I have been compiling a Qobuz list of classic heavy metal songs that I love for a soundtrack for evenings of beer and trying to get a chance to settle down after a constant bombardment of shitty news. The more I’ve made my way into more modern acts to add, I’ve realized just how much Khemmis fit across all eras, as their songs blend seamlessly.
The band’s new, fifth record is a self-titled affair, and it’s a pretty damn Khemmis record if we’re being honest. Which is good, by the way. Building off what they created on “Deceiver” (that was FIVE YEARS AGO?!) and adding more thorny moments more reminiscent of their first two records, the band—vocalist/guitarist Phil Pendergast, guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson, bassist David Small, drummer Zach Coleman—keeps their machine running smoothly and efficiently, creating sounds that burst with classic metal flavor, doomy clouds, and glorious power, making it something you can put on and get lost inside of while you take this journey with them.
“Invocation of the Dreamer” opens with guitars on fire, a glorious metallic blaze with Pendergast’s clean calls soaring. The chorus is a warmer, overtaking you, and the excitement takes a moment to exhale before Pendergast urges, “Breathe onto me, pull the tether from my neck,” before the swarm fades. “Corpsebloom Garden” is punchy as hell, the singing jolting, another sticky chorus flooding your senses. Leads encircle as Hutcherson’s growls wrench, adding ugliness to the proceedings, the battle against vile creatures spilling over, guitars burning into the night. “Grief’s Reverie” is punchy and burly, balmier than what preceded it, a slower, moodier pace digging in its claws. “Written on my lips is the invocation,” Pendergast calls, growls battering, warm leads pushing before the guitars glimmer into the distance. “Beneath the Scythe” has leads twisting and the pace galloping, the verses surging before the chorus rushes. The pace electrifies and then slips into a spacey, airy section, gliding as smoke builds before blanketing everything.
“Gilded Chambers” begins with hammering drumming, guitars catching fire, and a spirited rush, harmonized singing layering. Growls punish as the guitars flex, cool bursts sending ice daggers, the singing gripping as the final moments fade. “Tomb of Roses” dawns in acoustics before the pace ignites, Pendergast wailing, “Find the courage and strength to break these chains.” A thick fog hovers as the soloing cuts out of that, melting through the chaos, the moonlit chorus bathing in a fresh glow, the leads blazing to the stars. “Carrion King” is instantly crushing, growls punching as the intensity spikes, ugliness and light continually doing battle. “Behind the shame that binds me, no one can save me from myself,” Pendergast sings, the pace trudging, growls gutting, a slow-driving assault ending in echo. Closer “Benediction Tones” is a mauler with the singing rousing, growls smearing, and the pace smoldering dangerously. The chorus squeezes emotion as the band settles into a tasty classic rock groove, the guitars whipping a frenzy before going to the cosmos.
Khemmis always find a way to deliver like they do on this new self-titled creation, which is another sturdy volume in their growing library of classic metal and doom. There’s something from every era of the band on this record, and getting more grisly vocals from Hutcherson makes this a little thornier. This is a tried-and-true Khemmis record, an album that feels electric and adventurous from beginning to end.
For more on the band, go here: https://khemmisdoom.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://khemmis.bandcamp.com/album/khemmis-2
Meat Mead Metal 