Khemmis - Deceiver

Rustbelt Rock Reviews

By: Z.M. Delgado

Zackolantern.com

Volume #9: Khemmis – “Deceiver”

Release date: November 19, 2021

Nuclear Blast

This installment of Rustbelt will be discussing a band I just recently stumbled upon. For those of you who read my last post, you will already be familiar with Khemmis. You’ll recall them as the first act from the Mastodon tour that just tore through the Cleveland Agora. This week’s review is the result of my rule about always trying to get to the show early to catch the opening acts. I was well in place to see Khemmis perform and I am glad I was. I was so impressed by their set that I went home and bought their newest album “Deceiver” the following morning. For about $7 on bandcamp, I got 6 songs of absolutely incredible Heavy Metal. 

Khemmis is Stoner/Sludge outfit hailing from Denver, CO. Combining Full lengths and EP’s, “Deceiver” is the fifth release from the band in the decade they have been active. Now I have not heard the back catalogue, and for this band I am sort of glad I haven’t. I am very impressed with the brief glimpse I’ve had into the world of Khemmis, and I want to try to sell you this band from that perspective: I am a new fan, who is excited to share his most recent discovery with all of you. 

Named for an ancient Egyptian city, there is a mysterious veil surrounding this act from the first introduction. There are spellbinding and mystical themes throughout the lyrics. (“Threads become stained, weaving thoughts into blades, they cry for release in the night.”- House of Cadmus) Dark and emotive, Vocalist Phil Pendergast, narrates some personal quest, in terms too poetic to be nailed down to any one man’s struggle. This vaguely fantasy motif makes them easily adapted to the listeners own journey. “Journey…” that’s a good word for describing this band. That is a feeling I got from both the live set and even more so on the album. Each song definitely takes the listener on a journey. Take for instance, “Avernal Gate” the album, and the live set’s, opening number. This starts with some soft melodic clean guitar piece, and then quickly breaks into a chugging, complex riff. From there Pendergast’s voice joins the mix with “Burn the veil of heresy, before it takes another life, when hope dies with every dream, ashes raining from the skies,” setting a dark and ominous direction for the album. The song then leads you on a lengthy (over 7 minute) road, filled with driving rhythms, soaring solos and lengthy technical instrumental progressions. Pendergast’s almost hypnotic clean vocals are contrasted by the monstrous growls and screams of Ben Hutcherson (Guitar/Bass/Vocals) bringing elements of Death and Black Metal into the mix. This is one of the best and most unique elements in the Khemmis equation. They utilize these more aggressive vocal styles only occasionally for accent and to great effect. Some bands who attempt this try to constantly work in extreme vocals amongst clean ones which can become formulaic and repetitive. (Clean verse followed by screamed chorus/ screamed verses with emotional chorus… over and over again until the end of time.) What Khemmis does is hold true to the more melodic and instrumentally driven aspects of their sound, being a Stoner Metal Band first and foremost. Like true master craftsmen, they know to use the most intense tools in their toolbox only when necessary. Yet, when the job calls for more force than a hammer can deliver, then Khemmis reaches for the high explosives. “Shrouds of Lethe,” is perhaps my favorite song on the album, and also a prime example of this. It opens upon an honestly beautiful melody and builds ever so steadily. After six minutes of smooth groove and beautiful guitar work, Hutcherson’s voice erupts forth like some sort of city swallowing leviathan of old: Pure devastation. What I like the most about Khemmis’ use of their heavy vocals is that it all fits so seamlessly into the compositions. These portions are woven into the greater song structures with such care that they never seem jarring or abrupt. Rather, when they emerge they seem to be simply the next logical step the songs emotional development. 

Six songs in length, clocking in at 42 minutes… you do the math. These songs are long, well developed and have depth in both instrumentation and emotional range. It’s slow and sad; it’s fast and aggressive. It has beautiful melodies; it has pounding chords. It has soft harmonies; it has guttural screams. It has all of this and so much more, and it has it all in each and every song. Like I said, “journey” is the word for this record, and I meant it. Every track on “Deceiver” takes the listener on a journey into realms unseen.  The lyrical themes have a poetic quality that reminds me of Ronnie James Dio’s style. You can tell that the author is talking about something powerful he personally went through. Yet the lyrics are written using fantastic and descriptive language so that any specific meaning gets muddled; leaving it open to the fans interpretation. The truly great lyricists do this, allowing the veiled allegories of their message to become deeply personal to their fans. 

They were well chosen as an opening act for Mastodon and Opeth. I can see easily why fans of both bands went nuts for Khemmis last weekend. They have a style that I can only undersell here. How do you describe a musical composition to someone who has never heard it? With about the same level of accuracy that one could describe a Rainbow in the Dark to a blind man: poorly at best. Some things simply must be experienced firsthand. As I have said in the past: Bands with long and complex songs need time to be absorbed. Seeing Khemmis live was enough to show me they had something unique going on. That is a quality in a new band that I always hold in the highest esteem. Be unique. Find your own sound. I can usually tell you comparable acts in sound and style. I will normally identify a few obvious influences in an up and coming act. However, drawing inspiration from the greats is important and unavoidable. Being more than a cheap copy is what separates the future headliners from those who will be forgotten as former openers at best. Khemmis has a sound that is unique and complex enough to go the distance. After absorbing “Deceiver” for a week now, I have to say I am sold. As my first exposure to this very interesting and talented act, I believe it to be strong enough to warrant my highest recommendation: Buy this album! I intend to pick up all of its predecessors soon. Thanks for reading, and until next time: Rock on, Rustbelt!

-Z.M. Delgado

5/2/2022 

(Khemmis- “Deceiver”: Stoner Sludge Metal of the highest order. Heavy and Hypnotic; Khemmis delivers an album of truly epic talent and proportions. Highly recommend: Both sets of Horns way up for this one!)

Khemmisdoom.com

*You may have noticed I did not award this album an X/10 rating. I have found that I have no clear criteria for attaching a numbered rating to albums, and realized that was sort of silly. So until I come up with some convoluted system to measure by, I will use the less scientific yet far more accurate: Horns up (or not), and a recommendation for or against purchase. I don’t know if this is better or not, but here we are.