KTL is the intriguing coupling of Sunn0))’s (and Khanate’s) Steven O’Malley and Peter Rehberg (better known as PITA), both authorities in their own right with respect to their chosen fields. Be it O’Malley’s doom/drone-based work or PITA’s electronic noise; both have been pushing the boundaries of sound for some time. So it should come as no surprise then that in the select fan base of appreciation these artists have gained there is a hushed excitement in the air. And for good reason as KTL manages to supercede any preconceptions you might have towards its sound.
Take the first track for example, "Estranged"; at twenty-four minutes long it has enough time to play with its opening, but compared to the duo’s usual offerings "Estranged" begins slight and peaceful, attempting something different, for the time being at least, than the usual foray of paranoid soundscape or visceral noise. Indeed "Estranged" may not set a mold for the album to follow but for its spacey, isolated feel it is worth a listen, as well as for its uniqueness within the duo’s previous discography, for O’Malley’s at least anyway.
"Forest Floor 1", however, does provide a little more by way of recognizable traits from both artists. With the sludgy guitars apparent from the offset mixing perfectly with an electronic undercurrent of noise and distorted voices KTL’s tranquil beginning is nearly obliterated from memory when you enter this dark audible chasm.
As with "Forest Floor 2" it’s Rehberg’s noise of choice that takes presidency, with a repetitive metal-against-metal scraping sound that tests your limits as a stand alone sound let alone when mixed with the gut wrenching reverb from O’Malley’s guitar work. If hell be an industrialized digital nightmare then this be its national anthem, KTL their patriotic minstrels.
If there’s any stamina left in you by the time you reach "Forest Floor 4" then expect to have it ripped out of you by electronic hums and distortions blanketed by that classic doom/drone guitar work that makes you want to throw down and worship Lucifer himself. But if you do manage to fight your way through KTL’s new release like some lone heroine survivor at the end of a slasher flick then fear not, for as standard with the slasher genre, KTL too provide a moment of quietness with "Snow" although its odd echoing sound is hardly tranquil and if anything builds up a tension within the listener, waiting for that big noise crescendo. A crescendo that never really explodes into being but builds up gradually via static distortion and doom guitar work, reminding you politely that this extreme noise experience isn’t quite over.
If you like your music extreme then fans of noise or doom/drone won’t be disappointed, while fans of electronic noise can defile themselves to this quite unique endeavor.
