Swiss / American hard rockers KHAØS have posted an acoustic rendition of their most recent single ‘Exalted’, taken from their stunning debut album Risen. Last November the band threw a party for the release of the ‘Exalted’ music video in Winterthur, Switzerland and it was here that the epic track was captured unplugged.
Watch The ‘Exalted’ Unplugged, below:
‘Exalted’ is a very personal song to Khaøs, it’s the ‘ballad’ of Risen, and with these undertones present it is quite apt that the band recorded a live and acoustic version of the song showcasing not just it but also they themselves stripped back to the bare essentials.
Bassist N i c Angileri comments, “Exalted is how I feel every time I listen to this song realising what we made out of it. A universal song, catchy but not cheesy, enjoyable for everyone with an open heart and mind.”
Vocalist Chandler Mogel adds, “This song is simply about finding my true self by helping others. This is a part of me that I can’t deny, so why not write a song about it?”
Watch The Original Version Here:
Catch Khaøs later this month as the band play three shows in Switzerland. Dates as follows:
29/04/15 – Bruch Brothers – Luzern
30/04/15 – Hall of Fame – Wetzikon
01/05/15 – Temus – Agno
Swiss / American rockers KHAØS recently released a brand new music video for ‘Exalted’ taken from their stunning debut album ”Risen”. The band have now released a new EPK which was shot at the release party for ‘Exalted’ on November 18th at Archbar in Winterthur, Switzerland. Watch the video below:
Watch ‘Exalted’:
Not easily categorised ”Risen” follows the band’s acclaimed EP ‘Rising’ and features 12 tracks of modern, melodic hard rock and metal. The album was released via MRR Records on 20th October and was recorded by Rolf Munkes at his Empire Studios in Germany and mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York.
Guitarist Mark Rossi comments: “The subject matter transcends individual boundaries, hearkening to darker scenarios yet striving for resolution. The lyrical approach follows a trend of maintaining hope while facing difficulty and conflict. All the evil of mankind cannot suppress the people if they won’t let it. Aside from the lyrics and tone, the project’s unifying element is one of hard rock expression, which defies definition with every song.”
Frontman Chandler Mogel (also of Outloud) adds: “Musically and lyrically ‘Risen’ is a continuation from ‘Rising’, which was just a taste but began to touch on some of the deeper subject matter that I wanted to develop further into my writing; I had also been writing some Outloud songs with deeper meanings but for me it wasn’t really working in that setting. I knew I needed a different approach musically for it, and Khaøs seemed like the right fit so I channeled this focus there. I wanted an outlet to really convey problems with society, personal struggles, mental mechanisms, and the reasons for all of this. As always I leave the lyrics open to interpretation from the listener as each person will take something different from them, but these are general themes that are prevalent here.”
Tracklist:
01. After The Silence
02. Crisis Factor
03. Exalted
04. Loaded Question
05. End Of Daze
06. Merchants Of Khaøs
07. Ride The Chain
08. Hung The Moon
09. Imagined Danger
10. Static Windows
11. As Far As We Go
12. The Breathing Room
When I first heard of the Swiss-American band KHAØS back in June as GerMusica was promoting their video and single ‘After The Silence’, I was quite impressed and couldn’t wait to hear more. Knowing it would be a few months before the official release of the full album, I aimed to find more about the band and how they got to this point collectively. I learned that guitarist Mark Rossi (of the Swiss band TRIBAL), bassist N I c Angileri and drummer Trevor Franklin, seasoned musicians without genre limitation, got together in 2012 with an idea they wanted to put to the test: to create a project with the goal of focusing freely on the music without anything to hold them back.
That they found the perfect singer, Chandler Mogel, for the project all the way across the ocean in America didn’t deter them in the least. Thanks to modern technology, including and especially the internet, their vision seems to have come together very well. KHAØS introduced the results of their collaboration first on the 5-song 2012 EP “Rising”, and now with “Risen”, their first full-length collection, recorded at Empire Studios in Germany under the direction of Rolf Munkes and mastered by Tom Coyne of Sterling Sound in NYC.
While I’ve listened to the album, discovering new things each time and struggling to adequately elaborate my thoughts on it, other reviews on “Risen” have already been pouring in, the majority of them positive. I held back on this one for a while because I didn’t know if I could do it proper justice. But I am going to try.
