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Dec 18, 2020 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

“Can’t see, can’t hear, can’t think!” declares Preston Maddox as the opening bars of “Lostaway” spring into life. Entering the dystopian world of Bloody Knives can often be described as a fraught process, and while 70 Years of Static might represent a short, sharp shock by their standards, it’s cathartic all the same. 

The Texas-based duo—vocalist and guitar player Maddox and multi-instrumentalist Jake McCown—have gone back to basics on 70 Years of Static, their fifth and arguably most lo-fi album to date. Clocking in at just over 25 minutes in total, the 10 compositions that make up the record don’t hold back on their intent. Instead, each and every one goes straight for the jugular, which is what we’ve come to expect from a band who’ve been compared to A Place to Bury Strangers, Nine Inch Nails, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at various points throughout their 10 years of existence. 

Following on from 2018’s epic White Light Black Moon long player, 70 Years of Static heralds a return to Maddox and McCown’s punk rock roots, not least in terms of composition and structure. Nevertheless, their penchant and desire for sonic experimentation hasn’t wavered and there are moments here that fully realize Bloody Knives’ ambition to create the perfect soundscape for a future punk dream rock nightmare. 

Indeed, it’s Bloody Knives instinctive nature to fuse elements of techno and white noise into their reverb-laden melodies that sets the duo apart from many of their peers and contemporaries. Take “Tourniquet,” for example, which exerts three minutes of surging drum and bass into the proceedings. Or the pulsating “NYE,” which sounds like all of your finest New Year’s Eve celebrations rolled into one then condensed into two-and-a-half minutes worth of aural dissonance. 

When Bloody Knives play it straight, as on “Out From the Shadows Into the Light” or “This is the Way You Burn,” they still sound like extras off the set of a Ridley Scott movie. As with their previous recordings, 70 Years of Static does its utmost to capture the intensity of a Bloody Knives live show and for the most part succeeds. 

As 2020 grinds to a halt, if it ever managed to get out of first gear, 70 Years of Static provides a no-holds-barred escape route. A remedy that’s both incendiary yet also comforting. (www.bloodyknives.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10