KAOSMOS - KAOSMOS

An enthusiastic take on traditional thrash metal from Milanese band Kaosmos on this, their first release – a self-titled 5 track EP which the band are giving away for free on their Bandcamp page. If you're a fan of thrash then you could do far worse than check it out; as a first release, the band are, I think, still finding their own sound, but their potential is evident, and they sound for all the world like they're enjoying what they play, which will carry any project a long way.

Believe In Your Feelings is the EP opening track – awful title, but a decent opener nonetheless which paves the way for what will follow: mid-tempo thrash which has a few tricks up its sleeve. One thing that Kaosmos does very well indeed is to throw in some neat, even if minor, tempo shifts. Using backing vocals which are very different in style to the lead vocals adds depth to their sound too, which is helpful because a few of these tracks are quite long – around the six or seven minute mark – and they might not have carried across as well without that extra depth. Walking In The Rain builds on this technique, with a really nice breakdown mid-track. We're taken down to one simple guitar melody and then gradually, the other instruments come back in, giving us a solid metal track. That takes skill. Once Were Warriors is a shorter and snappier track, albeit keeping that same tempo used elsewhere, before we get quite a change of pace with My Angel; the longest track on the EP, it's also the weakest for it. It ups the melodic elements, and utilises a romantic theme which doesn't rest too well with the other songs here. Had it been reined in a little – possibly cutting it down by three or four minutes, it would have felt stronger, more focused. It's not a terrible song, but it feels dilute. Still, it's followed up by a really redemptive moment: my favourite track of the bunch, Rage is a real palate cleanser, coming in with a confident, catchy riff and balancing its blend of melody and aggression perfectly. It has the punchiest solo of the EP too.

As a calling card of what this band can do, Kaosmos has much to offer. I would personally like to see the band focus on the harder edge in their sound, and carry on playing around with tempo, as this adds a great deal to their current songs. I also feel like this is a band who'd be a very different animal in a live arena – where it'd be easier still to get a feel for that enthusiasm which they obviously have. As a first effort though, this is a promising EP with plenty to recommend it, and should form a decent bedrock for the band as they progress.

KERI O'SHEA

http://kaosmos.bandcamp.com/labum/kaosmos