"Deceiver" is the fourth full-length from the Denver doomsters KHEMMIS. A band that I have been following since their debut in 2015.
The melodic and gloomy depths of doom in the new wave format that they have mastered so well since the band’s debut.
The band is now a three-piece after the departure of bassist Dan Beiers. The band has been a bit withdrawn the last few years with some exceptions of a few covers, like "Rainbow In The Dark" (DIO), "Down In A Hole," (ALICE IN CHAINS), etc.
KHEMMIS’s "Deceiver" is a beautiful, musically ambitious journey from beginning to end drenched in impassioned melody and complex, unrestrained variations of sonic savagery adorned with chilling, intensely tragic cover art by frequent collaborator Sam Turner.
While the lyrical themes of "Deceiver", sorrow, pain, longing for hope, will no doubt be familiar to longtime fans, these six songs display a broader collection of musical influences than on any other KHEMMIS record to date.
From the opening guitar intro in "Avernal Gate" that suits up to be a real powerful melodic piece that burst out to its oblivion in the end. They really take advantage of every minute of their creation in a magical way without being overwhelmed by the good that few bands can do today. "House Of Cadmus" and "Shroud Of Lethe" are two tunes where both slowly move forward with beautiful and well-thought-out melody loops, soft vocals which over time become increasingly gross and violent, that later on falls back to the more gentle approach. “Living Pyre” the first single is about their personal growth as a band and as individuals, deals bitterness and even anger, with the lines “There’s nothing left to give, nothing to rake through coals”. Marvelous guitars on "Obsidian Crown", a great melodic tune that has a nice flow. The album closes up with the flag on the top in "The Astral Road", the nice acoustic guitar gets the first few lines until the electric entries and showcase a brilliant playing. A powerful heavy metal rocker, with a groovy melodic line that really peaks on this album, just stunning!
"Deceiver" is a well-created album, it needs a few spins before it starts to sink into your soul but when it does it will stay. "Deceiver" was released on November 19th via Nuclear Blast Records. Get it.
KHEMMIS are: Phil Pendergast, Ben Hutcherson, Zach Coleman
Today's tune "House Of Cadmus", taken from "Deceiver", enjoy!
The Denver based doommetal band KHEMMIS have announce that their new album, "Deceiver", is coming your way on November 19th via Nuclear Blast Records. Even better, you can now hear the first single, "Living Pyre", check out below.
While the lyrical themes of "Deceiver", sorrow, pain, longing for hope, will no doubt be familiar to longtime fans, these six songs display a broader collection of musical influences than on any other KHEMMIS record to date. “It being our 4th album, especially after the transition between the last two albums, it felt really freeing. We felt that we could really do anything on this record,” explains drummer Zach Coleman. “There’s a lot here that we’ve never done before,” adds Pendergast. “In some areas it gets darkly psychedelic. I think we found a cool way to mutate things using transitions that feel really natural. There is a subtle symmetry between the first and last songs which is one of the things that makes listening to the full album a satisfying holistic experience. It builds from almost nothing, becomes very dark, and then you slowly crawl out of that lowest circle of hell.”
KHEMMIS’s "Deceiver" is a beautiful, musically ambitious journey from beginning to end drenched in impassioned melody and complex, unrestrained variations of sonic savagery adorned with chilling, intensely tragic cover art by frequent collaborator Sam Turner.
KHEMMIS are:
Phil Pendergast, Ben Hutcherson, Zach Coleman
Today's tune “Living Pyre” is the first single from the upcoming album "Deceiver", it was a pivotal moment in the making of the album for Ben, Zach, and Phil. We had been struggling with coming to terms with what KHEMMIS means to us at this point in our lives, and what purpose this album would hold, more generally, for us and our personal growth as a band and as individuals. The majority of the instrumental came out of Ben in a single session, after feeling that he was finally in a good enough place mentally that he could connect to the creative spark again. For me, after many months of bitterness and even anger at the thought of having to dig so deeply into myself again to create something that I could feel passionately about, I decided to just express these feelings honestly and use them as a mission statement for the album. They were the first words I wrote for the album, and the first ones you hear on the first single from the album: “There’s nothing left to give, nothing to rake through coals”. In one of those rare, beautiful moments of artistic inspiration, the words came with the melody, and I could feel the seed of a concept for the whole album germinate in my mind. Enjoy!
