khost (as they prefer it to be written) hails from Birmingham, and “Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us” is their fifth album on Cold Spring, according to Discogs. Their mixture of doom metal and industrial has opened some tight doors already through which they could share the stage with bands like Godflesh, JK Flesh, Con-Dom, Anaal Nathrakh and others. Most of them I know or have seen at some point, so before listening to the new khost album, I was adequately prepared for what I was about to hear. I thought…
A short and heavy noise piece entitled “Shard” opens, and then it really starts. ‘The Fifth Book of Agrippa’ will appeal to old-school metalheads (like me) by reminding them to play their mid-90s My Dying Bride catalogue again. And while the next song kinda underlines it, listening to “Face” opens a whole different side from the metal scene. A bit like maybe Fear Factory or Prong atmosphere and it is at this moment you realize that khost is not just another average metal band.
In almost 70 minutes, divided over 18 tracks, they show humanity how it’s done, With some extra input provided by Terence Hannum of Locrian, Jo Quail and Manual Liebeskind. Granted, there are a few interludes of under a minute and a few longer tracks like the previously mentioned “Fifth Book of Agrippa” and the nine-minute drone doom epos “Define the Edge of Someone”. And “TVSB” which is like … ambient metal? … Guys? … What the fuck are you doing here? You’re mixing unfixable things, and it sounds fantastic!
I have to think of mayonnaise; Oil, egg, mustard and vinegar don’t mix naturally, but if you use enough force, you create an emulsion with a truly fantastic taste. That, my fellow drooges, is khost for you. Their music is the emulsion with so much quality you can use it at almost any meal. And if you don’t mind a slight heaviness in your guitar, khost will just as well fit any musical taste ranging from industrial to noise to metal to … Try it!
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