WTF my mind has just been melted by the surprise KHANATE record entitled To Be Cruel that is out now on the forever awesome Sacred Bones Records! Unholy hell yes, this just might be the DOOM album of 2023 and I can’t get enough. Every song is a well thought-cerebral horror film that will freak you out and make you think about your existence on this planet. Words like Dismal and Bleak come to mind as the tortured riffs that they lay down creep into my reality. This record has an overwhelming sense of despair that reeks of internal and external pain.
This is way more than an ordinary DOOM album, this is a masterclass in GLOOM-induced manufactured torment. On the death hymn that is “Like a Poisoned Dog,” Alan Dubin’s voice becomes one with the sonic hatred that his band members create. I find the meaning of To Be Cruel in the space and atmosphere that KHANATE manifests. I find a sense of twisted happiness in the snarling and grim feedback that is created on every song! While listening to “It Wants to Fly,” I begin to feel as if my soul is being suffocated but I don’t want the feeling to end! To Be Cruel is a record that needs many listens to fully understand the depth and complexities of this album. It’s a trip but as I immerse myself in the 20-minute title track, I think about how this album reminds me stark industrial beauty of Berlin. I want to thank KHANATE for surprising us all with what might be the DOOM album of 2023!
