I have to be perfectly honest here… when this CD reached my mailbox with its cardboard sleeve and only 2 tracks, I was wondering if I was to review a single. Then, of course, I looked at the length of the two tracks aptly titled “Capture” and “Release” (18:13 and 25:03 respectively) and the involvement of Stephen O’Malley of the infamous Sunn O))) and I said to myself, “Okay, I have a very fucked up listen in store for myself.” The long and short of it is, damn if I wasn’t right.

Joining Mr. O’Malley in this 2 track adventure into hell is vocalist… um… screamer Alan Dubin and bassist James Plotkin (both formerly of the band Old) and drummer Tim Wyskida. Given O’Malley’s duties in Sunn O))), it seems that this is not so much an actual band as opposed to a breeding pit for absolute insanity. Calling this your average doom metal side project is like calling Yngwie some guy with a guitar… there’s a hell of a lot more happening here. The key focus of this project is NOT to make you rock out, have fun or escape anything. Instead they paint a sort of bleak sonic landscape similar to, say, GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR and the like. As you listen to this album, you wind up taking away the dark, tortured vibe of the music as opposed to any sort of memorable or catchy riff like, say, any other form of music. As such, this album is most certainly not for everyone. This is music that just barely has any sort of form to it at all, and for most people it may not sound like much more than noise. Then again, this is clearly KHANATE’s intent here and I highly doubt that they intend on having, or want, a wide audience.

Of these two tracks, the second seems to take precedence over the first—not just because the listener is (slightly) more familiar with what the band is about, but “Release” is simply more intense, more dark and more tortured, not to mention the fact that the lyrics are far more intelligible here… over and over again is repeated “It’s cold when I’m near you / I release / and everything you are / is on the ground / broken, opened and spitting / Leaves soak, they drink / You are blood, that’s all.” Someone give Mr. Dubin a hug, please? Oddly enough, though this track is more accessible, it also shows less and less form as it progresses… the drums are at an absolute bare minimum, that is, until the maniacal crescendo at the end. Then again, it all still sounds finely orchestrated—these aren’t just a bunch of drugged out guys “experimenting”. Every sound is deliberate on here, and that’s what makes the listener all the more freaked out about the whole experience… you will think these guys are literally insane. If you don’t feel the slightest bit chilled after listening to this, you have no soul.

Although I can see “Capture & Release” for the bold work of art that it is, there are countless people that will never be able to. Not even the hardest core of doom fans are guaranteed to really grasp what it’s about. As previously stated, this album was created for an elite few (as the Bard would say, “We few, we happy few”) so if you give it a try and it’s not your thing, don’t sweat it—just listen to the new CANDLEMASS and go on with your life. Otherwise, if you really want to delve into something that pushes all boundaries and just might make you soil yourself, KHANATE’s “Capture & Release” is an intriguing and worthwhile listen.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/khanatefans

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