KHALI

The '80s are on the march! The treacherous denizen of the mythical Jotunheim, after many thousands of years of silence, has surfaced on Italian soil -- reincarnated as a sweet-natured little heavy metal outfit nostalgic for the '80s gathering dust on veterans' shelves. Romantic in some ways, naive in others, the metal from KHALI doesn't shine with particular originality, yet it's played with feeling, which is no small plus in this weight class. I'd say the album sounds somewhat American -- no overcomplication, clean and steady (belonging to a bygone era obliges). I've never been one to get nostalgic about BONFIRE, EUROPE, and the like, but who says that the occasional stroll through history's back alleys can't be pleasant? So then, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of KHALI. Pleasant melodies, clean sound, pomade, and funk, funk, funk... Just kidding! Then again, there's a grain of truth in every joke...