Kairos Wiki



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Kairos is a heavy metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 2004, they have produced six studio albums with a goal of "reshaping the musical landscape that the 21st century has created."

Formation, early years, and -Z1 (2004-2009)
Kairos was formed in 2004 in Berkeley, California by Brian Waltman, Angelica Sanders, Erika Sanders, Michael Russo, and Derek Kaverin who were friends in high school. They played some small shows at local venues mostly playing covers of other metal bands like Korn and Mudvayne, gaining recognition in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marcus Rivera, another high school friend, joined later in 2007. Their success steadily grew. They formed their own YouTube channel (KairosBand) and began posting covers there. Their first music video was posted July 2006 and was a cover of Dig by Mudvayne, which garnered a decent amount of internet fame. In early 2007, they decided to record their first studio album. Complications arose, and the record was seemingly abandoned. However, Dawn Bennett joined the band in August 2008 and production resumed shortly afterward. A leak originally had the album's title as Negative Zone, which was never confirmed no denied by the band. The name Negative Zone persisted until shortly before the album's release in 2009, when the album cover was leaked revealing the name to be -Z1. It was released in May 2009, met with decent commerical success and critical reception, and gained them a loyal following. Their popularity increased more when they caught the eye of Rammstein, and were invited to open for some of Rammstein's North American shows during their Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da Tour.

Tears of Light (2010-2012)
In 2010, Kairos began work on their second album, which was announced to be called Tears of Light, as well as posting more covers during this time. Fans noticed the covers were generally heavier than ones posted earlier, and questions were raised as to the nature of their second album. The predictions were confirmed when Tears of Light was released in November 2011, as the album was characterized by a brutal, heavy sound and is considered their heaviest album to date. They embarked on their first self-initiated tour, the Crying in the Dark Tour. They became infamous as a live act due to their extreme energy and passion, especially in Brian's performance in the track "Winds of Avalar." This gathered more fans, and Tears of Light was certified Gold in 2012. During 2012, the band also released two more YouTube channels: KairosGaming and KairosSocial which showcased videos of members playing video games together and behind-the-scenes or blog videos respectively.

Hypocrites for Freedom (2012-2013)
During the Crying in the Dark Tour, Kairos began writing material for their third studio album. The album was fueled by the band's reaction to the presidential primaries and election in 2012. The result was a heavily political album: Hypocrites for Freedom. The album was released in July 2013 to a controversial reception. The album was heavily critical of the United States political system, especially the Republican party. Tensions rose when FOX News commentator Bill O'Reilly addressed the album, saying it was the "epitome of youth ignorance in America." In response, the band released the single "The Fox and the Elephant," which became wildly popular. The band embarked on their Hypocrasy 2012 Tour garnering more recognition as the performances were even more over the top than before.

Kaltes Eisen and Tour - Part 1 (2014-2016)
In early 2014, Tears of Light was certified Platinum, and news of an upcoming fourth album began spreading, though little information was revealed until later that year, when the band revealed that the album was a tribute album to Neue Deutsche Harte. Kaltes Eisen, German for "Cold Iron," was released in March 2015 and during the summer they went on their Deutschland tour, which was of a smaller scale than their previous tours and consisted only of covers of German bands, including tracks not on Kaltes Eisen. The beginning of 2016 was quiet, but it was eventually revealed that the band would be going on their largest tour yet: Tour - Part 1. This tour was international and was put together with the purpose of "showing what Kairos meant." The tour lasted throughout 2016, and a live DVD was released: Live - Part 1.

Marble Hornets (2016-2018)
As Tour - Part 1 came to a close, Hypocrites for Freedom was certified Gold likely due to the 2016 election, and fans wondered what Kairos would do next. On New Years Day, 2017, the band released a statement that they were working on something extremely ambitious and complex. The statement continued, asking for fans' patience as they wished to take as much time as necessary for their next project to be as complete as possible. 2017 passed with few covers, videos, or other updates, but on New Years 2018, the band revealed their fifth studio album: Marble Hornets. Not much information was given on the nature of the album, and speculation continued until the album's eventual release in June 2018. The album was hailed universally as a masterpiece, and many credit it for starting the horror metal genre. The band spent the rest of 2018 on their Twelve Hybrids Tour, which was also praised as one of the best performances in recent years. Marble Hornets was certified Platinum in December of 2018, around the same time -Z1 and Hypocrites for Freedom were certified Platinum as well, proving Marble Hornets to be Kairos's most successful album.

