Issa Khalid Debuts Project '1000 Fahrenheit' with Single 'Love Never Fails'

Issa Khalid is known for his work with deathcore band ‘Lust of a Dying Breed’. That outfit is known for songs like ‘Cat of Nine Tails’, ‘Denoument’ and ‘Devine Design’. The band has undergone a lot of line up changes over the years but Issa Khalid has been one of the more permanent features in its personnel, where he prefers harmonic and phrygian scales, a sound attributed to the orient and Eastern Europe. That element of his guitar playing is evident in the band’s penultimate song ‘Devine Design’ where the only of the original members participating were himself and Martin Kanja. That was all the way back in 2015 and there has been no hint that Issa Khalid would reprise that role.
However, he has previously hinted that he hasn’t stopped writing music and has a collection of material that he has kept ready for release. Last Friday, Dj Edygrim debuted Issa Khalid’s alternative rock project called 1000 Fahrenheit where, Issa does all the instrumentation as well as vocals. The song ‘Love Never Fails’ is his foray into what we would call, more accessible music. And like his counterpart on guitars, Sam Kiranga who explored his broader musical leanings with the punk project Koinange Street Avengers, Issa takes his musical exploits to the realm of romantic love, accentuated by tender guitar harmonies, steady and mellow vocalisation with a simple but direct strong structure.
While the song doesn’t necessarily invite of superlatives, it does get by with a combination of catchy rhythms and Issa’s surprisingly capable singing ability. However  beyond those elements the song fails to convince as an arresting ode to the endurance of love and instead merely passes as pleasing to the ears. The lyrics aren’t as inventive as one would expect, although such an expectation would be unwarranted since this is his first foray into the singer/songwriter domain. Even with that criticism it would still fit well as an accompaniment to social occasions that demands of the songs amorous mood, a wedding or engagement party perhaps.
There is also a sense of threadbare hollowness to the song with the drum-work shimmering but failing to be thick and resolute enough to ground and rally the accompanying instrumentation.
That being said we still get the feeling that ‘Love Never Fails’ still accomplishes the feat of likability especially if its initial reception is anything to go by. We do hope that there is more to come from 1000 Fahrenheit.
PS: We are still unable to trace a link to the song but we will share it as soon as it becomes available.
Review by:
Yvonne Ndubi & Daniel Kobimbo