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Debut LP from this Bay Area band.
Our take: After an earlier 7” on Distort Reality, Oakland, California’s Khiis make the jump to the great La Vida Es Un Mus label for their debut LP. While I don’t want to make Khiis seem like a soundalike or derivative, Bezoar’s approach and execution are similar to fellow Bay Area rippers Torso. Like Torso, Khiis combine intricate, Totalitär-inspired riffing with big, pit-worthy mosh parts, wrapping the whole thing in production that’s so clear and heavy it’s almost (but not quite!) slick. They handle both the songwriting and the production with the care and precision of a master carpenter; there isn’t a note that sounds illogical or out of place, and every instrument has its own precise frequency range in the mix, rendering every sound Khiis makes clear and audible. My ear gravitates toward the moments when Khiis expands on the formula, like the haunting melodic guitar lead that closes the LP, but you could drop the needle anywhere on this record and find the band ripping it up. If you’re a fan of airtight, meticulously constructed hardcore records like Torso’s Sono Pronta a Morire or Blood Pressure’s first LP you’ll love this.