Shit (2019-2021)
After the Twelve Hybrids Tour, all updates from Kairos ceased. 2019 passed with zero news, and many fans feared that Kairos had broken up. The silence was suddenly broken in January 2020, when a short message was posted: "Just took a shit, and it was glorious." Cryptic and sporadic updates eventually revealed that the band's sixth studio album was to be called Shit and was to be released in May. The content of the album remained unknown, but in an interview later it was explained that the reason the album was kept so secret was to make it more of a surprise. Shit, though entirely different from Marble Hornets, was met with almost as much success and the album was praised for its risky humor and spontaneity. Kairos began their next tour: Toilet, which was also met with great praise for fully showing just how ridiculous the tracks of Shit were. After the tour, the band took a break stating that they were  "recovering from the massive dump we took on the world."

The Godless and Holy (2021-2023)
As 2021 came to a close, it was confirmed that Kairos had entered the studio to record their seventh studio album. In regards to the album's content, the band said in an interview that "it's not genre-defining like Marble Hornets, or insane like Shit. It's about a core concept of humanity that we feel needs addressing." The core concept was eventually revealed to be religion. The Godless and Holy was released near the end of 2022 and was praised for not just saying "religion is bad," though some panned the album for not being as technical or unique as previous albums. The Demons and Deities Tour took place the next year.

Resurrection Compilation and Tour - Part 2 (2023-2025)
After another short break following the Demons and Deities Tour, Kairos announced another compilation album, this one based off of their previous covers. The album would consist of fourteen covers from all the way back to Kairos' beginning. All covers were remastered and put together and the album was released in November 2024. Resurrection Compilation was met with decent success. The album was praised for seemlessly incorporating tracks originally by different artists and of different genres into a cohesive product. Amidst countless rumors, Tour - Part 2 was announced to take place in 2025, and on an even bigger scale than its predecessor.

Alone: The Path to Victory (2025-2027)
Tour - Part 2 ended, and Kairos immediately went back to the studio. When asked about the suddenness, the band said "we had an idea. We had to put it all out there now. If we dwelled on it too much it would fall flat." Recording continued through 2025 and into 2026. The album's title was eventually revealed to be Alone: The Path to Victory. When asked about the title, Kairos commented "it will make sense once you listen to it." The album was also revealed to be a concept album and to tell some sort of story. It was released in December of 2026 and was universally praised for its emotional power and storytelling. "The story is a simple one," a critic wrote, "but through the great emotion that the album carries you really feel for this man who is taking on this journey." 2027 began with the Loneliness and Power Tour, which was also praised as an emotional rollercoaster, mostly focusing on tracks from Alone: The Path to Victory, Tears of Light, and Marble Hornets.

The End of an Era (2027-2028)
There was lots of attention on Kairos as their tenth studio album approached. Much was expected of them, and rumors exploded as the band began recording at the end of 2027. One of these rumors was that this would be Kairos' last album. This rumor was strengthed when the title was leaked to be The End of an Era. As the album was released in June of 2028, this rumor seemed true. Kairos began their Finality Tour, and despite the album being very successful, Kairos confirmed that this would be their final studio album. "We feel our time has come and gone. Thank you to everyone who shared this journey with us. We have a few things planned in the next couple years, but after that only time will tell."

For You: A Compilation, Tour - The End, and indefinite hiatus (2029-present)
Those "few things" were eventually revealed to be a "best of" album that was in the works. For You: A Compilation was released at the start of 2030 and was a two-disk set. The first disk was a 24 track collection of all of their previous singles, minus "Scissors." The second disk was a reissue of Marble Hornets. The rest of 2030 was spent on Kairos' last and biggest tour: Tour - The End. When asked about the band's hiatus, the band responded saying "It has nothing to do with our interpersonal relationships or our relationships with anyone outside of the band. We simply felt that we were done. We have been making music for almost 25 years, and we deeply appreciate all of the support we've gained over that time." When asked if they plan on ever playing again, the band replied "planning? No, but stranger things have happened to us before. Do not wait or plan on another album, but we will not disappear."

