The 5th album from Birmingham-based industrial/doom metal band Khost sees the band forging new and at times nightmarish territories, alongside their signature walls of detuned guitar, corroded percussion and VHS atmospherics.
Inspiration for many of the tracks came from countless live shows and even soundcheck experiments in which extreme, harsh electronics evolved, as did punk/early industrial tempos, all of which were then fused into the DNA of "Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us".
KHOST themselves remark:
"We hoped that the experience would be something like venturing into an off-limits wing of some gallery after-hours, with each turn more disorientating than where you just were."
Collaborators include Axebreaker (aka Terence Hannum of Locrian), acclaimed cellist Jo Quail, and Berlin-based sound designer Manuel Liebeskind.
The CD and the vinyl are different beasts. The CD is reinforced with 7 extra tracks including Adrian Stainburner's incredible remix of 'Yellow Light' featuring Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler) on vocals, and Berences adding his signature deep, dark D&B sound to the track 'Death Threat'. The LP editions feature a different mix by Khost especially for vinyl.
Novacaine Rating: 10/10!
Doom and industrial metal has always been it's own beast, and Khost certainly haven't been pulling any punches with this album.
There was a time, back when I was but an uncultured lad, that I would have said "It all sounds the same to me," with nary a clue how stupid I sounded. But I am no longer an uncultured lad, and can appreciate with full confidence the unique vernacular Khost has cultivated for each of their tracks.
Right from the outset, they grip you by the throat with The Fifth Book of Agrippa, a beautifully brutal introduction to this album, accompanied by visceral strings and harmonious vocals - neither of which I expected to be hearing in an industrial metal album, but felt so right that I had to sit and take a moment to truly soak in the song in it's entirety (and then abruptly go on a mental tangent about how good it would be as the theme song for a dystopian, wastelander movie).
'Define The Edge Of Someone' stood out to me for the slower, pulsing baseline, and demonstrates just how much range you can squeeze out of a guitar if you know how to wield one. And Death Threat, being the first track I listened to via the visualiser, is certainly my top pick of the album!
A massive congrats to Khost for this exceptional album and for all the directions they took it without leaving a hair out of place! Bravo!
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