Knut

Geneva, Switzerland, serves as home base for the hardcore/metal outfit Knut (pronounced “cnoot”), which assembled in 1994 around vocalist Didier, guitarist Philippe, bassist Jeremy, and drummer Roderic. After issuing a pair of 7" singles, the group delivered its debut CD, Leftovers, in 1997 through the Snuff imprint co-operated by Didier and Roderic. The following year saw the arrival of Bastardiser, the band’s first proper full-length and a second Snuff Records release. Hydra Head Records later gave the album a domestic reissue in 2000 once Jake Bannon of Boston metalcore act Converge passed it along to label founder Aaron Turner. That same year marked Knut’s inaugural American tour, shared with Turner’s own group ISIS and with Thrones, while the band simultaneously placed a fresh self-titled EP on Hydra Head; the EP’s tracks had earlier appeared on two limited-edition European 7"s. Challenger, Knut’s second album-length effort, surfaced in 2002. The Hydra Head association persisted with the 2005 release of Terraformer and the 2010 arrival of Wonder.