EP REVIEW: Khaos – Kishi

Hailing from Luanda, the capital city of Angola, KISHI have been taking the Angolan metal scene by storm. Khaos is an EP that has a punchy, powerful sound that captures the chaotic energy of the world. It’s the band’s reflection on and reaction to the current social climate and the state of humanity. With lyrical themes based around wars, personal struggles and battling demons all tinged with an element of Angolan mythology, KISHI open your eyes to a new world beyond those traditional heartlands of doom and stoner.

While Khaos’ lyrical themes are intriguing, especially with the inclusion of Angolan mythology, it fails to really grab you musically. It seems confused as to what it really wants to be; metaphorically speaking it feels caught at a crossroads between stoner and groove metal while taking influences from death metal, which to the listener is a bit of a rollercoaster of a listen as each song varies significantly from one to another.

Despite this, KISHI do write some solid metal riffs, and in the latter half of the EP they show that they have a real strength for bluesy heaviness. This demonstrated most of all on EP closer Mona Caxito where KISHI seamlessly blend heavy, bluesy grooves with tension building psychedelic elements. Each song has its own individual strengths and direction, so when it comes together as an EP it isn’t as cohesive as you’d want it to be and you get the sensation of being pulled in multiple directions.

Even so, KISHI definitely have potential moving forward, but Khaos feels like a bit of a misstep compared to their much stronger previous album Depois Da Meia Noite. Despite its lack of cohesion, the EP does have some positive aspects that the band can hopefully build on and refine in the future.

Rating: 5/10

Khaos is set for release on February 17th via Mongrel Records/Nightfear Records.

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