Riff Knives - I miss you (honestly?)

Riff Knives, bringing back the trash-funk jams in 2012. "I miss you (honestly?)" is the band's latest single.

Riff Knives - Single (video)

Swedish thrash-funkers Riff Knives now have a video for the tune "Single" which is just about as silly as I anticipated it would be. Bringin' back the slap bass in 2011!

Riff Knives
Ape flip
self-released

A Swedish Limp Bizkit is the best way to describe this Stockholm crew, although it's more the Fred Durst-ian vocals than the music that finds Riff Knives out limpin' with the Bizkit. The title track here is actually pretty killer and is probably the most Bizkity in terms of the music itself, with a damn fine chorus riff and a cool vocal style to match. From there things kinda go downhill a little, with the remainder of the tunes sounding off like it's the red capped fool himself behind the mic. If that's your bag, you'll probably be in rap metal heaven. For me, however, it just sounds like they worship Durst and aspire to sound exactly like him. In places this harks back to the early '90s output of funk metal icons Mordred, but offer nothing near the creative excitement output by the San Fran thrashers back in the day. "Ape flip" is a fine effort, but it's going to take a lot more than this to detonate an explosive resurgence in the rap metal genre.
- John Norby

MP3: Riff Knives - Single

Thrash funk not dead! Seriously, of all the sub-sub-genres to come back around, I figured we'd get a fourth wave of ska or something long before I'd be hearing slap bass again. Normally I'd immediately hit delete on any promo that comes my way with the descriptor "funky" (or any derivative thereof), but I guess I was feeling charitable or something because I decided to check out Riff Knives and was actually kind of impressed. I still wouldn't exactly say this is "good", but I'm glad it exists and I have to say, I really do have a soft spot for this stuff I suppose. After all, my teenage years in the SF Bay Area were ruled by the likes of Primus, Mr. Bungle, Fungo Mungo, Psychefunkapus and tons more 2nd and 3rd rate acts in this mode, not to mention my own (unwise) musical endeavors of the time (recordings exist, but I don't have them). So yeah, I can't talk shit and no matter how contemptible you may feel about the style, these dudes nail it. Look for the band's new EP "Ape flip" to be released on March 9.

Riff Knives - Single