My first thought within the first few measures of ‘After The Silence’ was that Chandler Mogel was born to sing. But get this: according to his bio, though he grew up in a house full of audiophiles and studied piano and musical theory as a kid, he hadn’t sung anywhere outside of the shower until the age of 22. He was invited to a basement jam at a friend’s house, and when someone asked him to man the helm for Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking The Law’ he did so to the shock and awe of everyone around him—and off he went from there. Mogel’s not exactly wet behind the ears, though: he’s stayed busy honing his craft with bands such as TALON, CHROME PUBLIC, and OUTLOUD (the latter of which also has an album released this year called “Let’s Get Serious”) and continues to do session work. He has stated in some interviews that some of his songwriting ideas didn’t quite fit the formats of those bands and he needed the right outlet for them. I’ve listened to his other work with an open mind, and my firm conclusion, for what it’s worth, is that those were great, but KHAØS is the best showcase for his vocals and songwriting talent. Here, they truly shine, and it feels like a perfect match.
On “Risen”, Mogel sounds like some kind of angel/warrior with this beautiful yet commanding voice, very pure and very strong, leading an army of grinding, riffing, low-tuned guitars and hard-hitting percussion. The combination of these contrasting elements is so powerful—and so are the songs. Before I even paid closer attention to the lyrics, the aura of each one came through loud and clear. I don’t sense that guitarist Mark Rossi was going so much for “play it pretty” (although I must say he can!) as he was for evoking a mood, and I feel he’s quite succeeded, channeling creative, frenetic thoughts into walls and layers of guitars and lead breaks infused with melody and palpable emotion. The overall tone is passionate and slightly melancholy, but I’ve always been drawn a bit more to that so I appreciated it. At times, yes, the songs do sound “khaøtic”, but this seems the intention. Without religious overtones or coming off preachy, they reflect the chaos of today’s world, today’s society, and the insightful lyrics reflect the uncertainties and fears on our minds, inspiring us to wake up, to dig deeper, to stand up against adversity, and to question first—without just blindly accepting and devouring what we are being fed by the powers that be. Must it really come to acts of violence and desolation to provoke us from apathy? Can we rise from the chaos and destruction around us to unite in strength and purpose?
People will likely form an initial opinion of an album within the first verse and chorus of the first song. That’s a band’s prime time; it sets the tone of what is to follow and will either deter listeners or invite them to hear more. ‘After the Silence’ does start off a bit gently, but when the bridge kicks in leading to the chorus, it has the goosebumps factor. I think the band was smart to release it first, as it gives us a good idea of what “Risen” is all about as a whole. ‘End of Daze’, ‘Merchants of Khaøs’, ‘Ride The Chain’, and the slightly twisted feel of ‘The Breathing Room’ are among my favorite cuts, but I wasn’t skipping over any meantime. I hear a lot of soul searching on the album, a lot of questioning the reasoning for actions and the meanings behind them.
“Exalted”, in its B Major key, stands out a bit in contrast to the darker tones of the rest of the album. A call from spirit to spirit, it reveals the remedy to the darkness around us: even the smallest act of kindness to another can make all the difference. It is the light of love and acceptance versus hate and war. By lifting others out of the darkness, we lift ourselves as well. Sounds good to me.
“Risen” is one of the best debut albums of 2014. I sincerely hope that KHAØS was not a one-off project. I’d like to hear more from these talented fellows. But I can’t help wondering: if they do decide to make a follow-up album, will they top this?
Rating: 9.0/10
If you haven’t yet heard this album opener, please do!
KHAØS is:
Chandler Mogel – Vocals
Mark Rossi – Guitar
N I c Angileri – Bass
Trevor Franklin – Drums
Swiss / American rockers KHAØS released ‘Risen’, their stunning debut full-length album via MRR Records just last month, days later they released a second single, ‘Crisis Factor’ and a lyric video. Now the band have posted the third single ‘Exalted’ from the debut and a brand new music video to go along with it. This song is something singer Chandler Mogel holds quite close. “It’s an emotional song that many people can identify with,” comments guitarist Mark Rossi. “On the lyrical side ‘Exalted’ is also a very personal song.” Chandler adds, “This song is simply about finding my true self by helping others. This is a part of me that I can’t deny, so why not write a song about it?”