"Roundabout" is a song by the English progressive rock band YES from their fourth studio album "Fragile", released in November 1971. It was written by singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe and produced by the band and Eddy Offord. The song originated when the band were on tour and travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow, and went through many roundabouts on the way.
Today's cover is made by the American extreme metal band ALLEGAEON from Fort Collins, Colorado.
ALLEGAEON embraced their love of prog last year, delivering a blistering and killer cover of the YES classic "Roundabout".
Singer Riley McShane said, “In this cover we try to showcase not only those influences, but also how we as individual musicians have been impacted by the music of yesteryear and how that impact has helped us to develop our own styles of playing.” It’s an impressive nod to a period of music that definitely impacted the band. The tune was released on April 3, 2020.
Today it was suppose to be the annual hard rock evening, an event that always takes place on eve of Twelfth Night in our small community of like minded friends. But this year it got cancelled as many other things because of the pandemic.
Well it's a sad thing, maybe we can do something later on together when it's back to normal again.
As a pretty sentmental guy as I am I guess a lookback would be great on a day like this. A few years back, 2018 to be more precice.
During this year the categories was made up with one single word only except for "Best Right Now".
2018 years line up of categories was:
1. Festival
2. Summer
3. Best Right Now
4. Nostalgia
5. Space
6. Death
7. Hefty
Where we pick a tune from the last category "Hefty".
A fellow friend off the Öbrink brothers choosed the 7-minute burner "Candlelight" with the denver based doom rock band KHEMMIS.
An excellent tune with modern doom sound full of tasty fuzz-crunch, guttural growls, classic-metal with great roughness.
Denver, Colorado-based doomed heavy metal quartet KHEMMIS will release their new EP "Doomed Heavy Metal" on April 17 via Nuclear Blast and 20 Buck Spin.
Since joining with 20 Buck Spin in 2015 for the release of their debut album "Absolution", KHEMMIS have been prolifically busy. Three full length albums, "Absolution", "Hunted" and "Desolation", a split EP with SPIRIT ADRIFT, a Decibel Magazine flexi and multiple tours and festival appearances throughout North America and Europe. As KHEMMIS continues work on their fourth album and first for Nuclear Blast Records, the band offers up "Doomed Heavy Metal" to close out the first chapter in their ascendent march to the top.
For KHEMMISs ever-expanding fanbase "Doomed Heavy Metal" offers a treasure trove of rare material to temporarily sate the hunger for that highly anticipated new album. Never a band to shy away from a challenge, their cover of the legendary "Rainbow In The Dark" by Ronnie James Dio is triumphant and energized tribute to the ultimate God of Heavy Metal that in the hands of a lesser band might be anything but. Recorded exclusively for this release the song takes on new life in the signature KHEMMIS style, making it their own without betraying the ideal of the original.
Additionally “Doomed Heavy Metal” contains the band’s rare and storied interpretation of “A Conversation With Death” and the much-requested Decibel flexi track "Empty Throne". The B-side offers three huge live tracks, one from each of the three 20 Buck Spin released full-length albums. Recorded at a headlining show in their native city of Denver by their longtime producer Dave Otero, these fan favorites show KHEMMIS meet and exceed all expectations at every show they play.
The band comments:
As lifelong fans of ZZ TOP, Fandango has been a consistent source of inspiration for the four of us. The combination of high-octane live cuts and rare studio recordings make the release stand out in the band’s discography. In that tradition, we are thrilled to announce "Doomed Heavy Metal". This mini-album is similarly unique, combining sought-after singles and live cuts together on one record. We’ve topped it all off with a newly recorded version of DIO’s immortal “Rainbow in the Dark.” For those who have clamored for the rerelease of the long out of print “Empty Throne” and “A Conversation with Death,” your calls have been answered. We hope new and old fans alike will pick up the album, pour a tall glass of their favorite beverage, and party with us!
