Kaiser – 2nd Sound

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · March 24, 2025

Kaiser is a heavy stoner metal band from Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 2013, the power trio has made a big impact on the stoner and doom universe since their formation, starting with their five song 2014 Self Titled EP. However, it was the band’s debut album, 2018’s 1st Sound that made a massive impact on the heavy rock genre. Kaiser returned in 2022 with the split release with Captain Caravan, the Ripple Music Compilation, Turned To Stone: Chapter Six, with four tracks. It has been over two years since we heard new music from the band and six and a half years since the debut. Kaiser features Otu on guitars and vocals, Riq on drums, and Pex on bass. Their long awaited latest album 2nd Sound was released on March 7th 2025, on Majestic Mountain Records. It contains eight tracks in forty five minutes.

I first heard Kaiser about a year ago when I was on the search for new and heavy bands. I was completely blown away when I discovered 1st Sound and the follow-up split record too. I was totally immersed in their music for a few weeks straight of continuous listening. They had all the right ingredients for what I was searching for at that time. Heavy, fuzzy, and grooving riffs with powerful vocals and great melody mixed in. I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2nd Sound since my discovery of the band and now the time has finally come.

“Brotha” begins the album with a bang! Everything kicks right in from the start and the fuzz drenched sound is in full effect. The hard driving rhythms and pounding drums explode out of the gate with Otu’s splattered leads and unmistakable vocals. “Brotha” was the first single released from 2nd Sound and didn’t waste any time crushing our ear drums with the devastating Kaiser sound. They deliver a style of stoner metal that sounds very much their own with all the heavy fuzz and diversified groove and melody with catchy vocals and harmonies. They expand into a cool guitar leading flow just after the two minute mark and explode into a massive cascade of heavy riffing before the fantastic leads. The band are masters of their craft and construct such confounding music which is very striking in execution and compulsively engaging with melodies and dynamics. “1.5 Dozen” begins with a growling fuzzy bass riff from Pex that surges into an avalanche of rocking rhythms. Otu’s voice shifts from aggressive to screaming to clean singing in an instantaneous moments notice. The Kyuss-y desert riffing and shifting melodies of light to heavy dynamics are spectacular in their wondrous fulfillment. Kaiser is a riffalicious wrecking machine!

The third track “Meteorhead” features a little sample at the start and then carries on with a stampeding sound. The vocals kick in with the bass and drums leading the charge with the heavy guitars taking effect thereafter. The swampy doom riffage between the verses are colossal. The band delivers a walloping of heaviness with this track. Midway through, the drums transcend the song into a voyage of heavy psychedelic leads and scorching guitar soloing all the while storming with heaviness. The song concludes with more sampling as it bleeds out. “Oversized Load” is another ripper! The hammering drums and bass are prominent at the start with some fine-drawn vocals. The band stay docile in the beginning and then erupt into a mountain of blistering riffage. Otu’s vocals have a Soundgarden/ Chris Cornell wail to them on certain parts. The sound catapults into a raging riff rocking frenzy of mammoth proportions before coming down into a clean sounding descent. Brilliant musical dynamics are what Kaiser are so masterful on creating and executing.

“Stood Still” begins the second half of the record with a softer touch. The clean guitar and vocals are met with some tantalizing tribal drumming. The song has an airy atmospheric texture throughout and features some tranquil sounds of crashing waves too. The next track “Awaken Monster” is a savage beast! Starting off softly with samples, the song amplifies the fuzz and electrified leads. The slabs of devastating down-tuned riffing and the illustrious Kaiser heaviness is ever so vital on this track. “A Clockwork Green” has a mellow start with percussive rim shots and a cool psychedelic twist of jam style noodling, until the song explodes. Chords of sludgy doom are met with Otu’s singing expressions. The heavy barrage of riff-centric sounds, catchy vocals, and sonic movements are joined with mind-blowing swirls of trippy tones, spoken samples, and spazz-tastic drum fills from Riq. The song wavers off with rocking rhythms and scattered leads before riffing back into the chorus and finally ending the same way the track started. Another grandiose song from Kaiser, which was the second single from 2nd Sound.

The eighth and final track on this mega release is called “Aftershock”. The ten plus minute behemoth is a menacing mastodon of a song. It begins with a relenting doom sound that is equally heavy and haunting. It has portions of psych wrapped in a heavy blanket of fuzz and sludge. The hefty plodding rhythms are cataclysmic and fierce with drifting flares of wreckage embedded in some silence. The song has a soul-stirring and poignant essence just after the eight minute point. It then tones down into a fading dirge of evocative melody and descent. A suitable closure for such a mind melting musical experience.

Kaiser has really exceeded my expectations with 2nd Sound. Every track is a masterful expression in how stoner rock in the twenty first century should sound. They have crafted a heavy riff rocking masterpiece of fuzz-laden doom like no other. Since hearing this album, I can’t help but want to keep listening to it over and over and over again. This was the case with 1st Sound also. Kaiser is on top of their game with 2nd Sound and this is definitely an early contender for album of the year, in my opinion.