Album Details

• Artist: Book Of Knots
• Album: Garden Of Fainting Stars
• Label: Ipecac
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2011-05-29

It seems like just yesterday I was scribing my words for the review of The Book Of Knots debut release, the first of their trilogy concept, “By Sea, By Land, By Air”.  Without a doubt each release has had it’s own identity and grind.  Once again, only a few tracks are really taunting and ready for a late-night radio environment, and that is truly what makes these efforts so aw-inspiring.

While the lead track,“Microgravity” is still a strong metal hook and can turn heads, it still manages to stay as unique as the rest of the BOK catalog.  Tracks like “Drosophila Melanogaster” and “Lissajous Orbit” bring a vibe I’ve not heard since the days of King Of Diamond’s “Them”.  “Drosophila Melanogaster” has a balance that features guest appearances from Blixa Bargeld (Einsturzende Neubauten) and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  Traineater, having featured Tom Waits, sort of set the pace for a plethora of guest appearances on this finale.  Other’s include new labelmates Mike Patton on the very melodic “Planemo”, while Mike Watt takes over one of the best tracks here, “Yeager’s Approach”.  Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle/Secret Chiefs 3) also makes an appearance on the closing track “Obituary For The Future”.

Whether or not this end of a trilogy is the end of the project known as The Book Of Knots remains to be seen.  One thing is certain, Joel Hamilton, Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi, and Tony Maimone each brought a great presence on their own and created an unforgettable mincing of genre-breeding. Garden Of Fainting Stars was just an experimentally provocative and edgy as its predecessors. 

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