Proto Metal Power Trio An Evening With Knives Releases Third Album: "End of Time"
An Evening With Knives is a post metal trio from Eindhoven, The Netherlands whose thunderous sound is characterized by infusions of psychedelic undertones, powerfully expressive vocals, ferocious riffs, sludgy interludes, and even a bit of an alternative rock brightness. This group is sure to resonate with fans of Cult of Luna, Amenra, Neurosis, and Isis.
An Evening With Knives released their first collection of songs, a self-titled EP, in 2015, and has been going strong ever since. Their debut full-length album, Serrated, was released in 2018 to massive praise from fans and reviewers alike. This was followed by their sophomore album, Sense of Gravity, in 2020. Now, on March 14, 2025, the band has released their highly anticipated third full-length album, End of Time, via Argonauta Records. This album, the first with drummer Jarno van Osch, promises an even heavier experience amid the band's trademark brand of proto metal laced with psychedelia, personal and relatable lyrical themes, emotive vocals, and live wire energy.
The three singles the band released before the full album (Voices, The Mistake, and Pride of Lions), mark my first time hearing them, and this experience came at the perfect time. As a heavy music fan who has been warming up to post metal for the first time as of late, the psychedelic threads woven into An Evening With Knives' sound along with the genuine fervor in the vocals make this band a perfect choice to start my journey with.
An Evening With Knives - End of Time
End of Time begins with blistering desert-tinged metal on opening track Pride of Lions, coarse and barreling. It's already apparent that the delivery of this entire album will be explosive across the board, as the instrumentals thump and churn with a force you can physically feel, mimicking an adrenaline rush. Atop this, some of the most emotively intense metal vocals I've ever heard deliver an unrestrained performance, utilizing some very cool vocal techniques and demonstrating impressive endurance along the way. Taken together, these components of Pride of Lions set the stage for an outpouring of feeling that is almost animalistic in nature; holding nothing back as it unfurls in the most brutal but authentic way, truly unleashing one's inner beast.
The official music video for opening track "Pride of Lions"
Second track All They Need brings infinitely more psychedelic elements in the much more fluid guitars, as well as some great soaring tones in the vocals. The song is still markedly fierce (or it wouldn't be a song by An Evening With Knives), characterized by more of those commanding vocals, chugging riffs, and some heavy metal drumming that has a way of lodging itself in your very core. In a nutshell, there are many more layers at play here, a trend that will continue for the remainder of the album.
This leads into Death, where post metal elements really settle in to create a song that is as jarring as it is evocative, but that's the whole point. Fourth track Old Man noticeably brightens up with some stoner and alternative rock energy in conjunction with the backbone of crushing metal heft that An Evening With Knives consistently brings to the table.
The title track End of Time resides near this midway point of the album, marking a dramatic shift in tone, but the music and vocals are still undeniably intense, keening as they call out a warning. It seems that at this juncture, the mood has calmed down enough to become much more introspective, resulting in pent-up aggression being used to confront those angry inner Voices on the next track of the same name (and my personal favorite on the album), with a confidence that feels distinctly triumphant. The vibrant stoner and alternative metal tones found on Old Man are resurrected on The Mistake, filled with soaring notes and confident vocals. The final track S21 begins with a highlight on the moody bass before wailing guitars and palpably emotive vocals join in, beginning a dirge that brings this metamorphic journey to an end. Especially poignant are the final lyrics,
"History repeats, repeats
Don't settle for the lie."
Final Thoughts
End of Time can best be described in two words: raw and unfettered; a presentation both unapologetically authentic and completely unrestrained. The emotion expressed by vocals and instrumentals alike across the entire album is distinctly powerful and heavy, not only because this is metal music we're talking about, but because the feelings expressed here are palpably heavy, bleeding with genuine passion and unrestrained intensity. This ultimately gives End of Time a cinematic quality as engrossing as watching the most gripping film. In fact, I felt myself getting increasingly pulled into the album as it progressed, becoming deeply invested in this highly personal narrative with its themes of seeking internal harmony, transformation, and renewal. With that said, I would highly recommend End of Time to any heavy music fan, not as a "metal" or "crushingly heavy" album, though those would be accurate descriptors. Instead, I would offer it up as one lends a good book, for its captivating qualities and its ability to resonate with a multitude of people on a deeply personal level.
More About An Evening With Knives
An Evening With Knives Is:
Peter van Grunsven - Bass
Jarno van Osch - Drums and Samples
Marco Gelissen - Guitar and Vocals
You can follow An Evening With Knives and listen to their music at the following links:
A massive thank you to Argonauta Records and Grand Sounds PR for the promo!
If you like An Evening With Knives, you might also enjoy Horseburner!
Comments
Post a Comment