Mizumachi (a former live member of Ike Yard) and drummer Jamie Sykes (of Burning Witch). Guitarist/sound desig ...
and more. Several vinyl reissues carried out the Knut legacy. In 2019, French imprint Head Records reissued ''
Bastardiser ''Bastardiser'' is the first full-length album by Swiss mathcore band Knut Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur ( Icelandic) is a Scandinavian and German first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany b ...
'' on vinyl, freshly remastered by Lad Agabekov from Nostromo, using the original Snuff Records artwork. An essay detailing those recording sessions was written and uploaded with vintage pictures by the band. In 2020, Swiss label Hummus Records gave Knut's first CD ''Leftovers'' its first-ever vinyl release, complete with reworked layout and once again a remaster by Lad Agabekov. ''Terraformer'' followed in April 2021. Former Knut members have carried out various musical endeavours. Roderic Mounir, Tim Robert-Charrue and Christian Valleise started a metallic
noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...
act named Brutalist (2014–2018) with fellow Genevan guitarist Adriano Perlini. A five-track recording was uploaded in 2019. Didier Séverin, for his part, actively explored the dark tones of electronic
drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...
with his strom, morts trio, resulting in a number of recorded collaborations. Séverin died on 23 March 2022, ceasing any hopes for the band to reform. On 24 March 2023, Didier's friends marked the first anniversary of his passing by holding an event at L'Usine, Geneva's main underground venue where he worked for a while a longtime ago. Called Didzfest, it featured bands that were close to Knut (Nostromo, Impure Wilhelmina, HEX, TERM) as well as his latest drone band strom, morts performing as a two-piece, plus three noise/drone/ambient projects (POL, Solastalgia, The Dead Travel Fast). Former Knut members played a short instrumental set with longtime brothers Jimbob Isaac (former Taint, Hark, now Silverburn mainman) and Panos Agoros (Dephosphorus) holding the mic on a couple of songs.


Members


Final lineup

*Didier Séverin – vocals, electronics (1994–2012) (died 2022) *Roderic Mounir – drums, additional guitars (1994–2012) * Jerome Doudet – bass, additional electronics (2005–2012) *Tim Robert-Charrue – guitar (2006–2012) *Christian Valleise – guitar (2007–2012)


Former members

*Thierry Van Osselt – bass (1994–1998) * Philippe Hess – guitar (1994–2005) *Jeremy Tavernier – bass (1998–2005), guitar (2005–2006) *Gabriel Farine – bass (1998) * Jerome Pellegrini – bass (1998) * Thomas Guillanton – guitar (2003)


Discography

*''Knut'' 7" (1994, self-released, 200 copies, hand-numbered) *Split 7" with Ishma (1996, Bone Tone Records) *''Leftovers'' MCD (1997, Snuff Records / 2003, Ronald Reagan Records / 2020, Hummus Records, vinyl) *''
Bastardiser ''Bastardiser'' is the first full-length album by Swiss mathcore band Knut Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur ( Icelandic) is a Scandinavian and German first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany b ...
'' (1998, Snuff Records / 1999, Chrome St. Magnus Records, vinyl / 2019, Head Records, vinyl) *Split 7" with Tantrum (1998, Snuff Records/Vicious Circle) *''Ordeal'' 7" (1999, Snuff Records/Molaire Industries) *DIY MCD (1999, self-released) *Live split 10" with Botch and Ananda (2000, Mosh Bart Industries) *''Knut'' CDEP (2001,
Hydra Head Records Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental ...
) *'' Challenger'' (2002, Hydra Head Records / 2010, Division Records, gatefold cover, orange vinyl) *'' Terraformer'' (2005, CD on Hydra Head Records, vinyl on Conspiracy Records / 2021, Hummus Records, vinyl) *''Alter'' anniversary
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
(2006, Hydra Head Records) *''
Wonder Wonder may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Wonder'' (film), a 2017 drama based on the R. J. Palacio novel * ''The Wonder'' (film), a 2022 drama based on the Emma Donoghue novel * Wonder, a character in the 2006 American family film ''Z ...
'' (2010, Hydra Head Records/Conspiracy Records)


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knut Musical groups established in 1994 Mathcore musical groups Swiss heavy metal musical groups Sludge metal musical groups Swiss musical quintets 1994 establishments in Switzerland English-language musical groups from Switzerland