ALBUM REVIEW: A World Of Our Own – Kharma
It has been clear ever since the opening moments of their 2016 debut LP Survival that KHARMA deal in a rage that is both visceral and meaningful. Where 2018’s Moment Of Violence quite aptly upped the hatred, and 2020’s Most Dangerous Game grew even more politically charged, their new album A World Of Our Own brings a bit of both those things and more as the Chicago hardcore outfit pursue, embrace and ultimately celebrate exactly what the title speaks of.
For the band’s vocalist Jordan Moten, that title refers specifically to an idea that hardcore might present a place to which people can escape from the struggles of everyday life and build one another up to face and even thrive in the very midst of such challenges. It’s not naïve or wishy-washy though; the title track might be a proud, chest-beating love letter to the band’s hometown hardcore scene (“You couldn’t take this from us if you fucking tried”), but the rest of the record is decidedly unflinching in its explorations of everything from racial injustice to self-destruction to questions of faith and religion. A world of their own may be within reach, but KHARMA refuse to mince words about that which still stands in the way – or indeed why it is even needed in the first place.
It is fitting, then, that Moten sounds as desperate and furious as he does. His vocals are strained and pained and abrasive, and have been and may still be a sticking point for some, but they prove immensely effective in communicating a sense of urgency to the themes at hand – not least for example in the album’s arresting opener By Any Means which speaks of the Black experience in America and is described Moten as “a mission statement that sometimes it takes more than words to make people see where we’re coming from”. That same urgency is matched in the music itself, with this first track tearing from one raging section to the next with a pace and intensity that sets both a high bar and a clear idea of what to expect from the 25 minutes to follow.
The rest doesn’t disappoint either; KHARMA’s hard-hitting heavy/metallic hardcore style may have plenty of fairly obvious influences and forebears, but it still yields multiple crushing highlights as the record goes on – like the raging lead single Clip Your Wings and its absolutely massive breakdown, for example, or the swaggering Envious right after that which deals somewhat expectedly with those who wish you well to your face but have completely different intentions behind your back (“I’ve never been one to turn the other cheek / Cuz where’s the fun in that?”), or the particularly jagged riffing to the disarmingly despairing Comfort which houses another of the album’s most bludgeoning breakdowns. This is but a selection of a truly great set of tracks, with all finding their mark and wrapped up in a wonderfully chunky and lively mix from producer Jon Markson (REGULATE, JIVEBOMB).
Ultimately A World Of Our Own is all beef and no fat; it has plenty of important things to say but even if all you’re interested in is the riffs and breakdowns you’ll leave here satiated. Do pay more attention than that though; the lyrics and themes only add to the overall impact of the record, arguably turning an already great album into a genuinely essential one that offers further proof that KHARMA are one of the best in the scene at the moment.
Rating: 8/10
A World Of Our Own is set for release on April 12th via Flatspot Records.
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