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KHEMMIS “Khemmis”
KHEMMIS “Khemmis”
By Mercyful Mike
A new KHEMMIS album has presented itself, and while it is only 5 years removed from “Deceiver”, it feels considerably longer. Why? I’m not exactly sure. KHEMMIS is a band that while hugely talented, has failed to keep my attention beyond the monumental “Hunted”. Subsequent albums became a bit messy with unnecessary changes in direction, which left me a bit baffled if I’m being honest. This is most likely why I thought they had exceeded a 5 year absence. Their newly released self-titled outing has lived in my ears for a few weeks now, so here’s where I’m at with it...
KHEMMIS have always mastered the art of infusing doom into their creations, but from the onset of “Invocation of the Dreamer”, I felt as though KHEMMIS had gone full blown Norwegian. The black metal tone, riffing, and intermittent blast beats completely caught me off guard. Has KHEMMIS dabbled with this prior? Yes, but not to this blatant level. As the verses commence, things settle down into familiar territory, mainly the brilliant vocal exchanges and riff battles between Ben Hutcherson and Phil Pendergast.
“Corpsebloom Garden” croons with sprinkled guttural vocals for maximum effect, and the layered solo at 3:42 may be the most soaring on the album. “Grief’s Reverie” and “Beneath the Scythe” bring the doom front and center, mixing the classic sound of CANDLEMASS with the modern take of SORCERER. Epic, yet expansive. Here again, it cannot be understated just how important the vocals are to keeping the KHEMMIS atmosphere alive. These songs would lack personality without the emotional delivery of Pendergast and Hutcherson.
At this point, things get a bit monotonous for me. I don’t want to use the term “samey”, but I don’t hear much separation between these songs on the back half. Luckily, that changes a bit with “Carrion King”. Back to the black metal musings, this song opens up wide and vast, with deathy vocals that compliment the solo on top of the riffs. Possibly the darkest song on the album, and maybe in the entire KHEMMIS catalog? Definitely a stand out track for me.
Oh, how I wanted closer “Benediction Tones” to knock me out, but it unfortunately missed the mark. I have zero issues with bands using death metal vocals, but in KHEMMIS’ case, less is more, and I feel they should have dialed it back with this particular song. I don’t find “Benediction Tones” to be a particularly strong song to conclude with, so dropping in yet more deathy vocals comes off as distracting.
Is “Khemmis” a bad album? No, not at all. It is quality metal from a quality band many of us hold dear. I’ll take it a step further and say it is wholeheartedly an improvement on “Deceiver”. Is it a “return to form”? Eh… depends on where you feel that “form” lies. For me, “Hunted” is the high water mark, and I feel it will forever be. Ultimately, if “Khemmis” brings joy to your metal ear, then who the hell am I to tell you otherwise?
7/10
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