Style, Interaction, and Name
The style of the band has changed over the years, but they have remained true to their roots in nu metal and heavy metal. -Z1 contained the most sampling and electronics and was considered their most technical album until ''Marble Hornets. Tears of Light ''is their heaviest album to date, and is often described as "vicious." Marble Hornets is widely regarded as their best work, being the most technical and also their darkest album.

The band has cited several influences over the years, saying that their style has evolved with their musical tastes. They credit Slipknot, Korn, Mudvayne, System of a Down, Disturbed, and the entire Neue Deutsche Harte genre as their biggest influences. Brian specifically cites Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor, Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis, and System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian as inspirations to him. Angelica and Erika have said their influences are more vague, but they have said Buckethead is one of the guitarists they most respect. Michael and Derek also mention inspiration from Mudvayne's bassist Ryan Martinie and drummer Matthew McDonough respectively.

THe band is also known for the large amount of fan interaction they have with their Facebook page and three YouTube channels. Angelica stated they decided early on to be very interactive and that they wanted to seem like real people to their fans. The gaming and social YouTube channels show this well, as band members play video games together or separate, have small Q&A sessions, or post videos of random events.

The name Kairos was chosen because, as Brian states, "Kairos means 'the correct moment.' We felt it was the correct moment for us to make our mark on the world, and hopefully add to the musical tastes of the 21st century."

Image
All band members have retained similar looks throughout the years. They have dyed hair and are sometimes mistaken as a "scene band" when they have stated multiple times that they are not associated with the scene act. Brian's hair is shoulder length and dyed white, Angelica's reaches down to her lower back and is dyed with a mix of white and black, Erika's is of identical length and style though is dyed orange and white, Michael's is of similar style though is dyed brown and white, Derek's is a bit longer than Brian's and is dyed orange, Marcus' is similar to Brian's though is black in color, and Dawn's reaches down her mid-back and is a dark, almost black blue.

When asked about their hair, Marcus replied "We were all still in high school. We were bored, and thought it would look cool. The look just sort of stuck with us and we feel we don't need to change."

Controversy
Kairos' lyrics and style have been criticized for their content, particularly songs from Tears of Light, Marble Hornets, and Shit, the first two being criticized for their dark tone, and their violent and disturbing lyrics. Kairos has commented on the matter, saying that "Everyone feels anger, hate, and other feelings they wished they didn't. We have all thought of doing something horrible; it's part of life. Almost any discontent with the themes and lyrics of music is not merited, as you are trying to bury a part of fundamental human nature." Shit has also come under fire recently for being crude, and "frankly disgusting" as one critic put it. In an interview, Marcus responded by saying "Good. The point of this album was to be as crude, ridiculous, and disgusting as possible. If you feel wrong listening to it, then we succeeded. If you think it's hilarious, then you're a sick fuck and we welcome you."

Hypocrites for Freedom was the epicenter of another controversy in 2013 where Bill O'Reilly cited the album as "the epitome of youth ignorance in America." The band responded with a new song: "The Fox and the Elephant." The song condemned FOX News as an organization full of greedy people who lie in the face of the public to appease their "elephant masters."

There has also been some criticism of the band's YouTube channel KairosSocial as being innappropriate. The band has replied saying that they felt sorry for anyone who feels offended by their channel and that "the offended people should be met with sorrow because they obviously never had fun."

Members
Brian Waltman - lead vocals (2004-present)

Angelica Sanders - lead guitar, backing vocals (2004-present)

Erika Sanders - rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizers (2004-present)

Michael Russo - bass guitar, backing vocals (2004-present)

Derek Kaverin - drums, backing vocals (2004-present)

Marcus Rivera - custom percussian, synthesizers, vocals, sampling (2006-present)

Dawn Bennett - keyboards, turntables, vocals, synthesizers, sampling (2007-present)

Discography
-Z1 (2009)

Tears of Light (2011)

Hypocrites for Freedom (2013)

Kaltes Eisen (2015)

Marble Hornets (2018)

Shit (2020)

The Godless and Holy (2022)

Resurrection Compilation (2024)

Alone: The Path to Victory (2026)

The End of an Era (2028)

For You: A Compilation (2030)

Music Videos
Kairos is well known for its numerous covers and music videos.

Latest activity




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