Band:	Khanate
Album:	To Be Cruel
Style:	Doom metal, Extreme sludge metal
Release date:	May 19, 2023
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. Like A Poisoned Dog
02. It Wants To Fly
03. To Be Cruel

To Be Cruel could very well be the most terrifying album of this year. It’s impossible for me to get straight to the point and explain what this album means to me. Partly because this album doesn’t go straight to the jugular. It insists on torturing you. Very, very, slowly.

Khanate is without a doubt my favorite band in which Stephen O’Malley is involved. Yes, that includes the mighty Sunn O))). As I have previously mentioned in our articles covering the works of SOMA, Khanate takes the drone metal and molds it into a depraved beast. Instead of creating bizarre landscapes of otherworldly horrors like some of the big names in drone metal, Khanate is a very physical, tangible sonic nightmare. The band’s sludge metal influences make the riffs stand out and hit with full force every time, while the pauses add the terror felt when one is waiting for the next beating. This end product couldn’t be completed without James Plotkin, Tim Wyskida and Alan Dubin of course. They define the Khanate sound with their previous works in just the same way as SOMA does. After all, James and Alan carry their own twisted experiences with O.L.D., at the same time as James and Tim created other types of sonic terrorism with Jodis and Khlyst. So basically, Khanate is to me the ultimate representation of drone metal with the highest pedigree involved.

Khanate’s sophomore album, Things Viral, changed my life as it marked a before and after when it comes to appreciating ambient music. How can a musical experience actually cause physical pain and fear? I became addicted to the album and as much as I love Khanate’s other works for their different styles, they never felt as impactful to me. But, out of nowhere, Khanate decides to return 14 years after the release of Clean Hands Go Foul. And damn my weak body because To Be Cruel is a horrifyingly good comeback.

Being masters of building up tension, Khanate takes its sweet time before unleashing the full attack on your senses. First comes the painful feedback, then the unnerving cymbals, followed by a single strike of the drum and finally the corrosive riffs. And then repeat with added effects. It looks simple in theory but the way Khanate manages to add layers, twists and turns on every detail ever so slightly is what keeps you in suspense. In this regard, I want to add a special mention to the drums. It’s not common to think about drum work when you talk about drone metal. But the excellent drumming of Tim Wyskida demonstrates why many bands in the genre should give more attention to the drum kit. The meticulous playing with the cymbals creates a tension that can be maintained for a long time, while the release created when the drums are hit right before the riffs are played feels as alarming and terrifying as a shotgun blast in an abandoned house.

It takes a solid 5 minutes before Alan screams for the first time, if you exclude the disturbing heavy breathing, that is. And damn it all if his vocals do not make the hairs at the back of your neck rise up. Ah, Alan. I missed you so much, you crazy motherfucker! How has his voice not changed at all after decades of screaming his lungs out? What is truly disturbing about his performance is how he manages to take both the role of the torturer and the tortured. To hear his painful anguish and then witness how he suddenly retaliates in vile anger and sadism is quite an experience. The perverted lyrics may seem simple, but the way each word is said, and how each pause emphasizes their meaning, creates a truly demented vibe. The second track, “It Wants To Fly” is particularly disturbing in this regard as it feels like you are trapped in a basement and Alan carefully goes through the “procedure”. When he slowly whispers and mocks you with the lines, “This is the part you forget how to breathe… While you look at your lung. LOOK AT YOUR LUNG!”, it just hits you in a way that is 1000 different flavors of "NOPE".

The way these three songs progress is absolutely outstanding. There is a constant teasing with these tiny shifts in moods to let you breathe just a little bit. It gives me the shivers as I feel like I’m about to explode, but I never reach that point. To Be Cruel achieved that in the same way their masterpiece Things Viral did. In that regard, they are pretty much equal in quality. But To Be Cruel achieves this in a different way. It’s not creepingly surreal like Things Viral and has less electronic effects. So it goes for a much more physical style of horror. A product of a production work which gives a very fiery sound to the guitars and bass, but with an abrasive tone as if the strings were rusted.

To be Cruel is one hell of a claustrophobic workout. It embodies everything I can imagine when I think of the concept of “torture music”. I understand this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you have the slightest interest in horror media, then this is a must album for you. Its aura will stick to you for a long time, I promise. Welcome back, Khanate!

“It starts with a wince
You can look away…
But I think you should see”