Band:	Radiant Knife
Album:	Pressure
Style:	Progressive sludge metal
Release date:	July 15, 2023
A review by:	F3ynman

01. Slumber
02. Ghost Samurai
03. Phil Collins Was Right
04. Give Yourself Away
05. Sunsets From Space
06. Mortals
07. His Capa Was Detated
08. Cleanser
09. Demon Legs

Radiant Knife keep delivering solid, enjoyable, progressive sludge metal. And if you haven't heard of them yet, now's the chance to give them your attention.

Radiant Knife are a pair of musicians who hail from swampy Louisiana, USA. While one takes charge of the drums, the other performs the guitar, synth, and vocal elements. Pressure is now their fifth studio album featuring progressive sludge that relies on a combination of rumbling, chunky riffs interspersed with intricate progressive guitar-work and complex, entertaining percussion.

Most of the songs are pretty short (which is especially odd for the prog genre), lasting only about four minutes each. The clear exception is the eight-minute-long concluding track, "Demon Legs", which uses its extended length to transition through several aggressive and headbang-inducing instances, before ending on a calm and sombre note. Throughout Pressure, the collaboration of lightning-fast riffs and electric keyboards provides a somewhat futuristic feeling, too.

The vocals use predominantly a barking style similar to Baroness. I, personally, am not a huge fan of this vocal technique as I find it hard to identify the emotion behind the repetitive, generic shouts. As a result, I've grown to prefer blackened vocals in sludge metal as it makes me feel the grit and evil intention behind the voice. However, there are instances on Pressure in which true emotion is heard with the use of strained, desperate cries such as on the song "Phil Collins Was Right".

Still, as I said before, the main attraction here is the instrumentation. As a result, I find the instrumental song "Sunsets From Space" one of the best on this album.
Whether it's the juicy, thunderous riffs on "Ghost Samurai" and "Cleanser" or the nuanced guitar-noodling and catchy drumming on "Slumber" and "His Capa Was Detated", Radiant Knife always find a way to stay heavy and entertaining throughout the entire record.

In conclusion, Radiant Knife use a healthy mix of established styles to provide a highly enjoyable experience thanks to absolutely top-tier performances by both musicians. One thing is for sure, fans of progressive sludge can expect a good time listening to Pressure.