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Khanate

Jun 17, 2025 By Matthew Berlyant Photography by Matthew Berlyant Web Exclusive

The doom/drone/experimental metal band Khanate’s first hometown show in twenty years promised to be an event, and that it most certainly was. The event was so anticipated, first off, that they not only sold out this opening night of a two-night stand at Le Poisson Rouge (much larger than the clubs they used to play back in the early to mid ‘00s; their last NYC show was at the tiny Mercury Lounge in 2005), but had to add a second show to quell demand for their return.

For the uninitiated, think of the slowest, heaviest band you can think of (say, the earliest, sludgiest work of The Melvins or even ‘90s stalwarts Grief) and multiply that by ten. It is a painful noise, on one level, yet on another, transcendent, totally captivating, and despite its turgid tempos, the polar opposite of anything even resembling boring. First off, it helps that guitarist Stephen O’Malley (most famous for Sunn 0)) but also of Burning Witch and other projects) has a tone that could cut glass, every riff feeling like an assault on one’s ears and at times, bodies as well, given the sheer impact of their onstage volume.

And then there is the vocals and stage presence of Alan Dubin, who stalks the stage like a tiger while the band bludgeons the audience’s eardrums, and when he shouted, it had the aural impact of Vesuvius erupting on Pompeii. It was almost uncomfortable to watch at times, but extreme music isn’t supposed to be comfortable. Nevertheless, I can’t imagine anyone left unsatisfied, as the audience seemed to know exactly what we were all getting into.

All in all, they played only four songs during their hour-long set, including the title track of their 2023 comeback album To Be Cruel, and several older compositions as well. At an average of about fifteen minutes each, it’s remarkable that they can keep a sold-out crowd’s attention all the way through, but this is remarkable music we’re talking about here.
Krallice guitarist and longtime local metal luminary/legend Mick Barr opened the show with a set of instrumental guitar playing, displaying his virtuosity and warming up the crowd nicely for the brutality to come. It was the second time I’d seen him at the same venue this year (see my review of Krallice HERE.