Khanate
Things Viral
Southern Lord 2003
By Nathan Pearce
If you didnt like Khanates debut, dont bother reading this review. You still wont like Khanate. However, if you enjoy gut-wrenching, sick, black, black, black, evil, torture-me-please! music, youll really be in for a treat. Khanate has returned!
Things Viral clocks in at a few second shy of one hour, with only four songs (I guess Ill call them songs). While the debut had slightly shorter, more punishing songs, Things Viral concentrates on VERY, VERY slowly torturing the listener (not that the debut was much faster, though). Things Viral uses a little less feedback, and a lot more silence. The vocals/lyrics have also gained some importance in the overall mix. Both these changes greatly add to the absolutely scare-the-hell-out-of-you feel that Khanate is undoubtedly going for. The last time a band could actually convince the listener that something eerie, violent, and deadly was lurking just outside was in the early 90s black metal scene. Khanate takes the totally black feel these bands had and applies it to slooooooooooow doom, and in my opinion, improves on it.
Alan Dubins vokill shrieks, rasps, and screams are very effectively used as the cadence for the atmospheric, random drumming and riffing that Khanate has down to a science. The lyrics Dubin spits out are not only excellent narrative but damn fine poetry as well. Heres an example:
outside: things ugly, things viral
loathe outside, inside loathe
inside: ugly, dismal, safe, nothing more needed
stay inside, stay inside, stay inside
Its like going to a poetry reading in hell. The band is simply there to emphasize these demented ramblings. Feedback ebbs and flows like a murky swamp about to engulf a rotting corpse, taking it to its depths for all eternity. The random, crashing, crushing riffs . . . sometimes with/without drums, sometimes with/without bass, sometimes with/without guitar. Khanate knows how to torture. Just when you think the silence is going to be ended by a crushing riff, the feedback fades back into the darkness. Just when you get used to that silence, youre kicked in the face with a crashing cymbal.
Khanate is so obviously on another plane of existence I wont expect very many people to enjoy this music (is it music?) the way I do. However, do yourself a favor and at least give them a chance. This isnt simply slooooooooow doom. Its a lesson in blackened, extreme, evil art.
10/10
www.southernlord.com
Things Viral
Southern Lord 2003
By Nathan Pearce
If you didnt like Khanates debut, dont bother reading this review. You still wont like Khanate. However, if you enjoy gut-wrenching, sick, black, black, black, evil, torture-me-please! music, youll really be in for a treat. Khanate has returned!
Things Viral clocks in at a few second shy of one hour, with only four songs (I guess Ill call them songs). While the debut had slightly shorter, more punishing songs, Things Viral concentrates on VERY, VERY slowly torturing the listener (not that the debut was much faster, though). Things Viral uses a little less feedback, and a lot more silence. The vocals/lyrics have also gained some importance in the overall mix. Both these changes greatly add to the absolutely scare-the-hell-out-of-you feel that Khanate is undoubtedly going for. The last time a band could actually convince the listener that something eerie, violent, and deadly was lurking just outside was in the early 90s black metal scene. Khanate takes the totally black feel these bands had and applies it to slooooooooooow doom, and in my opinion, improves on it.
Alan Dubins vokill shrieks, rasps, and screams are very effectively used as the cadence for the atmospheric, random drumming and riffing that Khanate has down to a science. The lyrics Dubin spits out are not only excellent narrative but damn fine poetry as well. Heres an example:
outside: things ugly, things viral
loathe outside, inside loathe
inside: ugly, dismal, safe, nothing more needed
stay inside, stay inside, stay inside
Its like going to a poetry reading in hell. The band is simply there to emphasize these demented ramblings. Feedback ebbs and flows like a murky swamp about to engulf a rotting corpse, taking it to its depths for all eternity. The random, crashing, crushing riffs . . . sometimes with/without drums, sometimes with/without bass, sometimes with/without guitar. Khanate knows how to torture. Just when you think the silence is going to be ended by a crushing riff, the feedback fades back into the darkness. Just when you get used to that silence, youre kicked in the face with a crashing cymbal.
Khanate is so obviously on another plane of existence I wont expect very many people to enjoy this music (is it music?) the way I do. However, do yourself a favor and at least give them a chance. This isnt simply slooooooooow doom. Its a lesson in blackened, extreme, evil art.
10/10
www.southernlord.com
