The Cruel Knives' 'Side Two' - EP Review

While I still mourn the loss of Heaven's Basement, a band I grew up with and saw them move from humble beginnings to the cusp of bigger things, I have - sadly - accepted that they are no more. The band effectively died in 2015 when frontman Aaron Buchanan left the fold, but in 2017 guitarist Sid Glover and bassist Rob Ellershaw officially laid the band to rest and launched their current project The Cruel Knives. Before the band's official launch, the pair - along with frontman Tom Harris and Heaven's Basement drummer Chris Rivers - played a couple of low-key support shows to road-test some new material. Many assumed that Harris was to be the new frontman of Heaven's Basement, but a short while later the Heaven's Basement name was dropped and the band were re-born as The Cruel Knives. Rivers chose to step away from the band, which may have been one of the reasons for the re-brand, leaving Glover and Ellershaw to start again from scratch. Harris was welcomed permanently into the fold, along with drummer Al Junior, and The Cruel Knives released their debut five-track EP in July 2017. Side One (which I reviewed here) was initially a hard listen for a die-hard Heaven's Basement fan such as myself. While Heaven's Basement had evolved throughout their short career, moving from 1980s-inspired hard rock on their debut EP to a more modern sound on 2013's Filthy Empire - their only album, I found Side One to be quite a big departure from Glover and Ellershaw's previous band. There were, of course, traces of Heaven's Basement's hard rock sound, but there were also a lot more modern pop rock elements included. Harris does not possess the grit and power that the various Heaven's Basement singers had, which helps to contribute to the overall more poppy and, at times, atmospheric sound. Over the past couple of years however, Side One has grown on me a lot. The Cruel Knives are certainly a more experimental band than Heaven's Basement ever were, which certainly helps them to stand out from the crowd and ensures that their material rewards repeated listens. Side One felt like a band's debut release, with a lot of throwing of ideas at the wall and seeing what stuck-type moments, but two years on the band feel more focused. Side Two, which the band's second EP is predictably called, was released last month and sees the band sounding fired up and lean. The experimentation of the first EP is still present, but the overall package feels a little more streamlined and rockier - which is probably why this effort has hit me a lot quicker than their first one ever did. Throw a couple of really strong stand-out moments into the mix, and it is clear to see that The Cruel Knives have developed a lot over the past couple of years and mean business.

The seven-track EP kicks off with Black Eye Friday, a strident rocker that opens with Junior's rolling snare drum beat while a collage of guitar layers and basslines build up around it - before exploding into a juddering guitar riff. The experimental sound of Side One can be heard here, but there is a certain darkness that creeps into the song - particularly during the verses. The verses see the song stripped back to the basics, with mournful clean guitar lines forming the basis of the piece, while Harris' emotional lyrical delivery showcases his talents. This is a great contrast to the heavier choruses, which are much tougher overall with bluesy hard rock riffing and a much more energetic feel. It is a short song, but it does the job to open the EP up in style. Hollow People is fuzzy rocker, which opens up with a subtle, industrial-esque guitar pattern that is buried in layers of fuzz, while Junior casually pumps his bass drum. It is less in-your-face than the opening track, with more of an atmospheric approach on show, but Glover's weighty guitar tones and riffs really help to keep everything on track. His riffs here might not be as potent as those he wrote for Heaven's Basement, but he is certainly expanding his style and approach here. There a few stand-out guitar moments throughout this song, with the focus largely here being on atmosphere and overall sound rather than hard rock. The chorus is a surprisingly catchy one too, showing off the band's poppier side. If This is the End (I've Been a Fool from the Start) is a much more bass-heavy song, with Ellershaw's weighty bassline keeping everything together and a greater emphasis overall being placed on the band's 'rock' elements. This is not a heavy piece, but it has a great kinetic energy to it throughout. Parts of the song remind me a little of Mechanical Animals-era Marilyn Manson, with the distorted bluesy guitar tones, but with a stronger emphasis on poppy melodies and a much more accessible vocal approach. I think that this is the EP where Harris really comes into his own. I was, unfairly, comparing him to Richie Hevanz and Aaron Buchanan in my head before, but on Side Two Harris really showcases his immense talents. He has a much more emotionally-charged delivery than either of Heaven's Basement's main singers, and the way he attacks the chorus here proves that. He turns in another great performance throughout Maybe I Should Know, a riff-based rocker that certainly showcases Glover's old-school riffing style somewhat - with traces of Heaven's Basement evident. Big guitar riffs are not always the order of the day for The Cruel Knives, but this is a song that seems to revel in being something of a hard rock throw-back - despite the band's modern production style and penchant for more modern melodic tropes still evident. It is one of the heavier pieces here, and never really lets up its pace throughout. This is a song that is sure to go down well live and, considering that it contains one of Glover's few true guitar solos on the EP, it could well become a bit of a setlist centrepiece.

Blood in the Water is another meaty piece, with a big slab of a guitar riff laid down early and a strong groove established from the off. In the same way that Led Zeppelin's Black Dog is based around a simple bluesy riff, with the vocal lines fitting in around it, Blood in the Water somewhat echoes this structure - with Glover's riff trading spots with Harris' vocal lines effortlessly throughout. It is this approach, and subsequent groove, that really makes the song's verses tick and makes them some of the EP's catchiest moments. The chorus is more typical of the band's usual style however, with layers of guitars and vocals making for more of an atmospheric and unusual approach. The melodies here are not as compelling as the verses' ones however, but the song still remains enjoyable due to the groove and hard riffing. On a Leash (or On a Fucking Leash as it has been called on old setlists) is, in my opinion, the best song here and the best song the band have put out so far. It is a perfect mix of Glover and Ellershaw's old band and their new, more modern influences. The opening strident guitar riff hits hard from the off, and the bass-heavy verses bring the best out of Harris' vocals. He almost croons over the verses and, while the chorus never really explodes into a true hard rocker, he ramps his delivery up perfectly throughout to climax on the chorus' last, emphatic line. You can feel the venom in his voice, and it really helps that the song's arrangement seems much more simple in comparison to many of the band's others efforts. Many of the band's songs feature lots of layers of guitars which sometimes makes it hard for Harris to compete vocally, but On a Leash seems to strike the right balance. As a result it really shines, and I would like to hear more songs like this from the band going forward. Crawl, the EP's last song, is another riffier piece that opens up somewhat calmly - before exploding into a heavy blues rock riff that is one of the album's best musical moments. This is another song that pairs back on the arrangement somewhat, again allowing Harris to shine. The verses are quite bass-heavy, with Ellershaw's snaking bassline dominating - before a heavy chorus kicks in with more of Glover's riffing and Harris can be heard really pushing himself vocally. This is another stand-out cut for me, and showcases the best of the rockier side of The Cruel Knives' sound. Overall, Side Two is strong sophomore release from The Cruel Knives and one that, in my opinion, is a big improvement over their debut EP. Between Crawl and On a Leash, I believe The Cruel Knives have really set out their stall. If the band develop more along those lines then I think they could become a really special band, and I am looking forward to tracking their progression going forward.

The self-released EP was released on 30th August 2019. Below is the band's promotional video for Hollow People.