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

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)