EP REVIEW: Lowest Form Of Animal – Kublai Khan TX
KUBLAI KHAN TX have never offered the most visionary take on hardcore, but they more than make up for it in aggro alone. Painting almost exclusively in the genre’s heaviest primary colours, they’ve delivered some top quality records in recent years. Chief among them was 2019’s Absolute – 25 minutes of big riffs and even bigger breakdowns which now gets a brief but no less potent follow-up in Lowest Form Of Animal. Despite comprising just five tracks, this little EP still boasts more beef than you’ll find at a meat raffle.
While hardly needed, proof of KUBLAI KHAN TX’s hardcore credentials arrives in the record’s opening track Swan Song. It features vocals from none other than Scott Vogel of LA legends TERROR, and, naturally, it’s a total beast. Written as an exploration of the harsh realities of the sex trade, it opens with furious trade-offs between Vogel and frontman Matthew Honeycutt before launching into the first of many sledgehammer riffs to come. The lyrics hit just as hard as the music, with the band hoping “One day this world might hear you”.
Recent single Loyal To None follows, and this – and indeed the rest of the record – offers few to no surprises. Aside from breaking up the tracks with brief spoken soundbites, KUBLAI KHAN TX essentially just keep the punches coming throughout. That’s not a huge issue though, especially as the whole thing asks for just 14 minutes of your time. Taipan provides a short, stink-face-inducing blast of brutality, while Resentment finds Honeycutt defying listeners to “Take a swing at me” over similarly punishing fare. Dynasty brings up the rear, this one rounding out the record with more testosterone-laden riffs and breakdowns than anyone could reasonably ask for.
Lowest Form Of Animal might not break the mould then, but it doesn’t leave much room for disappointment either. For starters, it sounds great, with Randy LeBoeuf capturing all the crunch, crush and chaos the band have to offer. In addition, and much like on Absolute, Honeycutt stands out in particular; he sounds utterly incensed throughout, delivering weighty explorations of suicide rates, addiction and mental health issues with suitably bristling fury.
To be honest, there’s not much else to say about Lowest Form Of Animal. This record does exactly what you’d expect it to, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Each song is sure to go over great live, and the studio versions offer plenty to enjoy at home too. Stick it on at the gym or start up a bedroom mosh-pit and you’ll have absolutely no complaints. Crucially, it should definitely whet appetites for another full-length release, so let’s hope that comes soon.
Rating: 7/10
Lowest Form Of Animal is set for release on April 1st via Rise Records.
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