This is one of my favorite collaborations in the expansive universe of noise/psych/rock/electronic/whatever masters Gnod. I think it slipped under the radar a bit in the pandemic year of 2020 and it deserves wider appreciation. Especially as heads worldwide have more recently really been digging on a new wave of heavily percussive, vaguely worldly psychedelic music exactly like this. Percussionist João Pais Filipe makes his own instruments in his Porto workshop/studio where Faca De Fogo was recorded in just four days, and I imagine the famously experimental and rhythmically prodigious Gnod must have been like kids in a candy store.

These four tracks see Gnod at their most classically krautrock-esq, in both intricate rock and more ambient senses. Maybe it’s the short straight-to-tape nature of the session but this feels nearly unplugged compared to their other work. It’s got this live feeling and an immediacy that lays bare the incredible talent of the musicians, including João. The record is instrumental until the title track which is a real massive psychedelic noise rock banger. “Faca De Fogo” is the song most reminiscent of Gnods other major work and therefore offers a nice reference point for Gnod fans to appreciate the special sauce of their collaborator.

Existing Gnod fans can’t miss this one. I would also expect it to be quite a hit with folks who like Goat, Ak’chemel, Old Time Relijun and bands like that.