Review: “Esigenza” by Mind/Knot

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Valerio ‘Fisik’ Hombre at Lobo Studios (Choke Wire, Tear Me Down, Shred), the sophomore album “Esigenza” from Italian Chaotic Hardcore unit Mind/Knot is said to bring about a style shift as the band look to broaden their horizons. While their first album, 2021’s “Eat The Leaf!” saw them drawing influences from the likes of Black Flag, Minor Threat and Bad Brains, the band credit the arrival of new guitarist Roberto Cadau as a turning point. His influences are said to add flavours of Mathcore, Chaotic Hardcore and Noise Punk to the mix, enhancing the pre-existing desire to create a fresher sound and express darker emotions with unsettling tempos…

The cries of someone being tortured create a sombre and sobering introduction piece before the rapid fire “Broken Light” breaks down the walls, a 66 second burst of violence with obvious roots in bands like Sick Of It All but with the addition of a razor sharp edge that cuts to the bone. From here on out the collection of short, sharp shocks from this electric fence of an album show no sign of abating, earworm riffs and fierce, fiery vocals opening up arteries and allowing the blood to flow freely. “Nightmare” has an edge over the pack with its breakdown riffage intoxicating to the point of causing withdrawal symptoms, the cathartic vent of the lyrics not hitting until further several spin kicks down the line. Every Time I Die and Glassjaw are both obvious influences on the new material while there is a certain anarchy level to some of these cuts which knows no bounds. Politically and socially aware “My Queen” is as haunting and eerie as it is turbulently violent, the band not afraid to raise their middle finger to anyone who stands in the way of what is right. The pedal no longer firmly to the metal, the latter half of this one offers a little respite which means the pain of what follows isn’t dulled. Curiously enough some of these sound like they were recorded live from the floor of the studio, cutting off before the band have reached full flight as if the band have slammed into a brick wall. “Keep Me Alive” has a shoegazing Jazz like quality before the melody switches up into the bands more traditional sound, a well worked moment of thoughtful self preservation with vocals that ache with the weight of the world on the shoulders. It feels like going from bleak despair to hope at the flick of a switch, a demonstration of the kind of power over emotion that the band have at their disposal.

While the first half of the album has a few songs with scattered nuances from other genres that offer up intrigue and find the band rejuvenated, that’s something that dies off a little in the second half where the stark contrast between melody and brutality is heightened. Each violent mood swing has been expertly crafted to ensure maximum impact while skilfully avoiding the need to bring other instruments into the equation, their Hardcore principles remain firmly intact and integral to everything they do. Each burst of adrenaline fuelled rage against the World counterbalanced by a call to arms and a determination not to give up despite the obstacles that are faced, the bleak moments quickly left behind by the next wave of sonic abrasion. Burrascano’s lyrics have a lot of thought put into them and with each cut he shines a light on the things that vex, something which stands out like a hammer smashed thumb over multiple listens, not necessarily sinking through on the first few spins due to the very nature of the bands sound but worthy of investigation with a lyric sheet in hand. “Wrath” is a true hold on to your hats moment as the band play as fast as humanly possible without derailing the train for 64 seconds of utter madness before “Eren” finds them repeating the trick, not bedlam but organised chaos from which it is easy to find reward. The longest cut on the record is “Warcrimes“, a grand finale at 204 seconds which perhaps servers as it’s most traditional track, a throwback to their last album that rounds things off nicely… with “Esigenza“, vocalist Marco Burrascano, guitarist Roberto Cadau, bassist and backing vocalist Yari Caramore and drummer Simone Perna have created something that offers plenty of intrigue as well as gritty substance, it will be interesting to see where they go from here [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Astray
2. Broken Light
3. Stop The Blood
4. Nightmare
5. My Queen
6. Mostro
7. Witches
8. Keep Me Alive
9. Rise Up
10. Parasite
11. … Perpetual Black
12. Killed By Faith
13. Wrath
14. Eren
15. Obey
16. Warcrimes

“Esigenza” by Mind/Knot is out 1st September 2023 via Time To Kill Records and is available for pre-order over at bandcamp.