Review: Khan – That Fair and Warlike Form // Return to Dust

Style: stoner metal, psychedelic rock, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Elder, Pallbearer, Mastodon
Country: Australia
Release date: 1 October 2025

There’s an issue with the modern iteration of riffy, heavy stoner metal that’s gained popularity over the last fifteen years: Elder are so clearly better than everyone else in the scene. Since their 2011 sophomore effort, Dead Roots Stirring, the band have held the throne. Even the eighteen-minute Liminality / Dream State Return EP Elder released out of the blue just a few weeks ago has more than enough quality to keep them at the top. True, Bask recently put out an excellent album with The Turning, but it gave a much more concise, Americana-influenced take on the genre. When it comes to massive compositions with tidal-wave riffs of heavenly fuzz, Elder have remained untouchable. Are there even contenders at this point?

Enter the Australian act Khan and their fourth LP, That Fair and Warlike Form // Return to Dust—a colossal two-track opus significantly grander in scope than their preceding works. The tracks, each conveniently making up half the album’s title, are twenty-three-minute epics, journeying through sprawling, psychedelic passages driven by a robust low end and accented by shimmering leads. A diaphanous haze covers the album like morning dew on a windshield, while dreamlike textures swirl hypnotically. Sound familiar? Let’s see how Khan stack up against their elders.

The obvious risk of writing stoner metal songs that go beyond the twenty-minute mark is, frankly, that they can be boring as hell. Both of Khan’s compositions here are anything but. Rather than simply relying on trite repetition and basic ambience to build a soundscape, these Aussies find tones and melodies that are strikingly moody. That Fair and Warlike Form // Return to Dust is a melancholic, emotional album, hanging between the ears like a storm cloud. Dynamic guitars, moving from breezy to tempestuous, add to the effect, as do the plaintive vocals, often pushed toward the back for an ethereal feel. The band navigate from dreary, slow-burning sections to cathartic climaxes, all rich in sound and artfully detailed.

When Khan do wield repetition, it’s atmospherically engaging and builds toward a worthwhile crescendo. That the winding riffs and growling bass lines are consistently compelling and worth repeating certainly helps. When the groovin’ drums get going five minutes into “That Fair and Warlike Form,” joined shortly by a surging bass, floating synths, and light, wistful guitars, I can’t help but melt into the passage and flow with it as it slowly morphs. The same can be said of the ominous, Phrygian-flavored bridge that builds throughout the center of “Return to Dust.” Khan have a knack for wrapping you in sonic layer after layer until you’re fully ensnared, and the sound is crafted so well that you won’t be in any hurry to escape. 

Zooming out, the band organize the component pieces of the gargantuan tracks commendably, keeping the music cohesive and flowing. Several shifts occur within each song, and for the most part, the transitions are intuitive and smooth—barring a couple of slightly jarring ones toward the end of each track. More importantly, the quality of the songwriting is sustained throughout, preventing either side-length cut from dragging. I don’t think I could recommend one track over the other, which is a testament to the balanced composition. 

There are, however, some relative highs and lows. The album’s first few minutes are its weakest, as the somewhat basic instrumentation draws focus to the vocals, which are too flat to be the center of attention (aren’t they always in this genre?). But both songs hold captivating middle sections and end in spectacular fashion, especially the transcendent final passages of “That Fair and Warlike Form.” There, the vocals are much more effective, droning somberly and then belting emotionally behind emphatic, biting guitars. “Return to Dust,” meanwhile, concludes with an entrancing groove and gloomy atmospheric touches reminiscent of Mastodon’s legendary song “The Czar.” Closing the tracks with a punctuation mark gives each side of the record a satisfying feeling of finality and makes a trip back to the start all the more tempting. 

In the end, Khan have spun ambition into success and delivered a two-track behemoth that stands as one of the more notable stoner metal releases in recent memory. That Fair and Warlike Form // Return to Dust expands on the Elder formula while having its own distinctive touch, and executes it extraordinarily well. Not that heavy, psychedelic music is a competition—that, of course, seems contrary to the entire spirit of the genre—but watch out: Khan have entered the arena.

Recommended tracks: Give them both a listen
You may also like: Bask, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Vokonis, Bushwhacker
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Full Contact Safari Records – Facebook | Official Website

Khan is:
– Josh Bills (vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Will Homan (bass)
– Beau Heffernan (drums)