Khanate Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Khanate is the sound of true doom metal -- where the songs are torturously slow and excruciatingly drawn out (their albums only feature a handful of songs, due to each one's extended length). On their first release for the Hydra Head label (and third full-length overall), 2005's Capture and Release, Khanate has somehow managed to outdo themselves, by issuing a single album comprised of only a pair of tracks that clocks in at nearly 45 minutes -- something Yes didn't even accomplish back in their heyday. In fact, Khanate has more in common with free-form jazz improvisers from yesteryear, as it appears as though the quartet focuses more on feeding off each other more than following any set song structure. And as evidenced by both tracks, "Capture" and "Release," Khanate likes to stick to the original game plan from start to finish -- indecipherable/screamed vocals and sludgy, single-note guitar drones are the group's obsession. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There are many adjectives that can be used to describe Khanate's Things Viral -- adjectives that include tortured, twisted, dark, morbid, despairing, ominous, and pessimistic. But one thing that this doom metal CD will never be called is fast. While grindcore, death metal, black metal, and thrash metal are all known for their insanely fast tempos, Things Viral is the exact opposite -- Khanate's Black Sabbath-influenced riffs crawl along at an amazingly slow tempo. But then, Sabbath's albums were never as consistently slow as Things Viral -- and Sabbath never had a lead vocalist who sounded like AC/DC's Bon Scott. Alan Dubin, Khanate's lead singer, does have a very Scott-like voice -- although what he does with it isn't very AC/DC-ish. AC/DC has always been a party band; Things Viral, however, is far from party music. This is doom metal at its most depressing, and no rays of sunlight enter the world of despair that Dubin describes in a most painful, tortured way. Both musically and lyrically, this CD has an extremely dark cloud hovering over its head. And while some doom metal is melodic and musical, Khanate's ultra-slow brutality is dissonant, noisy, distorted, and abrasive. Things Viral has a lot in common with the equally unforgiving Grief; like Grief, Khanate epitomizes doom metal's lunatic fringe. Of course, metal as extreme as Things Viral isn't everyone's cup of tea -- like grindcore, death metal, free jazz, and techno/rave music, this type of doom metal is very much an acquired taste. But that doesn't mean that the members of Khanate aren't good at what they do -- actually, they're great at what they do. And for those who have a taste for Grief and similar doom bands, Things Viral offers considerable rewards. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Doom metal may be the only genre where the words "dismal" and "wretched" are used as compliments, but if that seems strange, then take a brief listen to this album -- very much a doom metal recording -- and then try to imagine the band taking issue with such descriptions. Everything about it is carefully designed to evoke some feeling of pain, dread, or misery. The tempos are exaggeratedly slow, the vocals are yelped out in a high-pitched streak, the bass is distorted and sludgy, and the guitar spews out blasts of acidic feedback all over the place. But, Khanate realizes the difference between "good" dismal and "bad" dismal. Their songs are memorable, if unsettling -- "Pieces of Quiet" and "Skin Coat" are as close as this kind of discordant, snail-paced music comes to being "catchy" -- and they know how to pace their movements well enough to keep their ten-plus minute songs from wearing out their welcome. The production is also excellent, resulting in a very textured sound that's well defined on both the low end and the high end. All in all, an impressive debut that should appeal to fans of this type of bitter, black-hearted doom metal as much as it should repulse pretty much the rest of the listening public. ~ William York, All Music Guide
