KHEMMIS - Hunted
Last year Khemmis released their debut album Absolution, which turned out to be my favorite album of 2015. The annual best-of-whatever lists make for good clicks and traffic, but how many of those top albums hold up down the line, even a year later? Plenty of listeners and critics are guilty of breathlessly holding up a particular release with varying iterations of "hands down the best (x) of the year!" while six months later said album is almost forgotten, due to any number of factors outside the band's control. The one thing completely within a band's control is crafting records that make a lasting impression, not just this week but forever. Absolution received numerous accolades, but the best compliment Khemmis can get is that loads of people are still spinning that album on a regular basis, fifteen months after it came out; practically a century in today's over-saturated musical landscape.
Which brings us to sophomore effort Hunted. The Denver quartet smartly retained the key non-musical components from Absolution, namely producer Dave Otero and artist Sam Turner. Otero captures the big, bold doom that is now Khemmis' signature sound with crystalline clarity, yet never sacrifices heaviness for lucidity. It reflects the balance the band works within, where light and dark compliment rather than conflict. That's how Sabbath and Neurosis work, so why tinker with a winning formula? Turner's artwork brings back the foreboding wizard from the Absolution cover, this time trading the Ralph Bakshi-type warrior vixen for several undead soldiers, mounted on steeds and heading for battle. Teal is not a particularly metal color, but the overall palette works very well here.
At 5 tracks and just under 44 minutes, Hunted enjoys a brevity that does not detract from its traditional doom underpinnings. "Above The Water" starts things by making no bones about what Khemmis is looking to achieve: powerfully emotive heavy metal with enough hooks and groove to make a thousand beards weep. Guitarist and "clean" vocalist Phil Pendergast is given even more room to let his soaring croon loose on the proceedings; it isn't until halfway through second track "Candlelight" that any growls appear, and they stick mostly to the background. Pendergast is fast approaching Ozzy/Dio/Wino territory, where a metal band is known for a compelling and enigmatic singer (that actually sings) as much as their instrumental virtuosity.
"Three Gates" is perfectly placed at the center of Hunted, breaking up the forlorn melancholia with a bona fide High On Fire-type rager. Co-guitarist Ben Hutcherson leads off with the low-end snarling vocals, which match the heavier, burlier riffs perfectly. The call and response between he and Pendergast at a certain point recalls Alive Or Just Breathing-era Killswitch Engage, back before "good cop/bad cop" turned into carbon copy metalcore histrionics.
On the back end, "Beyond The Door" and "Hunted" make up half the album's running time, and both songs allow the band to stretch their legs and really shine. Extended solos abound but instead of overindulging they tend to lead to new places, backed by an indefatigable rhythm section. Lots of doom and sludge bands have great riffs, but tend to focus on them so repetitively that they lose their luster. Even on the 13-minute plus title track closer, Khemmis create perpetual waves within the song, introducing new elements while relegating other parts to codas so the structure of "Hunted" never loses its skeleton.
"Progressive" has a lot of unpleasant associations in metal at this point, as it has become a synonym for self-appeasement, stasis and all around wankery: the opposite of progress, basically. Bring it back to its true meaning and you have growth, development and an escalation of new ideas. By that definition, Khemmis have made a truly progressive album.
Hunted will be released by 20 Buck Spin on October 21. Preorders are available HERE.
