KHEMMIS

Heavy metal really doesn't need to be overly complicated. As much as we like to separate bands off into different genres and to police any boundaries that exist, the truth is that the majority of people just want big riffs, big melodies and plenty of attitude. As a result, some of the most effective bands currently operating in the metal world are those who prize the musical basics over any thoughts of tribalism or genre purity. KHEMMIS spring to mind. Having made light work of their transition from the underground to a big, mainstream metal label on 2021's widely acclaimed "Deceiver", the Denver quartet now seem to have fully embraced their status as modern metal outliers, and their former identity as a doom metal band has blossomed out into something much more instinctive and liberated. As is often the case with self-titled records, "Khemmis" marks the moment that this band redefine themselves for the foreseeable future. Although still undeniably doom-adjacent, KHEMMIS have matured into an authentic, 21st century heavy metal band, and one primarily concerned with songs that have the potential to be lapped up by a much broader audience than the one that turned early albums like "Absolution" (2015) and "Hunted" (2016) into cult hits.

The sheer confidence and power behind these eight new tracks is unmistakable. "Khemmis" sounds absolutely fucking enormous. Built from colossal riffs, some truly uplifting vocal melodies, and shrewd levels of progressive ingenuity, it confirms that its creators are utterly comfortable with defying a few genre rules. By focusing on songwriting, and the humble thrill of playing this stuff in the first place, KHEMMIS are rapidly transcending their underground origins and becoming something measurably greater. For its speaker-shredding production and life-affirming guitar tones alone, "Khemmis" deserves a glittering trophy. But what really connects this time around are these songs: big, smart and beautiful heavy metal songs, performed with a surfeit of passion and several tons of grit.

Although their evolution has been incremental — no sudden changes of direction here, thankfully — KHEMMIS have clearly arrived at their fifth album with a strong desire to make a statement. "Invocation of the Dreamer" does most of the work for them. Far beyond thunderous and yet melodically incisive, it showcases the band's newly enhanced self-belief. Phil Pendergast and Ben Hutcherson's harmonies and overall vocal chemistry have reached a new level of efficacy, convincingly underpinned by some of the strongest riffs they have yet penned. The same is true of "Corpsebloom Garden": a fiendishly accessible maze of killer riffs and soaring top lines replete with masterful death growls and occasional bursts of virtuoso showboating. Rich with twin-guitar harmonies and deft changes of pace and emphasis, it's a masterclass in modern metal songwriting and, despite its melancholy tone, both exhilarating and euphoric.

Elsewhere, "Khemmis" offers variations on the same monstrously heavy but elegantly tuneful theme. "Grief's Reverie" is a particularly lethal exercise in flamboyant pathos, with a near-chorus refrain that sounds destined for the arena circuit. "Beneath the Scythe" is a more epic and aggressive affair, with lots of classic metal tropes filtered through KHEMMIS's internal logic, and some heroic guitar solos that truly soar. "Gilded Chambers" is the album's gnarliest song by far, and yet it is as bright-eyed and streamlined as this band has ever been; "Tomb of Roses" neoclassical intro is eminently classy, and what transpires thereafter is another object lesson in how to write metal songs that pack an emotional and visceral punch; and the blastbeat-driven "Carrion King" harks gently back to the band's early works, while dragging that elevated doom metal strain firmly into this new era of all-encompassing heaviness. The finest song of the lot, "Benediction Tones" is an album closer for the ages: tough, turbulent and timeless, it brings "Khemmis" to a close with an immaculate flourish.

Not just their best album yet, but also a great leap forward that repays the faith that their fanbase has put in them over the years, this is ridiculously enjoyable on every level.