EP Review: Khaos Theory - Primevil Elements

As you will have seen last week my musical adventures took me to Asylum in Birmingham where I reviewed Out Of Sanity. Well one of the other big things to come out of that little mission was seeing and then meeting Khaos Theory. The upshot of all this is that I have spent the last week listening to their current EP ‘Primevil Elements’ to give you my thoughts on it and I shall be bringing you a review of their brand new record when it surfaces in a few weeks’ time.

After a bit of a rubbish week or so this EP has reminded me why I love my job. 11 Days ago I had never even heard of Khaos Theory, I knew nothing about them or their music, but now I’ve had them on repeat for a week and can’t wait to hear their new record. It seems 11 days is a long time in the world of music.

So ‘Primevil Elements’…  All hyperbole to one side, this is a fantastic record. The main EP is 4 tracks and then because they must have been in a good mood at the time we get 3 acoustic bonus tracks.

Opening track ‘Fall Back Down’ is a brilliant opening song and shows you exactly what the band are all about. It’s all high energy and menacing vocals. The acoustic style breakdown part way in before the guitars thunder back in is a great addition and the Black Sabbath style progressions enhance the song massively.

In contrast to the mayhem at the end of the opener ‘Take A Shot’ begins in quite haunting fashion. The subdued guitar work, thudding drums and sinister vocal give the track a totally different feel. However when it does really kick into gear it is more of the same uncompromising rock which is fast becoming the bands signature sound. The main riff is fantastic and once again the breakdown 3 minutes in works perfectly. The band list Shinedown and Metallica as a couple of their influences and you can really hear that here. The vocal in particular is a real blend of Brent Smith and James Hetfield, the drums also appear to be Metallica inspired.

‘Burn Away’ is probably the most radio friendly track on the record and to my ear would definitely be the ‘single.’ (The track has received airplay on BBC Hereford and Worcester) It is very much toned down compared to the opening 2 tracks but the band makes sure they still manage to get in a brilliant wall of noise towards the end.

Final track ‘Dismay’ sees the band return to what brought them to the dance. (No J.R) It’s just huge, brilliantly powerful and totally uncompromising. It is a fine end to what is ultimately a fine record.

As I mentioned at the jump there are 3 acoustic bonus tracks, and they are ‘Goodbye (For Now)’ ‘Find The Light’ and ‘Live A Lie.’ I was a bit sceptical when I saw that there also acoustic tracks because often they represent nothing but an overindulgence by the band, and add nothing to the EP as a whole. But thankfully that really isn’t the case here. The tracks in question demonstrate a different side to the band, showing that there is far more to these guys than first meets the eye. My favourite being ‘Goodbye (For Now)’ which is impressively touching without trying too hard.

As I said all in all this is a brilliant effort. My only slight criticism is the lack of a real killer hook, that the more casual listener can grab hold of. However, this is just a minor criticsim and shouldn’t detract from what is a very impressive record. It gets better with every listen and my favourite track changed almost daily, which I think shows the real depth here. I can give no higher recommendation than to say that if you call yourself a rock fan you really should give these guys a listen. Like… Now.