After fourteen years, the eclectic doom outfit return with a massive new undertaking.
The collective that is Alan Dubin (Deathstench, ex-O.L.D.), Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O)))), James Plotkin (ex-Khlyst), and Tim Wyskida (ex-Khlyst) live again through To Be Cruel — the band's 3-track, 60 minute fifth album with merciless cover artwork by way of Karl Lemieux. Released today by the always consistent Sacred Bones Records, To Be Cruel finds Khanate bound by no pressure built on pre-release anticipation or antics. Instead, it's as true and honest to their craft, expanding upon an already grand scope of work that precedes it through an intentional use of space, craftsmanship, and lyrical depth. To further celebrate the surprise occasion, the band will be reissuing their back catalogue, which includes Clean Hands Go Foul (2009), Capture & Release (2005), Things Viral (2003), and Khanate (2001), on physical formats in the near future and have made them available via streaming services.
Drummer Tim Wyskida comments:
“Stephen (O’Malley) and I had an opportunity to record music together for a Drag City compilation in 2016, it was then that we recognized we wanted to do more together. We booked an incredible studio in Woburn, England to record the guitar and drum parts that would become the basis of To Be Cruel. We shared those initial recordings with James [Plotkin] and Alan [Dubin], who were as motivated as we were to create new Khanate music. James began arranging the material and developing new ideas as soon as he heard the tracks, and Alan immediately started crafting the lyrics.”
Stephen adds:
“Orgone, the studio Tim mentioned, is in an isolated area, set in the middle of the fields of a huge royal estate. At one time, during World War II, it was an old radio building that broadcast fake German radio over the English Channel into occupied France.”
Stream To Be Cruel below and order your physical copy via Sacred Bones Records.
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