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Friday 28 March 2014

EP Review: Khaos Theory - Blind Ambition (WORLD EXCLUSIVE)


If you have been following the blog on Facebook or on Twitter you will know that I have been looking forward to this one, so I knew it was going to be a good day when I woke up on Wednesday to find this record tucked up in my inbox.
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Primevil Elements which I really enjoyed, but all the way through the process of meeting the band etc they had been adamant that the new EP was going to be something special. They may not have said it outright but you just got the feeling that they had high hopes for this record. So naturally by the time I got to hit play on it so did I.

Somewhat unusually the first thing you notice is the artwork; it really ties in with the rest of the EP and just helps gives the whole thing a bit more of a professional feel. Bass takes centre stage on opening track ‘Endless Retribution’ with a short quiet intro leading into a thundering guitar riff. It’s full throttle and high on energy but interspersed by short almost acoustic interludes. The tempo changes give a nice variation while the vocal falls somewhere between James Hetfield of Metallica and David Draiman of Disturbed.
‘Die Inside’ picks up exactly where ‘Endless Retribution’ left off, the pace is just relentless. The main riff is nothing massively complex or spectacular but it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It pulls the track along and most importantly it’s catchy. It will have you humming along in no time. This is something I felt that Primevil Elements lacked so it’s great to hear this progression. The song also features a brilliant breakdown where the drums lead the way into almost a march. Everything then kicks back up a gear eventually leading into an impressive guitar solo.

Final track ‘Never In the Sun’ is the longest track on the EP and in my view will make a great addition to their live set. Personally I would use it to close the show; it’s got that kind of epic feel to it, but that’s just me. This is the song that had me hitting the replay button over and over again. Out of everything that I have heard from the band this has to be my favourite track.
It starts off in slow methodical mood, with a Metallica style drum beat laying the foundations. But I really fell in love with the track at precisely 1 minute and 54 seconds. This is when the first tempo change/progression kicks in. This is Black Sabbath circa 1970; to me this is how hard rock/metal should sound.

Now I can be listening to a song and nodding away and enjoying it but when something really grabs my ear my mates will tell you I start to smile like a total idiot. That progression got that smile. (Yes I’m a music geek)The layering of the guitars in sections is very Thin Lizzy, and the solo as always is totally on point. Lyrically it hits the spot and the way the track winds down towards the end gives a real feeling of completion.
The quality on display on Blind Ambition is frankly second to none. The band have used their previous material as a springboard and the progression here is remarkable. The songs are better structured, and everything just sounds more polished and well rounded. The musicianship is top notch and the bands willingness to let the bass come to the forefront of tracks is something which should applauded.

It’s focused, it’s hard-hitting, and it’s simply brilliant.

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