Stasis is Khroma’s sophomore album. I've never heard their debut, but this Finland-based group have done plenty to turn my head with this one. Written, produced, engineered and mixed by the band in their Helsinki and Berlin headquarters, Khroma knows what it means to be DIY. And yet the resulting sound is every bit as solid as most major releases in the genre. Regarding this last word, it's a little difficult to define in this case.
There is a clear level of djent happening here, but it's tapered by a hardcore vocal fury and Dillinger Escape Planish fusion of electronic elements. Some of the slower, tripped-out moments reminded me of everything from "Sick on Sunday" to The Prodigy. Occasionally I even hear some hip hop influence, as on tracks like "The Push." It's not enough to irk me and feel that old nü-metal influence. Rather, it's just one more element that helps Stasis keep me interested...and guessing.
I was initially drawn in by the crushing, speedier tracks like the appropriately-titled "Brace Yourself," but I stuck around for the slower-but-engaging moments like "Hydra" and "Acid on Skin." Something about the beat and intensely abrasive vocal performance is so addictive. In fact, the addition of the electronic elements actually induce a bit of a drug-like trance. It's like Mindless Faith had a baby with Periphery and Grieved. I even hear a bit of Born of Osiris in the synth part of "Truth Serum."
Ultimately, Stasis ends up being a very interesting release to me. For one, it grabbed me by the testicles with the first few pounding bass notes...but it's much more than that. Taking each of the elements seperately, one could say these are all things that we have heard before. However, the particular orientation at which they have been constructed hear strikes me as quite fresh. It's not the new big thing, but Khroma have expertly taken a lot of sounds that are comfortable enough to draw a large crowd while also tinkering with them a bit to stand out from the herd. Well done. The album came out now, so stream it while it's still hot via itunes and Spotify.
