Absolute Power
My second LP from deep in the heart of Texas this week is the ‘cage me if you dare’ no nonsense outing from our friends Kublai Khan, it’s a bit of an animal, harbouring a caustic aggression, when exposed to humanity it will kill on demand. A reference to literature with their name taken from a poem by Coleridge about a dreamscape scenario while under the influence of certain substances. There is nothing dreamy about what we have here ladies and gents, hang onto your ears because you may lose them by the end of this record.
A hot-tempered drum intro, a little Metallica in style, goes hand in hand with a barrage of violent words to kickstart proceedings, with its ‘you can’t kill what can’t be stopped’ volatility, you end up ‘giving the last of the energy I have’ and are a hairs breadth from downing tools to submit, but something tells you this ain’t over, not by a long chalk. Singer Matt Honeycutt, he of the coarse sandpaper tonsils, refuses to back down and neither should we my friends, we stand with him, and others like him who have ventured into contentious arenas to fight for what is right and what is fair.
There is a justified belligerence and truculence about this record, musically and lyrically hard-hitting, not really for those with a nervous disposition.
‘The Truest Love’ tells us that ‘ life is never clear, but pretending you are fearless only magnifies your fears’, now why didn’t I think of that?
Amplified to the max, the story of our disastrous lives is told here at an all new high, thuggish fretwork and brutal bass, it’s time to bang a few heads together. It’s a tale of the resultant damage caused by pent up anger and frustration at not being listened to, not being heard. Ultimately people get fed up, then hatred seeps into each and every pore and makes its home in your heart. In ‘Us And Them’ you find the lyric that sums up this issue ‘time goes on and the cuts don’t heal’. When all other doors have been slammed shut, only hate remains.
‘Every human is built to self-destruct’ is the grim reminder that we are all disposable, replaceable and the greater part of the damage is self-inflicted. The in depth and complex thought process here is mind boggling really. It is scary watching someone’s life unravel at hyperlight, it is exhausting and disturbing.
The virtue signallers are getting it in the ass next with ‘ Cloth Ears’, there is a lesson in understanding, empathy and mutual respect to be learnt. ‘High Hopes’ offers a blatant account of drug abuse and homelessness, the great plagues of our society, compelling, upsetting and gripping.
Accepting the loss of someone is agonising enough, but they always leave unanswered questions, in ‘Beneath A Crescent Moon’ we hear a story unfold, tragic and it is difficult to communicate that fear, emptiness and guilt perhaps. A little redemption to finish in ‘Before It’s Too Late’ as we learn that growth comes from within, we accept ourselves and then move forward to engage others.
There is a lot of truth in the saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely, more and more artists are channelling their deepest concerns in a passionate and persuasive fashion. A vicious attack on our reality, march onwards my friends, the time is now. Khan, we do it? Yes, we Khan!
Brimming with hard as nails breakdowns and exquisitely dangerous outros, this one’s for you, cloth ears.
Kublai Khan – Absolute out now via Rise Records.