Rezlord Single Review

The true mystery of Cairo Knife Fight is how one band can manage to make so much noise with only four hands between them.  

This is no doubt something I’m sure Nick (Gaffaney, band backbone) must be getting sick of hearing, and the answer involves feet, but it’s still worth keeping at the back of your mind when you listen to this band, and something you won’t forget when you see them live.

My introduction to Cairo Knife Fight was the Head Like A Hole gig back in 2011. I got in early enough to hear the duo during sound check and was impressed. I stayed for their set, and I was blown away. 

You can read my first impression of their sound yourself in the muzic.net.nz review archives, but I recall it going something like “The music is progressive and unique; a strange mash-up of psychedelic and doom metal tributes to screamo, scene and -core break downs. I text a friend and tell him that this band could be better than Tool.”

Not under the influence of alcohol for this experience, and a tipple more refined in my musical taste since the gig three years ago, I can properly describe the sound of CKF as more Queens of the Stone Age styled stoner rock than polyrhythmic progressive metal.

I am basing this description on the band’s new single Rezlord, which has been doing the rounds on all good radio stations since its official release sometime between July 28th when it was posted on Soundcloud, and August 7th when the band announced its iTunes release.

On first listen Rezlord sounded as 70’s as the porn moustache. All that fuzz, all the drum rolls, the riffage. The second listen brought on waves of nostalgia, as I tried to remember that I’d heard the song on the radio already, not realising it was Cairo Knife Fight. 

The third listen is when I actually took the time to appreciate the song, riff after lick after roll. All the different fuzzy layers. It did take a few listens to appreciate everything that’s going on in the song, but that’s the sign of a good song. If you can appreciate a song first time, and can still listen to it over and again to hear the different parts that make up such a catchy song, then it isn’t shit.

Rezlord was shorter than I’m used to for a CKF song, but then again, this is a single. After all these years radio, and perhaps the general public, aren’t quite ready for a ten minute single yet, even if the single is as catchy as Rezlord.

If you haven’t heard Rezlord yet, finish reading this an listen to it. If you like New Zealand music, and rock, and fuzz, and catchy music, then I don’t understand why you haven’t heard this. These guys opened for the Foo Fighters, show some respect!

While you do that, I’m going to sit and wait patiently for Cairo Knife Fight’s debut full length record The Isolator, allegedly coming in October, and with any luck a tour with Shihad sometime soon. If this single is anything to go by, the album is going to be huge.

You can listen to Rezlord on Soundcloud, buy it on iTunes or request it on the Rock, though you shouldn’t have to; the song’s a beast so it’s getting the appropriate level of airplay it deserves.