New Album From Kublai Khan TX

by Brianna Tanious

Photo courtesy of Bring the Noise UK

Kublai Khan TX is an American band from Sherman, Texas that formed in 2009. Throughout their years, Matt Honeycutt, Nolan Ashley, Eric English, and Isaac Lamb have been making metal music, specifically metalcore and beatdown hardcore. To the non-metal listener, these might sound a bit strange. According to the LanGeek Dictionary, “metalcore is a genre that blends heavy, aggressive elements of metal with intense, high-energy music.” Along with this, there is a presence of screaming, singing, breakdowns (slower and lower points in the song), fast drums, and a very raw feel. To pair, beatdown hardcore is a genre of hardcore punk with aggressive breakdowns, vocals, riffs, and a heavy emphasis of manly or brotherhood. Similarly, they both involve mosh pitting and ruthless ‘dance’ techniques.

To many, this band name seems a little bit familiar.. and that’s probably because it is! An interview between Heavy Mag and Matt Honeycutt gives a bit of insight to the public about this name choice: “It was actually me and the original bass player who discovered the name as we were flickering through a poetry book. There was a poem called Kublai Khan… basically the poem was never finished,” Matt Honeycutt states. “... it has always been up for debate what the poem was actually about and what the secret meanings were behind it… our story isn’t finished…” What he is saying is that since this poem was never finished and that the meaning is under speculation, it implies that his lyrics are under speculation and that his story isn’t finished. If this didn’t help connect the dots, Kublai Khan is a successor of Genghis Khan, who was one of the most famous conquerors in the world. Kublai Khan conquered all of China and ruled places like Russia, Iran, etc. But, why the TX? The TX stands for… (Quick, make a guess!) Texas. It was to differentiate the band from a great emperor of China and the poem.

Though it might seem like Kublai Khan TX struck gold at the end of the rainbow by themselves, other bands have done it before them. A band named Black Sabbath paved the way for early rock and heavy metal. The band was formed in 1968 and since then has been through ups and downs. After Black Sabbath was a band named Black Flag. Created in 1976, they practically created hardore punk and punk rock. Their first full-length album Damaged was released in 1981, solidifying their place in the music industry. Further along the line was Earth Crisis, made in 1989; they were the true originators of metalcore. Enough with all of the older stuff… Here comes the new! Hatebreed is a metalcore and hardcore band that was formed in 1994. The release of their album Satisfaction is the Death of Desire (1997) made the band extremely popular in Connecticut. This later led to their signed deal and release of a song called Perseverance, a more well-known song. From the influences of these bands came KKT.

From their formation in 2009 to 2024, they have released 5 full-length albums, including their newest one named Exhibition of Prowess. This album came out on September 20, 2024. Now that the long introduction is over, let’s get to the review:

Supreme Ruler- This is their first song of the album. It gives the meaning of khan, meaning king. Matt speaks about legacy and dynasty; who will carry it when we are dead, who inherits the burden. Similarly, if we are on the top of the world like Kublai Khan, how will our ruling fall throughout the people? There are only 6 lines in this song but they are projected very heavily.

Darwinism- This is the second song of this album. Matthew brings his mosh-pit energy to the beginning of this song. “Never was there ever less than…” he says. The fight to survive seems like a common theme in this album. (Duh, read the name again.) Instead of telling people to look for insight or advice, we should instead just continue with natural selection and evolve to be better. “Watching men bend to become something they’re not.”

Cannibal- As the name suggests, this song revolves around the idea of cannibalism. “I will not become a tool of choice for a voice I can’t stand.” This sentence might apply to politics or anything else in life that a representative is required for. “Passing over power to the lowest form and animal… stuck in a wheel you can’t outrun.” Honeycutt might be implying that cannibalism is the lowest form of humanity. Dave Peters and him make this song hit like a train in your ears.

X- Not much is said on this short song either. “Decades now I hold firm.” Regardless, it's definitely one of my favorites so far. 

Theory of Mind- The remake of this song is much better than before. The classic “monkey see, monkey do” and “monkey bleeds, monkey lose” sets a scene. Life as an animal is truly just a fight for survival. Trial and error is the way that evolution works. A very silly song at the beginning that toughens up the more you listen.

Mud- There is a theme of war and destruction on this song, specifically the Vietnam War. “Fool me once, fool me twice.” There are a lot of mentions of traps, tripwires, and false hope ladders. “But the animal aches to rise above.” The lyrics being read as they are said makes the song much better! 

972- The slower riffs and guitar squeals make this song unique compared to the rest. “Pushed down, worn out.. the only way up is out but I’m kicked down.” This is how life really is. Also one of my favorites.

Low Tech- This song is the third to last one. “You built the world, but can’t share it… we’re not the ones to inherit.” Though humans build all of these structures, we do not live in them very long. They are seen and used by many others. “Simply born, simply die… I was built and designed, low tech.” Again, this is the reality of the world. Putting our contributions to it aside, we will always evolve to be better. Our lives are for the purpose of evolution. 

A Hopeless Fate- Jamey Jasta and KKT destroy this 3 minute song. “Just shut the **** up and look down and think right, stay in line.” Matt sings about power and how humans are expected to follow rules. These rules, ironically, happen to be created by ourselves. “I’m just one man how long can I stand against this world?” To make a change to these rules in life, there has to be others with the passion to assist. This song really got its point across and made me think. The last minute is slow and heavy.

Antpile 2- If you have been listening to them for a while, you would get how awesome this song is. Antpile, released in 2017, was a fan favorite. With only 5 words said, the heaviness of it has burdened my ears ever since. Though, Antpile 2 does not disappoint whatsoever. Being my favorite song off of this album, many others enjoy the irony of the lyrics. “Two.” This song was also one of two songs that were not rated as explicit on Apple Music; Supreme Ruler being the other. Pitch harmonics and squeals showcase the true nature of this band.