Album Review: Cairo Knife Fight – The Colossus
2 min read
New Zealand rock band Cairo Knife Fight explore a heavy rock sound in their latest album The Colossus. With a motif of buzz and distortion, the album explores an array of ideas and succeeds in having a full sound. There is a unifying theme and style that connects each song but the album also houses elements that demonstrate diversity. This album is a good collection of heavy rock that would be a good listen for any rock junkie.
The introductory track The Colossus begins the album with a bang as the track is abundant with distortion and buzz. This track is a really good introduction to the way the band amalgamates electric and traditional rock elements. The breaks with drum rhythms and guitar riffs create funky stripped back moments in the diverse song. Rezlord fades in and houses a more traditional rock accompaniment. The beginning of the song reminds me a lot of Uprising by Muse. This song is very catchy and is one of the better tracks on the album. No Longer Silent is the best track on the album and it begins with a punch as well as highlighting the singer’s great falsetto. The song also has a great hook that accentuates the deep message of the lyrics.
All in the Game and Battle Damage cease to bring anything new to the album as a whole and don’t feel particularly memorable. Shadows of Sorrow is another good track on the album that strips back their sound and again accentuates the vocalist’s brilliant falsetto. This song also houses some evocative backing vocals which really create diversity in the album. The band really succeeds in this stripped back sound. Climbing through the Ashes speeds up the pace and even houses some filtered vocals. Reality Engine is dark and incredibly intense. Die Young has a great guitar riff – an element that isn’t strikingly present in many of the other songs.
Overall, the album is great exploration of heavy rock and houses a few good tracks. I was surprised at how good the band was at the softer tracks like No Longer Silent and Die Young. I definitely think the band should explore these ideas more in the album because they added elements of diversity and also showcased the vocalist’s really great vocals. Many of the heavier trackers often blended into one and didn’t really feel memorable. Within The Colossus, Cairo Knife Fight a powerhouse.
