KEYODIS Turns Theology, Chaos and Metalcore Into 'Enemy Skulls'

Aug 14
2 min read

Keyodis returns with Enemy Skulls, a 14-track full-length built from metalcore chaos, mathcore turns, post-hardcore tension and a surprisingly cinematic sense of scale.

The Austin/McAllen-based project consists of Anthony Kroeker and Morgan Hochstetler, who handle the writing, recording, mixing and much of the visual world surrounding the band themselves. That self-contained approach gives Enemy Skulls the feeling of something larger than a collection of songs. Keyodis has built the album as a complete environment, with theology, suffering, depression, manipulation, artistic identity and faith all feeding into the same machinery.

The record opens with “Open Hand Closed Hand,” which establishes one of its central ideas through the historic maxim, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” From there, Keyodis starts pulling at different kinds of conflict.

“Cultz Candy” deals with manipulation and the desire for control. “The Warrant - The Reboot” targets hypocrisy hiding behind religious language. “Chasing Nothing - 34 44” looks at vanity and the pursuit of temporary things, while “Georgia’s Only Son” turns toward depression, isolation and small-town apathy.

Other tracks move directly into Christian imagery. “Incarnatio” and “Crucifixio” explore the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ, while “Nativitas Ecclesia” draws from apocalyptic imagery and the formation of the early Church. The album eventually reaches “Quiet Time,” a closer that gives the record room to settle after everything that came before it.

Brotality appears on “With All Its Teeth,” a track centered on art, creativity and the question of what artists ultimately point toward with the things they make.

For Hochstetler, the spiritual dimension sits directly alongside the artistic challenge.

“Enemy Skulls is our next artistic and theological endeavor. Our goal isn't just to glorify God through everything we do, but to push ourselves artistically in the process. We want people to listen to our music and understand that they, too, are not alone in thinking deeply about who they are in their faith.”

That combination makes Enemy Skulls interesting even beyond the Christian-metal conversation. Keyodis isn't approaching theology as decorative imagery pasted onto heavy music. The ideas shape the songs themselves, sometimes through biblical language and sometimes through uglier, more immediate subjects like depression, hypocrisy, control and doubt.

Musically, the band describes its world through Christian metalcore, post-hardcore and deathcore, with mathcore unpredictability and cinematic atmosphere continually destabilizing the edges. Keyodis also operates differently from the traditional touring-band model, pouring its energy instead into recorded music, videos, lore, merchandise and visual storytelling.

Enemy Skulls feels like another chapter in an increasingly strange little universe the duo continues building entirely on its own terms.

Enemy Skulls released August 14, 2026, on streaming platforms, CD, vinyl and digital download.