The latest single release from KHANDRIA is an absolutely massive and vast metal and alt-rock banger that comes through with a powerful and almost cinematic backbone and this sort of expansive underbelly that all have a way of letting you get engulfed by the entire soundscape that's coming through.
"Shadow Theory" is a track that gives me little bouts of nostalgia here and there simply because it blends this 90s alternative underground in metal sound with such a damn near-perfect aesthetic that it feels like a track that I would have been listening to during that time because it would have been on the radio had it not been eight and a half minutes long.
That's right, this track is almost 9 Minutes in length and worth every second because there are surprises around the corners and these almost graceful layers of edgy textures that sit atop each other and create an atmosphere that you fall right into, and once you're there, you simply don't want to leave.
This is aesthetically perfected right down to the guitar tones and the way the vocals are performed. Everything has this emotional drive and dark undertone that all come together with an energy that's almost like a live performance in a way.
Perhaps this was recorded live on the floor. Probably not because there are so many moving parts to this track honestly.
Either way, listening to this track makes you want to see them live because, on the record itself, it feels like all the players are feeding off of each other's energies the whole time giving this song a sort of alive and breathing approach.
There's something theatrical about this song. It's almost like the scene out of a play in its own strange way.
Again, this is probably because of all that emotional drive that the track is actually built off of but musically it makes you think of bands like Tool for example and it's not just narrowed down to that.
It bends heavy rock genres when it wants to. At times it hits hard with deepening riffs and more bellowing vocals while at other times it's more subtle, drifting, and vast.
This track is a great escape because again, it's not a short song, and that in combination with all the musical soundscape that this gives off pulls you away from your surroundings and puts you in a different place altogether.
There are things about the place that it brings you that feel authentic and genuine like a lot of this came from real places and life experiences, personal struggles, and inner thoughts. But, then there's this almost fantastical element to it all as well.
I love the blend of alternative rock, grunge, screamo, metal, and all this other stuff that this one track boasts.
It speaks volumes for the band and how they can put so much time into the arrangement of such a massive piece of music.
Throughout it all, it never loses the heart or the passion, the character or the personality that it begins with and I feel like that's one of the most important elements about the song.
It hits hard but it also gives you breathing room to relax and there are calming moments that you know are going to build back into explosive sections.
They're like the calm before the storms.
I love this element as well because again, it just shows so much strength and arrangement in songwriting.
These guys did an amazing job of writing a song that keeps to this wonderfully classic alternative and heavy rock aesthetic and to a point I feel like it's almost like a love letter to those kinds of bands.
And owed to the bands that influence them.
This was a killer single that was just so huge and sonically driving, massively engulfing, and not only wraps itself around you and keeps you where it wants to, but it also has the ability to let you get washed away with everything as well.
Listen to this track with headphones on so you can experience the sort of emotional roller coaster that it provides and remember where you heard it first.
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