Posted on: June 19, 2010 Posted by: AAA NeuFutur.com Comments: 0

I forget, is a two track album a proclamation to the world that the band feels that they can hang in with such storied acts as Klaus Schultze and Jethro Tull, or does it just say that the band is a bunch of pretentious assholes? One thing that can be said about bands that use such drawn out tracks (the shorter of the two tracks is still a shade over eighteen minutes) is that typically, they are very deliberate and methodical about their arrangements. I guess when the “pretentiousness” comes in is when an act goes for tracks of that length without having a clear game plan in place.

“Capture” is a track that has a structure to it, although the music itself may just be spread out enough that it only becomes obvious after someone is done listening to the track. The atonal screaming that comes to have such a large role in “Capture” really works well with the simplistic (at times just being chords) guitar lines, full of distortion that provide the bulk of the track. The one thing that is really striking about the bulk of “Capture’s” runtime is that Khanate comes through and does not change their general sound much at all. Many of the bands that do have extended tracks really tend to break these behemoths into smaller, more-digestible “movements”, but this is a full-blown, disjointed metal “epic” if I ever heard one.

When music does not really change over the course of eighteen minutes, it really shows listeners that Khanate can change up their arrangements continually even if there aren’t the typical aural goo-gahs to distract. Immersion may be necessary to properly get into “Capture & Release”, but this does not have the same compelling nature as something like Guapo’s “Black Oni” or (to use a prior example) Jethro Tull’s “Thick As A Brick”. Not to say that Khanate should pick up the flutes or anything, but there was a certain amount of audience involvement in both of the prior examples that is largely absent from this disc. Much of the same happens during “Release”, but the lighter distortion present really works with the screamed, gritty vocals on the track. From a purely technical viewpoint, Khanate’s “Capture & Release” should be essential listening for anyone who wants to know how to properly layout and arrange a song. For those individuals who want this to fulfill a noise or metal role, they should probably look towards a more accessible band for their desires.

Top Track: Release

Rating: 5.0/10

Khanate – Capture & Release / 2005 Hydra Head / 2 Tracks / http://www.ideologic.org / http://www.hydrahead.com / Reviewed 16 September 2005

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