Enjoy this KHEMMIS cover of the legendary "Rainbow In The Dark" by Ronnie James Dio.
2019 is getting closer to an end and I know you guys are waiting for the "Topp 50" and the "Best Of 2019", as I am out on holiday and had some limited access to the whole wide web and not so much time to work out anything until the last few days where I have spent serval hours figuring out the list that will be presented on New Year's Eve and the "Best of 2019" the day after. But a little sneak preview today on the best Cover Art of 2019.
BLOOD INCANTATIONs "Hidden History Of The Human Race" have the best artwork for a 2019 album release, it's featuring a classic 1970s artwork by Sci-Fi god Bruce Pennington, promises to be both a meditative inquiry on the Mystery & Nature of human consciousness and a dynamic foray into the realms of progressive, brutal & atmospheric death metal, as revealed by BLOOD INCANTATION.
The Denver, Colorado’s cosmic death metal band BLOOD INCANTATION have joined forces with Century Media Records to release the band’s much anticipated second studio album, "Hidden History Of The Human Race", outside of North America, Mexico and Canada. Dark Descent Records will be handling the American release and the album was released worldwide on November 22nd, 2019.
With "Hidden History Of The Human Race", BLOOD INCANTATION presents the successor to one of the most talked-about death metal debuts in recent years, 2016’s "Starspawn". A cerebral whirlwind of intense and otherworldly atmospheric death metal, "Starspawn" took the underground death metal world by storm and is about to be topped by the quartet’s second offering. BLOOD INCANTATION has excelled themselves at crafting a dynamic foray into the realms of progressive, brutal & strangely melodic death metal, all recorded analog at World Famous Studios. Accompanied by stunning artwork.
BLOOD INCANTATION was formed in 2011. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Paul Riedl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, drummer Isaac Faulk and bassist Jeff Barrett.
Today's tune "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)" is taken from "Hidden History Of The Human Race". BLOOD INCANTATION says the following about "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)’": "The tune is a meditative journey through the inner cosmos of the human mind. We improvised this track on psychedelics over a period of several months, allowing it to grow and evolve as it chose. The atmosphere is meant to allow the listener time and space to explore their own thoughts and go on their own journey before the epic brutality of the album returns for the final track.”
Enjoy!
Monday, new week, time to introduce "Record of The Week".
"Desolation" is the third album from Denver’s "doomed heavy metal" outfit KHEMMIS, three albums in four years is very creative for a band these days.
"Desolation" is a 41 minutes rocker with a punch divided into six tunes!
And on the third release, the sound more straightforward classic heavy metal but the doomy parts are still here. The album is great produced as the sound is very good, crisp and clear and you can hear every note the guys are hitting. The vocal performances are amazingly good, absolutely the best the band has ever recorded. The songwriting has also moved up a step, well thought out and emotional lyrics. That KHEMMIS should move forward to new areas and find new paths for their creation was something we already got a hunch on "Hunted", so the development was expected, even if the movement isn't that big, more experience and musical interaction between the guys.
This is heavy guitar-driven rock, with heavy and wonderfully distorted riffing. The melody making is clever with great passages thru the layered path of new levels of musical maturity. The harsh parts get some space here and there in the tunes, just enough for "Desolation" which is a brilliantly composed musical album.
"Desolation" opens up with the uptempo tune "Bloodletting", a great and solid and punchy piece of musical rock art that in the end shifts turn to a harsh and heavy slab that follows up by the lead single "Isolation", the shortest tune on the album, a fast melodic piece that flows in the classic NWOBHM steps. Dual guitars with a catchy melody make this a really fun tune to spin. "Flesh To Nothing" is a melodic piece with great swelling harmony. In the middle path of the album, it's time for an epic doom piece, "The Seer", heavy and still a very melodic tune that drags the listener out on a great musical journey. "The Maw of Time" is a magnificent piece with superb singing with both clean and harsh vocals a melody with great energy that will give you goosebumps. The album closes up with an melancholy epic piece "From Ruin", a dark and half paced SABBATH riffing and emotionally charged lyrics. In retrospect, I’m glad that I handed out "Record Of The Week" to KHEMMIS before, "Absolution" in October 2015 and "Haunted" in November 2016. A band that I just loved back then and still love what I hear on "Desolation" so it's really hard to be 100% objective even if I always try to listen to an album without comparing with anything until it's time to write.
