Band:	Khirki
Album:	Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς
Style:	Hard rock, Stoner metal
Release date:	April 12, 2024
Guest review by:	ForestsAlive

01. Featherless
02. Pumping The Vein
03. The Watchers Of Enoch
04. Συμπληγάδες
05. Your Majesty
06. Father Wind
07. Heart Of The Sea
08. Heκate

Khirki solidify themselves as the torchbearers of the Greek metal/rock scene.

Developing a strong identity is the holy grail of every self-respecting artist. Greece, with such a rich musical tradition and culture, should have been a major hub of effortlessly unique metal bands. But, just like every new scene, the Greek scene in the early 90s was suffering from an inferiority complex; every band was trying to imitate their Western heroes both in terms of compositions and production values. Bands like Rotting Christ or Septicflesh eventually achieved true authenticity, whereas others like On Thorns I Lay still sound like their Western counterparts. You even have Greek bands like Suicidal Angels that blatantly copy every big thrash band.

Khirki, on the other hand, is a band that with just their second album managed to achieve the impossible: an unapologetically unique identity that pays respect to the Greece's rich culture. And no, Khirki is not the Greek equivalent to the luscious Orphaned Land; their Greek-ness is mostly subtle, deriving from the guitar phrasing, vocal accent, and 7/4 rhythms. Rarely does the instrumentation use traditional Greek instruments (in a very satisfying way); rather, it follows the Mastodon approach of using drums/bass and electric guitars doubled with 12-string acoustics. Nevertheless, Khirki’s origin could not be anything else but Greek. The lyrical themes, the occasional singing in their mother tongue, and even the music video for “Father Wind” (showcasing the struggles of everyday Greek fishermen) show that the band embrace their heritage with respect (unlike the cheesy attempts of Firewind and Rotting Christ).

But identity would have been worthless if it wasn’t accompanied by strong compositions. Thankfully, this album is packed with amazing songs from start to finish. Each song is unique; some are hard-hitting, some are more epic, and some have it all, while all of them have a focus on memorable riffs and hooks. There is just so much variety and a sense of creative freedom that to me resembles (again) Mastodon, golden-era Metallica, or even 70s acts like Rainbow. On top of that, the production, album cover, and performances are all top-notch.

Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς is simply one of those albums where all stars are perfectly aligned, not by accident but by pure will and passion from everyone involved in this project.