Posted on: December 2, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Khann – Tofutopia / 2007 Metal Blade / 19 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/khannn / http://www.blackmarketactivities.com /

Khann blasts through a great deal of the tracks on “Tofutopia” with barely minute long salvos. Individuals may think that the band is operating under a normal tempo and runtime when it comes to the introductory track “Meteor”, but are thrown into a tizzy with the grind heavy sound of “Himalayan Green”. There is little technical finesse present during these earlier tracks, but one cannot criticize Khann for being too light. The band beats down and shreds listeners into a pulp with the aforementioned “Himalayan Green” and the follow-up “Pralay”. While there are a number of different song titles to demarcate different segments of the disc, it feels like Khann at times are just jamming together and sticking song titles on at random intervals.

This is not saying that any of the songs on the disc are lacking, but rather that they all enjoy a very cohesive relationship between one another. “Anodynic Spheres” is the first track on “Tofutopia” that breaks with this relationship. A slower, more deliberate sound starts off this track, and while there is not necessarily a technical clinic being offered, the band shows that they are more than capable in creating arrangements that will get individuals focused onto their music and the rest of “Tofutopia”. The three minutes of “Anodynic Spheres” are expanded into what feels more like six or nine minutes; the blending of slower and thrashier components during this track make this into Khann’s first out and out hit. While individuals will only be able to likely find this track on Headbangers’ Ball, the potential audience for this track is much larger than any of the Agoraphobic Nosebleed-length tracks that preceded it.

The grind comes back with a vengeance during “Cleanse”, and while there are slower pieces to the band’s output during this track, the time goes by in a blur as the band rends, tears down, and restores the metal to “Tofutopia”. Khann is one of the few bands that can come up with a different sound for a majority of tracks on an album of nearly twenty songs; the act pushes the grind and thrash genres to their breaking point to create what is a unique sound all around. Khann’s “Tofutopia” is one of the hardest albums of the year, and it allows individuals to go forth and replay the album countless times before setting the disc up into one’s collection.

Top Tracks: Pralay, Cleanse

Rating: 7.1/10

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