Kublai Khan, famous for his audience with Italian merchant Marco Polo and being name checked in a Rush song. More recently, the name was fought over between bands, and it sees this Texan Kublai Khan being known as Kublai Khan TX. Well respected in the metalcore genre, Kublai Khan TX are back with their latest EP, ‘Lowest Form of Animal’, their first release since 2019’s ‘Absolute’.
With ‘Lowest Form…’ it shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has not dulled the fangs of the Texans and they unleash the full fury of a Texan F5 tornado. This is a heavy EP as the five tracks batter down the house with almost unbridled aggression. This isn’t an EP which wastes time arsing about with clean vocals and whoa whoa whoa chorus’, no, they’ve got a lot to say in these five tracks and they’re going to make sure you damn well know about it. Through a production so raw, so much so that the listener may as well be sat in the front row of a live show, ‘Lowest Form…’ commits assault and battery on your senses with tracks like ‘Resentment’ and ‘Swan Song’ having all the hallmarks of Knocked Loose, Left Behind and Jesus Piece.
With their guns still well and truly in beatdown mode, this is a strong album of crushing metalcore, and it raises the bar phenomenally high for their next studio album. Just make sure the foundations of your house can take it.
