Today, Chicago's beloved hardcore up-and-comers, KHARMA, released their new EP Most Dangerous Game via Flatspot Records. Kharma has built their reputation throughout the midwest with pummeling songwriting and lyrics delivered with palpable hatred focusing on systems of oppression within their city and country. In an exclusive interview with The Hard Noise, Jordan Morten (vocals), spoke to the themes on the record, saying, "I’m glad that people are finally paying attention to things like systematic racism and police brutality. Those are issues that as a black man, I’ve always seen and struggled with. My main hope is that people don’t use it as a passing trend. It seems like a lot of people have already forgotten about it, and that’s worrying. For people who really are looking to make a difference, it starts from your own community." Tracks like the opener “Forced Out Of Heaven” and the closer “Slave 2 Society” show off the band’s ability to bridge purposeful messages with the brute force of their incendiary brand of metallic hardcore. Due out November 20th, Most Dangerous Game is available to order here and to stream via Bandcamp here.
Formed in 2015 in Chicago, KHARMA deals in gritty, metallic hardcore with walls of sound to pummel the listener into submission. Directly influenced by their city, from the forebears of their scene to the daily circumstances that inform their lyrics and unrelenting aggression, the quintet calls to mind the blunt brutality of acts like Neglect, Billy Club Sandwich, Bulldoze, and Arkangel. While hardcore has always been a genre of the people, KHARMA truly embodies that sentiment through tales of life on the streets and the reality of surviving in the middle of America. The band gave their first glimpse into this world on 2016’s self-released EP, Survival, followed up by 2018’s Moment of Violence EP, during which time the band has shared the stage with the likes of Madball, Knocked Loose, Mindforce, Adrenaline, and Life of Agony.
In the Fall of 2020, KHARMA returns with their most mature and downright hostile release to date - Most Dangerous Game, due out on Flatspot Records. Throughout the 5 tracks, KHARMA flexes their shattering sonic assault on topics such as classism, police brutality, and racism, systems of oppression the band has been challenging since their inception. Inspired by Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game”, the band applies the analogy to varying degrees within the dismal stories told on their label debut. The mix of KHARMA’s pulverizing riffs with harsh, spiteful vocals amounts to a concoction of mosh-ready and genuine anthems for the dark modern age. Recorded and mixed with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos) at Bricktop Recordings in Chicago, the no-frills and fervid performances on Most Dangerous Game proves why KHARMA has become an up and coming favorite to watch on hardcore bills throughout the country and solidifies their further rise in Chicago’s heavy music scene.
Tracklist:
1. Forced Out Of Heaven
2. Most Dangerous Game
3. Jester
4. Guilty By Association
5. Slave 2 Society