Watch ‘Exalted’ Here:
Shot in a factory hall called ‘Hamelhalle’ in Switzerland, Mark explains more about the video and how it was director Can Isik who came up with the concept. “For this video Isik’s idea was to have the band performing in a bright lit huge hall with a lot of windows. It’s a performance clip with a frame story and it’s in opposition to the darker mood with pushed contrasts and desaturated colors we used in the ‘After The Silence’ video. ‘Exalted’ shows a more relaxed and natural atmosphere.”
Isik comments, “I imagined as many extras as possible – young and old, beautiful and special, characters out of real life – a community of people… The goal was to produce a positive emotional clip about people in need of finding the way to exaltation.”
This time last week Swiss American rockers KHAØS released ‘Risen’, their debut full-length album via MRR Records. Now the band has revealed the second single from said album as a lyric video, entitled ‘Crisis Factor’, this song delves into the darker side of modern society and is undoubtedly one of the heaviest songs on the entire album.
Singer and lyricist Chandler Mogel, (also of Outloud and Chrome Republic fame) comments: “This song is really an in your face, kick ass rocker which really says, ‘We’re here!’ It’s more or less about the state of affairs that we’re in today but from a personal point of view, the struggles one might go through as a result of societal problems and aberrations.”
“Ramification and danger are the main topics of the lyric video,” adds guitarist Mark Rossi. “The song is about the negation of responsibility and the ramifications of that, and finally culminating in the chorus which considers that we as a society are in danger if we don’t wake up and see what’s going on, and change many of our ways.”
Watch ‘Crisis Factor’ Here:
Mark continues: “The song really represents the sound of the band and works perfectly in a live situation. It’s raw, energetic and modern. ‘Crisis Factor’ was actually one of the very first songs written after the release of the ‘Rising’ EP.”
Doug Anderson of Visceral Video edited ‘Crisis Factor’ while Mark came up with the graphic concept.
Swiss/US rockers KHAØS are set to release their much anticipated debut album “Risen”, on 20th October via Plastichead Distribution/MRR Records. Now the band have revealed album details. Recorded by Rolf Munkes at his Empire Studios in Germany and mastered by music legend and award winner for Adele’s ‘21’ Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York; ‘Risen’ follows the bands revered 2012 ‘Rising’ EP.
‘Risen’ Track Listing
01. After The Silence
02. Crisis Factor
03. Exalted
04. Loaded Question
05. End Of Daze
06. Merchants Of Khaøs
07. Ride The Chain
08. Hung The Moon
09. Imagined Danger
10. Static Windows
11. As Far As We Go
12. The Breathing Room
Check Out The Album Trailer Here
Guitarist Mark Rossi comments: “The subject matter transcends individual boundaries, hearkening to darker scenarios yet striving for resolution. The lyrical approach follows a trend of maintaining hope while facing difficulty and conflict. All the evil of mankind cannot suppress the people if they won’t let it. Aside from the lyrics and tone, the project’s unifying element is one of hard rock expression, which defies definition with every song.”
Frontman Chandler Mogel (also of Outloud & Chrome Public) adds: “Musically and lyrically ‘Risen’ is a continuation from ‘Rising’, which was just a taste but began to touch on some of the deeper subject matter that I wanted to develop further into my writing; I had also been writing some Outloud songs with deeper meanings but for me it wasn’t really working in that setting. I knew I needed a different approach musically for it, and Khaøs seemed like the right fit so I channeled this focus there. I wanted an outlet to really convey problems with society, personal struggles, mental mechanisms, and the reasons for all of this. As always I leave the lyrics open to interpretation from the listener as each person will take something different from them, but these are general themes that are prevalent here.”
Mark who designed the artwork himself discusses the cover art: “As a first full-length album, ‘Risen’ is a sort of baptism of fire for this band. The visual concept of the artwork tries to accentuate this primordial aspect, in a manner of speaking the birth of Khaøs and its origin. We used symbols like a faded version of Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man for the background, a theme I was dealing with before starting this project. This picture reflects somehow many of the topics treated in our songs. It is static in structure but dynamic in its presentation of a moving, living man. A bit like our music”
“I had different ideas for the album cover first. I started with an orb but decided it was maybe too simple and too generic for this type of album. Finally I used that idea for the design of my guitar pic. Then I switched to the griffin theme. Chandler liked my very first sketch and we ended up using that exact picture for the album cover.”
Check Out The Lead Single Video ‘After The Silence’ Here
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