Louder Than War gives Gnod's Chronicles of Gnowt (Vol 2) five stars

Louder Than War has given Gnod's Chronicles of Gnowt (Volume 2) a five-star rating. The album came out on Rocket Recordings on 9 October 2026 on vinyl and digital download, and the review, written by MK Bennett, was published on 18 October 2026.

According to Bennett, the Salford band have been established for the best part of two decades. He writes that Volume Two was collated alongside Volume One and the band's other releases over the years, and describes it as both a continuation and an evolution. All judgements below are the reviewer's, not EILISH's.

Tracks and reference points

Bennett singles out The Witness, which runs for eight and a half minutes. He compares it to the early work of Neu! and says it also recalls Gurriers, Fontaines and Viagra Boys, acts he notes Gnod pre-date. He credits a strident rhythm guitar with driving the track.

Of Ice Man, he writes that it begins heavy and grows heavier, calling it "a sort of Salfordian Melvins". Travellers Return, in his account, is a mysterious opening that leads into Old Gold. There he hears the influence of Damo Suzuki and Can, along with a dub influence and a bass line that builds dread, before heavier guitars arrive halfway through.

The 12-minute closer, Strangled, features poet Lauren McLean. Bennett says it builds in waves of distortion over a small number of chords, with an air raid siren among the sounds, and that it avoids feeling like a test of endurance. He also links it to Ekstasis from Volume One.

Artwork and the band's approach

The cover, which Bennett describes as showing dancing skeletons that nonetheless look bleak, was painted by Portuguese surrealist João Alves. The review quotes the band on their working method, saying that "spontaneity and the no thought approach works better than over-analysis and detailed planning".

Bennett closes by writing that, in what he calls the Salfordian psychic travelogue, Gnod still exist in "a field of one".

The full review is available on Louder Than War.