Marcel Donné - Knucklebusters

The raw feeling of this song leaves one wanting that final punch to the groin that it seems to lead up to. The heavily distorted guitar riffs seem to infiltrate your ears with military precision to rip your eardrums to shreds. Yet, when you think nothing worse can come, the noise at the end drives your mind over the edge and delivers that final blow that sends all thought fleeing to the farthest regions of your mind. And that's just as it should be!

A wonderful tune that keeps you longing for more, like a good sparring match which drives you to the edges of your ability and leaves your body burning from exertion and waiting for the next time you can push your limits. It's amazing how quickly chores are done when done to this tune, and it seems like a wonderful tune to work out to, whether in the gym or with a partner.

The build-up is masterfully done and the different instruments all complement each other. It's like a predator stalking its prey and luring it into an ambush. It won't hit fully until you're already in its grasp and can't escape.

While some might lament the noise at the end, or the long duration of the tune, the simple fact that the noise itself sounds like it was directed, and each note chosen with precision to get the desired result, makes this tune one of the highest up there in terms of artistry and technical merit.

For me, however, having never played Knucklebusters, my nostalgia rating is but one less. This is mainly due to the sound feeling a bit newer than the waveforms I recall from the Commodore 64, although this might be my own interpretation of the sound. But it still manages to draw one back to thoughts about the masterful componists of the C64 era.

In short; I love this tune!