Five years is a long time in heavy music.
Long enough for bands to splinter into side projects, announce farewell tours, or return under the banner of a lucrative reunion.
KHEMMIS have done none of those things. Instead, the Colorado quartet took the time to regroup, welcome new bassist David Small into the fold, and refine their vision. The result is "Khemmis", a self-titled fifth album that feels less like a fresh start and more like the definitive statement of everything this band has been building toward for over a decade.
From the opening moments of “Invocation Of The Dreamer”, it becomes apparent that KHEMMIS have reconnected with the spirit that made "Hunted" such a landmark release. The riffs are colossal yet elegant, steeped in the grand tradition of epic doom while retaining the melodic immediacy that has always set the band apart. Phil Pendergast’s soaring vocals cut through the gloom like a beacon in a storm, while Ben Hutcherson’s growls are deployed with far greater restraint than before, adding weight and menace without disrupting the album’s emotional flow.
“Corpsebloom Garden” and the magnificent “Grief’s Reverie” further underline why KHEMMIS remain one of the most compelling forces in modern doom metal. The influence of Candlemass is impossible to ignore, but these songs never feel derivative. Instead, they channel that classic sense of grandeur through a distinctly modern lens, combining towering melodies with the emotional depth of bands like Pallbearer and YOB. “Grief’s Reverie” in particular is a masterclass in dramatic songwriting, its sweeping vocal lines carrying an almost overwhelming sense of melancholy and triumph.
Elsewhere, “Beneath The Scythe” embraces classic metal heroism through soaring leads and thunderous momentum, while “Gilded Chambers” injects a welcome burst of urgency with its driving D-beat opening. Even more surprising is “Carrion King”, whose blastbeats and death metal undercurrent push KHEMMIS into darker and more aggressive territory without sacrificing their unmistakable identity.
Yet for all its heaviness, the album never loses sight of melody. “Tomb Of Roses” transforms mortality into something strangely beautiful, balancing sorrow and defiance with remarkable grace. Then comes “Benediction Tones”, an album closer of rare stature. Majestic, turbulent and utterly timeless, it gathers every thread woven throughout the record and elevates them into one final, breathtaking crescendo.
If there is a minor blemish, it lies in a production that occasionally feels a touch too modern and clinical, particularly in the drum sound. But that is a negligible concern in the face of such exceptional songwriting. KHEMMIS have not merely delivered another excellent album; they have distilled their entire artistic identity into its purest form. Heavy, dark, triumphant and endlessly rewarding, "Khemmis" stands as both a celebration of the band’s past and a powerful reminder that they remain among the finest practitioners of epic doom metal today.
-Helge Neumann
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