''Krüller'' is the seventh studio album by one-man

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

band Author & Punisher, released on February 11, 2022 via

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...

. Produced by Tristan Shone of Author & Punisher and electronic musician Vytear, the album features contributions from

Perturbator James Kent (born 1993), known by his stage name Perturbator, is a French synthwave musician from Paris. Biography Kent has a background as a guitarist in several black metal bands. Since 2012, he has produced electronic music inspired by cyberpu ...

, as well as from Tool members Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor.

Background and recording

Early writing process for ''Krüller'' started in 2020, following the band's 2020 tour with Tool, which was cut short due to the advent of COVID-19 pandemic. On that tour, Shone has recorded his live performances, which he analyzed and reflected upon following the end of the tour. He has and opted to focus on "the balance between heaviness and melody" on the next record. Building upon Shone's custom-built instruments, the "dub" and "drone" machines, the album was co-produced by IDM musician Jason Begin, who also aided in mixing duties. Begin also contributed to a substantial portion of the beats and electronic programming on the track "Blacksmith". In addition, the album saw the re-introduction of guitars to Author & Punisher's music, with Phil Sgrosso's contributions. On the track "Centurion", Shone worked with Tool bassist Justin Chancellor, while the track "Misery" featured drumming contributions from Tool drummer Danny Carey, with whom Shone has met prior to the 2020 tour. The latter track featured a programmed beat in addition to Carey's drumming. The cover of " Glory Box" by Portishead has been performed live by Shone since 2007.

Music and lyrics

With the re-introduction of guitars, ''Krüller'' showcases alternative rock,

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

and

gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...

influences. Pitchfork critic Brian Howe has noted that the record "sounds as much like Alice in Chains as it does Godflesh,

Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...

, or even

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

." AllMusic's Paul Simpson has stated that "tracks like "Incinerator" are reminiscent of the industrial side of '90s alternative metal, but drawn out and extra bleak and apocalyptic." Sam Law of '' Kerrang!'' noted that "the pounding, dissonant industrial of Godflesh and Scorn is still prevalent in the mix, but now it’s augmented by the eerie '' Blade Runner'' synths of Vangelis and vintage Nine Inch Nails’ ability to make inhuman sonic surfaces sweat sex and sleaze." The topics covered in ''Krüller'' influence climate change, war, survivalism and COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the contemporary socio-political climate of the United States. According to Shone, works of Octavia E. Butler, Ursula Le Guin, and

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

has influenced the lyrical themes of the album. The track "Drone Carrying Dread" was particularly inspired by Butler's book '' Parable of the Sower''. Lyrics of "Centurion" covers the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in pow ...

, while the track "Misery" was written in response to the controversy regarding the building of the Trump wall over the ancient burial site of the Kumeyaay nation. Shone has also described the track "Blacksmith" as "an ode to Black women–led movements who have been fearlessly leading the way against oppression in this country for a long time."

Critical reception

''Krüller'' has received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 79 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic critic Paul Simpson has noted the record to be "one of the most accessible-sounding Author & Punisher releases," while labeling it as "still vast and uncompromising." Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net described ''Krüller'' as "a triumph for the visceral potential of sound, and the emotional catharsis that comes when everything is cranked up to the absolute max," while ''Kerrang!''s Sam Law stated: "Ultimately, though, ''Krüller'' is best experienced not in its individual segments but as an overwhelming whole. The meld of muscle and mechanisation still demands that listeners hand themselves over entirely." Alex Deller of '' Metal Hammer'' noted that the expansion of sounds on ''Krüller'' "allow Shone to paint his bleak, mono-chromatic visions with ever more subtle shades of grey." Metal Injection's Riley Rowe noted that the record "shows a human side of Shone, more right side of the brain, and an openness to more perspective." Writing for '' The Line of Best Fit'', Kate Crudgington described the record as "a sonic purge that rages and recoils in equal measure, enhanced by collaboration, but with Shone remaining the master of ceremonies of his distinctive noise." Brian Howe of Pitchfork wrote: "If ''Krüller'' is warmed by a nostalgic human past, it also bears the chill of a posthuman future where the machines grind on without us, an intimation that seeps from his music like a corrosive fluid and lends these songs a bitter, heroic weight." Punknews.org critic John Gentile considered the record as "cyborg music driven by metal fingers, but the human heart is still intact."

