THE SECOND WAVE

"Post-Metal for chicks", as my friend once remarked, Swedish KHOMA are known for their clean vocals, short songs and kinda Indie-Rock attitude (and by saying "Indie" I don't mean DINOSAUR JR., rather FRANZ FERDINAND). Cute boys, catchy melodies, touching lyrics - Post-Metal for beginners, really? Well, I'd rather mention HIM and MUSE among similars than CULT OF LUNA, but if this record would help someone to get into Post-Metal like DEADBIRD or MINSK I can only be happy. "Stop Making Speeches" and "One of Us Must Hang" are my faves here, but again, beware: this is not that Post-Metal anyone would call progressive

A rare gem indeed!

I can't believe there have only been one review of this album so far! First things first - this is not post metal. If you're looking for something similar to ISIS, CoL, Minsk or Neurosis there's a good chance you will be disappointed with this album, if it would be up to me Khoma would have ended in Crossover Prog or Heavy Prog category. They blend a little post metal to their sound but that's only a part of what Khoma has to offer - there is also a lot of indie rock and prog rock and by that I mean Radiohead and elements of Procupine Tree perhaps.

On to the album. The word that describes it the best is beauty. This is simply a beautiful album packed with emotions and melodies that will drill straight into your heart and brain and will stay there for a long, long time. The songs here are preety simple - they are based on a typical verse - chorus scheme, the verses are usually quiet while the chorus explodes with heaviness and guitar fury. Khoma likes to experiment with their sound and so they use string instruments i.e. in The Guillotine but also they are familiar with electronic sound. What drove my attention was Jans magnificent voice - very emotional and soft, yet powerfull. He remains one of my favorite singers. What I like about this album is that it doesn't have a weak song, my favorite songs are Stop Making Speeches, Like Coming Home, Medea and One Of Us Must Hang but to be honest all eleven are great.

I hear that this album is preety hard to get nowadays, but still if you have the chance to get it, do it without hesitation and you won't regret it! A masterpiece of modern rock!

This was my second Khoma album experience as I traveled backwards in order to achieve a better understanding for the band and their slow but steady development of their own identity after being labeled as a Cult Of Luna side project. Khoma keeps the slow pace sound of their predecessor but with a clear move toward melodic style that has already been explored in depth by bands like Radiohead and Muse. Even though the song structures are pretty basic and the arrangements aren't all that spectacular, there is a clear sense of direction and a certain mood embedded in these compositions that definitely appeals to me. Strong opening combo of The Guillotine and Stop Making Speeches really drew me into the album and made enough of an impression to make me want to explore the rest of the material. Most of the compositions keep to the same basic formula, which is really not a bad thing since Khoma keeps a certain distance from clichés of post metal while adding a lot of those from the indie rock scene.

The band's limitations become quite apparent whenever they choose to expand upon their basic sound. Fortunately, there moments don't come around too often, with Hyenas being the most obvious one since it would have sounded a lot more interesting in the hands of bands like Anekdoten. Most of the album tracks are still pretty solid and deliver just enough atmosphere and melody to satisfy a passive listening experience for me.

Overall, I'd say that The Second Wave is clearly the most exciting out of the albums that Khoma has released so far. The album's Post Metal tag should definitely be treated with a grain of salt since this is really not something that fans of the genre would consider being the most obvious examples of its sound. Give it a go at face value and you shouldn't be disappointed by the result!

***** star songs: The Guillotine (4:01) Stop Making Speeches (4:51) One Of Us Must Hang (5:55)

**** star songs: If All Else Fails (3:24) Medea (4:56) Like Coming Home (5:11) Asleep (3:34) Last Call (5:00) 1909.08.04 (3:45)

*** star songs: Hyenas (5:21) Through Walls (4:25)

This is the first album I heard from this Swedish band, Khoma. After reading some reviews, my interest in the band grew and I looked for their music. As I mentioned, this is the first album I heard. The vocals are really good, the style of music is as well really good, playing a kind of music that ranges from experimental post metal, alternative and post rock. I found more similarities between Khoma and Katatonia, especially the last albums of the latter. The album is consistent, even though sometimes you expect for some variations in the compositions, something that makes them sound different, especially the effect of the guitars, I think is quite repetitive, but good. Recommended to give it a try at least once in your lifetime!