Knives Exchanging Hands

With Hopesfall, Between the Buried and Me, He Is Legend, Glass Casket, and Killwhitneydead coming out of North Carolina, one would think that the state was a hotbed for metal; however, this is not really the case. Aside from a few other metal acts, all you’ll find is post-hardcore/screamo and indie rock bands. With the release of Hiatus, Knives Exchanging Hands (KEH for short) state why they'll be the next North Carolina metal act to be mentioned with the bands stated before. Knives Exchanging Hands pour pure aggression into a cocktail glass and add a scoop of melody to it. So what exactly has Tragic Hero Records and Knives Exchanging Hands’ fanbase seen, and heard, to garner such a buzz around this release (by the end of the presale, Hiatus had climbed to 12th on Smartpunk’s sales chart)?

The first thing that pops out at you is the guitar playing. It’s very mature and centered to the sound they want for that specific part of the song. Even bands that have been around longer than them do not have that ability. Even in a song that’s too drawn out for its own good, like "The D.O.E. Are Stone Cold Killers," the guitar parts keep the song fresh and keeps your interest long enough not to skip to the next track.

Remember the scoop of melody I spoke of earlier? Well, the guitars are the main benefactors of the melody this band brings, as shown in "Put on Your Dancing Shoes" and "The Monuments They Build for You Will Be Mountains." They stop the distortion and chugging of the heavy parts and go into clean melody, which is sometimes met with clean vocals. While this isn’t much of a metalcore band (they lean more towards deathcore), they do use clean vocals, and they actually enhance the songs they are used in. Most of the time, you’ll hear two unique vocal styles, which switches from one to another without hassle. They compliment the songs quite well, and the vocalists know when to give the instruments a chance to shine and not over-stay their welcome. You’ll also find quite a few times when they use dual vocals. One of the best use of varying vocals happens in "Can Scarred Legs Keep their Cantor?" during the line “Your eyes are so cold,” when they use may different pitches and screams repeating the same line -- it does wear thing after a while, though.

The drumming is the last piece of puzzle that pulls you in. He doesn’t try to be the best drummer or the fastest; he just does what will help the song on hand and nothing more. He holds the fort and he even uses the snare where the listener can actually hear it. My only complaint about the drumming is that there is so much potential in this area that goes unfulfilled, but then again, this is their debut album. Give this kid a few more years and he’ll be on top of his game while this band breaks onto a bigger label.

In conclusion, this band has set the wheels in motion for them becoming the next big thing in the metal scene. Are they reinventing the wheel? No, but they are a fresh sound in a scene that is full of cookie-cutter bands that sound the same and looking to be picked up by Solid State, Victory, or Roadrunner. This band has a lot of potential and is young enough to keep growing and carving their niche.