Track listing

All tracks written by Tristan Shone except where noted.

Personnel

* Tristan Shone — performance, production, mixing * Phil Sgrosso — guitar * Vytear — production * Jason Begin — mixing *

Brad Boatright Bradley Boatright (born 1976) is an American musician, record producer, and mastering engineer based in Portland, Oregon. Boatright is known for his work as a guitarist and vocalist in From Ashes Rise and The Cooters, and as a mastering engi ...

— mastering * Danny Carey — guest performance (5) * Justin Chancellor — guest performance (3) * Zlatko Mitev — artwork

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , last1=Simpson , first1=Paul , title=Author & Punisher - Krüller , url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/kr%C3%BCller-mw0003632409 , publisher= Allmusic , access-date=February 24, 2022 {{cite web , title=Krüller by Author & Punisher , url=https://authorandpunisher.bandcamp.com/album/kr-ller , website=authorandpunisher.bandcamp.com , access-date=February 24, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Lawson , first1=Dom , title=CD Reviews: Author & Punisher - Krüller , url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/kruller/ , website= Blabbermouth.net , date=9 February 2022 , access-date=February 26, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Lesuer , first1=Mike , title=Author & Punisher Takes Us Through His Industrial Vision of Krüller Track by Track , url=https://floodmagazine.com/101698/author-punisher-kruller-track-by-track/ , website=floodmagazine.com , access-date=March 11, 2022 , date=February 10, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Singer , first1=Quentin , title=Author & Punisher's 'Krüller' Is Metal From A Not-So-Far Future , url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2022/02/18/author--punishers-krller-is-metal-from-a-not-so-far-future/?sh=5b0e63d61a40 , work= Forbes , access-date=March 11, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Law , first1=Sam , title=Album review: Author & Punisher – Krüller , url=https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-author-punisher-kruller , publisher= Kerrang! , access-date=February 24, 2022 , date=February 17, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Crudgington , first1=Kate , title=Author & Punisher's Krüller is a raging and recoiling sonic purge , url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/author-punisher-kruller-album-review , publisher= The Line of Best Fit , access-date=February 26, 2022 , date=February 10, 2022 {{cite web , title=Krüller by Author & Punisher , url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/kruller/author-punisher , publisher= Metacritic , access-date=February 24, 2022 {{cite magazine , last=Deller , first=Alex , date=March 2022 , title=Author & Punisher - Krüller , url= , magazine= Metal Hammer , location= , publisher= , access-date= {{cite web , last1=Rowe , first1=Riley , title=Album Review: Author & Punisher - Krüller , url=https://metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-author-punisher-kruller , website=Metal Injection , access-date=April 25, 2022 , date=February 8, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Herron-Wheeler , first1=Addison , title=Interview: Author & Punisher's Tristan Shone Dives Into New Record, 'Krüller' , url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/interview-author-punishers-tristan-shone-dives-into-new-record-kruller/ , website=newnoisemagazine.com , access-date=February 26, 2022 , date=February 8, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Daly , first1=Joe , title=Author & Punisher: Sonic Steamroller , url=https://outburn.com/interviews/author-and-punisher/ , publisher= Outburn , access-date=March 11, 2022 , date=February 14, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Howe , first1=Brian , title=Author & Punisher - Krüller , url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/author-and-punisher-kruller/ , access-date=February 24, 2022 , date=February 16, 2022 , website= Pitchfork {{cite web , last1=Stasis , first1=Spyros , title=Metalmatters: The Best New Heavy Albums of February 2022 , url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-new-heavy-albums-february-2022 , website= PopMatters , access-date=April 16, 2022 , date=March 10, 2022 {{cite web , last1=Gentile , first1=John , title=Author and Punisher - Kruller (2022) , url=https://www.punknews.org/review/17668/author-and-punisher-kruller , website=punknews.org , access-date=February 26, 2022 , date=February 10, 2022 {{cite web , title=Author & Punisher: Hear Tool-approved Industrial-Doom Act's Stirring New Song , url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/author-punisher-hear-tool-approved-industrial-doom-acts-stirring-new-song , publisher=

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

, access-date=March 11, 2022 , date=December 7, 2021

External links

''Krüller''
on Bandcamp 2022 albums Author & Punisher albums Relapse Records albums Avant-garde metal albums Albums about the COVID-19 pandemic Science fiction albums Works about survival skills Works about American politics