Khemmis – Desolation

A sludgy, vintage treasure

Though it’s very hard to tell from their vintage old-school metal sound, Khemmis is a relatively new band on the metal scene. They released their first full-length album in 2015 and are now ripe with an astonishingly quick third release. Desolation builds on the sounds of 2015s Absolution and 2016s Hunted to give us something sludgy, catchy and special.

The two album singles, “Isolation” and “Bloodletting” begin the album with a bang. “Isolation” is the groovier and more rhythmically fascinating of the two, but “Bloodletting” does go on to create a docile, pensive atmosphere. “Isolation” especially channels the sounds of bands in the genre’s periphery such as Kvelertak and Baroness. There’s no denying the sludgy guitar tones of Khemmis were based on acts such as those listed above.

Although the LP is on the shorter side with only six tracks, the songs themselves each make for a distinct moment. Not to mention that most of the tracks are above the five-minute mark, meaning that Khemmis really isn’t skimping out here.

In particular, the seven-minute “Flesh to Nothing” shows some expert vocal harmonies and guitar work. The guitar in this track often switches from methodical lows to screeching highs, to stiff gallops over each minute. The song is truly a candidate for the best on the album, as it highlights all of the skills under the band’s umbrella.

“Maw of Time” is also a big hitter on Desolation. The introductory riff draws in the listener like light to flies and the song more than delivers on its initial promise. The vocals here veer more to the screaming side, with gutturals that make this track sound wrenching and brutal throughout. The song slows down towards the end, but the emotion keeps chugging as guitars whine and screech over a silent backing in the last 20 seconds, which leads beautifully into the intro of “From Ruin.”

“From Ruin” runs over nine minutes in an epic album finale. Guitar solos and harmonies make up most of the song, but the length and instrumentals really make the song sound like something off Trivium’s acclaimed masterpiece, Shogun. “From Ruin” proves to be a satisfying and distressful end to a solid six-track LP.

Desolation sounds like the combination of many different metal bands. In this way, the LP is quite unique as it uses familiar sounds and tones to create new formulas and elicit certain emotions. Distress, turmoil, fear: Desolation incites them all. This is the band’s best effort yet, and Khemmis looks to just be getting started.