If you haven’t heard of Asomvel before, it’s probably down to the fact that, despite being underground heroes the word ‘cult’ could have been invented for, they’ve not exactly been prolific. A pair of EPs and one album in 20 years makes Axl Rose look like Unholy Grave. If you haven’t heard of Unholy Grave, they’re a Japanese grind outfit who’ve released a fuck-ton of stuff.
But activity is sparking up again in the Asomvel camp with the release of this, their second studio outing, and first to feature bassist/vocalist Conan who replaced the sadly deceased Jay Jay Winter in 2011. As expected, the aptly named Knuckle Duster is like an iron fist to the face, picking up where 2009’s Kamikaze left off without making the slightest attempt to ‘evolve’ or ‘mature’.
Like vintage Stilton, Asomvel are already perfectly formed, spitting out their no-nonsense metal’n’roll with aggro, attitude and uncompromising honesty. Fucked-up on super-strength lager and about as sophisticated as a sausage sandwich, Knuckle Duster flies the flag for bullshit-free British metal in style.
