Kublai Khan TX

The music is brutal, heavy and downtuned to breaking point — metalcore rooted in the ‘90s metallic hardcore scene, with bands like Hatebreed, Integrity and Earth Crisis as obvious reference points. The guitars are sometimes tuned as low as drop G# on seven-strings, the breakdowns are slow and crushing, and Honeycutt’s raspy vocals carry lyrics far sharper than the genre demands. Kublai Khan TX write about racism, police brutality, depression, social anxiety and violence against women — not as slogans, but with an honesty and anger that gives the words weight. They have been called hardcore’s brainiest brawlers, and it is a description that sticks. Live, Kublai Khan TX are a physical experience. There is no pyro, no set design, just four people playing as if their lives depend on it. Honeycutt is a frontman who channels frustration and intensity with a presence that fills the room from the first note, and the pit at a Kublai Khan show is not for the uninitiated. This is hardcore the way it was meant to be: raw, honest and uncompromising.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​