You can't really argue with a the ￡4 asking price on iTunes, but naturally, you wouldn't give it away without doing a little research. So who are Knifeworld, and why should we buy their 3 track EP?
Well for one, if you're familiar with the bands frontman Kavus Torabi, you'll know that you can expect some very interesting things. Knifeworld, like all of Torabi's previous projects, cannot classified as conventional, and this can often make for the most interesting music, in that it constantly strives to be different.

'Dear Lord, No Deal' is the first time I've personally ever heard of Knifeworld, despite the band being in existence since 2002, and Torabi himself having some relative underground fame since the 80s. From the first track 'Pilot Her' to the last few minutes of the final track 'HMS Washout' I was reasonably enthralled and intrigued by their musical style, heavily reminiscent of the band Mastodon, with some undertones of The Mars Volta. Each song contains a fantastically engaging melody, yet at times, will throw you off with an odd piano ad lib here and there, or some underplayed guitar solos in the distance, amongst other amiable dissonance.

The first track 'Pilot Her' is a brilliant song to listen to as a Knifeworld newcomer. All encompassing, it punches in immediately, and gives you about 8 bars of absolute musical confusion before you realise how the melodies are working together, fluke or genius?
In essence it's a great prog/heavy rock song, which sets the mood for the rest of the EP. The title track is a little more toned down and the melody is more easily taken in. It is a great calm down from the first track, while still remaining intensely rock. Indeed until the vigourous final moments of the last track, the rest of the EP is a lot more relaxed. 'HMS Washout' is a slow build, and single handedly makes up for the small quantity of tracks, clocking in at about 14 minutes long. An epic build of a song which requires musical patience, and demands the listeners full attention.

Knifeworld have, prior to this, released one album and are currently in the process of working on another. From this, we can assume 'Dear Lord, No Deal' is partially a warm up and may have been released in order to help fund the forthcoming album. The EP is thus something to whet the appetite of existing fans, and to rope in the newbies with such a low price.
Torabi has very much kept in style with his former bands Cardiacs and The Monsoon Bassoon, and the inherent musical complexity remains. It's quite surprising, in fact, that this band and the bands before aren't more successful than they are. The melodies and structure displayed in this EP can easily fit within the vast market of heavy rock bands; Knifeworld are definitely something unique, and should receive more attention.

So in short, ￡4 is a small personal investment into what we can expect to be an interesting upcoming album. 'Dear Lord, No Deal' gives us a small taste of huge rock flavours, and it's not enough!

by Hayden Purcell