Heavy and diverse metal band The Khind, which has been around since 1996, is back with a new release, “Vincent.” The group’s fifth full-length album is an enthralling listen.
The opening track, “Van Gogh,” is perfect at setting the tone for the album and has a bit of a Tool vibe. The lengthy closing track, “Transcendence,” perfectly wraps up this release, and the sample at the end of the tune sews everything up nicely.
There are a lot of layers to the tracks, with a fair amount of atmosphere and spaciness in the production. It’s not just pure heaviness. I also heard some Pantera, Slayer and Mike Patton (Faith No More & Mr. Bungle) upon listening to th
is beast of a record.
Do yourself a favor and get this recording. You will not be disappointed.
I sat down with band members Nathan Golla, Chip Clifford and Asher Erickson at Khind Of Records in Lewiston to talk about their new tunes.
Lee: Why did the band decide to do an album based on Vincent Van Gogh?
Golla: We had a song called “Van Gogh,” and we liked the theme of that. It seemed to fit with some of the other music we were working on, and it seemed to manifest on its own and we thought the story was pretty dark and interesting. We thought it would make a good concept for a metal album.
Lee: The album is pretty complex. How long did it take to write the music and lyrics? How long did it take to get everything recorded?
Clifford: It took roughly three years to write the music and lyrics and a year to record the album. The lyrics came right at the end, while we were in the studio finalizing the album. It took longer because of Covid when we couldn’t get together. We finally got to record when the masks were lifted.
Lee: I saw a video on YouTube for the song “Van Gogh,” and it turned out great. Who made it?
Erickson: Nate (Nathan Golla) was the one who put all that together. He worked some magic and did some editing, and it looks and sounds great. We’re very stoked about it.
Lee: Who did the cover art for the album?
Golla: We were worried we didn’t have someone who could do something artistic in the sense of Renaissance or like a painter would do, so we decided to use some new technology with AI. and put in keywords of what we thought Van Gogh represented in the context of our album. Quickly we had images that were provocative and had a cohesive vibe. Then we used the text and logo and designed it from there.
Erickson: I enjoy the contrast between using AI artwork that’s a little ahead of its time and controversial at the moment, as a lot of Van Gogh’s paintings were controversial in his time.
Lee: Who mastered the album? It sounds fantastic on vinyl.
Golla: I was worried it would sound bad on vinyl, so we wanted it done professionally. I reached out to someone in Los Angeles who has done a lot of albums I appreciate, and he happily worked with us to do it. He has worked with Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and Sepultura, among many others. He’s prolific, and he made it sound great on vinyl and digital. His name is Maor Appelbaum. He has his own mastering company.
Lee: How does it feel to have fresh wax for people to purchase?
Clifford: It feels amazing. I’ve been wanting to do this for the past 15 years. In this day and age where vinyl is so popular, it’s the perfect time to put it out. It’s on purple recycled material which is art in itself. The tone and quality of the vinyl is worth it.
Lee: Hey Asher, what’s the stand-out track for you on this release?
Erickson: That’s a really difficult question, because they all hold up well in their own right in my opinion, but I am a little bit biased and partial to the second-to-last track, “Johanna.” I was the one who kind of conceived that song and wrote the initial acoustic guitar riff, and Nate was gracious to let me play the guitar parts for the song itself. He threw on some lead parts and orchestral things, and we had Chip throw on some heartbeat-sounding drum patterns and it’s a real good departure from the rest of the album.
Lee: Where in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley can someone go to purchase the vinyl or CD?
Golla: We have that stuff and shirts available at Greenfield Glass & Goods in Clarkston, The Computer Chip on Main Street in Lewiston and Seidel Music and Repair in the Lewiston Orchards. We also have our music available on Bandcamp.com and wherever you can find music digitally. Oh, and on our website at thekhind.com.
Lee: One last burning question: chipmunks or squirrels?
Golla: Dude! Chipmunks, man. Squirrels are just rats in trees.
Clifford: Chipmunks are way better. They’re awesome. My name is Chip, so I guess I side with them.
Erickson: You all are ridiculous. Those bushy tails and how adorable they are and like one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel cinematic universe is Squirrel Girl. Boom!
Lee is a self-professed music nerd and part-time artist. He can be reached at marvin.lee@live.com.
