KhemmisDesolation

Doom rock has never been as dank as in Desolation, the third album from Denver powerhouse Khemmis.

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There’s an overriding sense of urgency within this six-track collection, the quartet delivering fantastical tales through metaphors for real life struggles, given life by a heavy metal energy atop traditional doom. Khemmis tear their way through this performance with a relentless resolution and have seemingly forgotten how to breathe as they don’t let up for a moment–but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Khemmis make a big sound in Desolation and are clearly evolving with each release.

Opener Bloodletting, sluggish at best even for a doom album, should perhaps have switched places with its descendent Isolation, an altogether rip-roaring number of duelling guitars, soaring vocals and pulsating drums that makes a better statement. Overwrought by the lauding tones of vocalist Phil Pendergast, who takes every opportunity to raise the performance bar with ambitious melodies and visits to the extremes of each end of his range, the second track is definitely indicative of the standard of the rest of the album.

Khemmis set themselves a precedent from this point. Flesh To Nothing sees the chorus’ vocals deepen, Maw Of Time gives rise to the bands roots in black metal as it works hard to throw in a few nods from the guitars with a grandiose flair.

Khemmis make a big sound in Desolation and are clearly evolving with each release. They’re at the forefront of the doom game with a brand new cocktail of monolithic noise that everyone should sample– classic doom with a twist of heavy metal and a slice of prog, ready to be knocked back in one quick hit of flavourful noise.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Flesh To Nothing, The Seer, From Ruin
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