"Desolation" was released June 22 on 20 Buck Spin in North America and Nuclear Blast everywhere else.
Some of the beautiful Vinyl releases.
Sum: After six months of spectacular album releases, "Desolation" effortlessly floats up to the surface as one of the greatest releases of 2018.
Today's tune is the opening track "Bloodletting", enjoy!
The triumphant return of the Denver doomed rock quartet KHEMMIS. The gained some spotlight in 2016 with their sensational album "Hunted", alongside their proper debut "Absolution". They're back with a new tune and video to accompany the announcement of the new album "Desolation".
The new tune, "Isolation," shows that they have developed since "Hunted", some stylistic changes are made to the more traditional, an interesting growth the band is going through. Looking forward to letting the "Desolation" for a spin.
The cover artwork for "Desolation" designed by Sam Turner (BLACK BREATH, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD), the track listing, and more on the album has been issued alongside its first single, 'Isolation,' delivered through an epic video directed by Italo Ganni.
Today's tune "Isolation" is the first single off their much anticipated forthcoming album "Desolation", out June 22nd via 20 Buck Spin & Nuclear Blast.
Hard and peculiar is something the Denver’s nihilistic trio PRIMITIVE MAN shows associated with the video to the tune "Victim", a track taken from their second full-length album "Caustic", released on Relapse Records October 6th, 2017.
"Caustic" offering of soul-crushing blackened doom and noise-ridden claustrophobia, it's dirty, well-made and full of anger, like the contractions of childbirth or when you get hit with a concert block right in your face.
Recorded and produced at Flatline Audio by Dave Otero (COBALT, CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION). "Caustic" is for anyone who enjoys some pain with their pleasure.
Vinyl version
Today's tune "Victim" is 6 minutes of bloodcurdling howls, abysmal tones and dense, unsettling feedback spewing forth a cesspool of utter misery. The video was Produced By: Dirt City Studios, Trill Kommand, Directed By: Neil Barrett, Marcos Morales
Monday, time to introduce the "Record Of The Week"
The Denver-based rock quartet of KHEMMIS has been surging over a year in my space, a band that really knocked me down when they released their debut album "Absolution". Now 2016 brings "Hunted", their sophomoric album where the result is a mighty wrangler of classic rock and doom majesty from a band still developing.
"Haunted" is a heavy 5-track doom album that clocks in at 43 mins. At first I thought that this was a quick release, might they be rushing things now. Hell NO!!! The record starts up with the thunderous "Above the Water", a killer track that lines them up with any big acts around this globe, well done guys. Heavy riffs, marvellous vocals and a musicianship that amaze me as a listener. And this doesn't end here at all, as this is the basic foundation of "Haunted", whoa!!. "Candlelight" is a beautiful piece with some really nice vocals, still with heavy riffs, black ended growls that blows out your candles with a vift. "Three Gates" kicks of in the right with heavy nasty guitar tones until the left kicks in and torn you to shreds. Feels like HIGH ON FIRE is in the room until the tune settles down a notch. Dark and Beauty side by side, marvellous performed. "Beyond the Door" is melodic, progressive doom tune with some NWOBHM touch, excellent tune. The album closes up with the magnificent title track, I feel that my energy needs a boost, Coffee! The album is a bit to short in my ears after a few spins, I want more that, even if the album is almost 44 minutes long and eats all of you. So the conclusion is that "Haunted" is excellence from start to finish, one the best album 2016 so far and I am exhausted. This is album of the year material for sure!
Summary: DON`T MISS THIS!!! KHEMMIS is back with a masterpiece!
Nice looking Vinyls :)
Today's tune "Three Gates", taken from the latest release "Hunted", enjoy!
This week we have a high mountain stoner rock band LUNA SOL, fronted by veteran singer and lead guitarist David Angstrom (HERMANO, SUPAFUZZ). Angstrom moved to the mountains just north of Denver in 2012 and started soaking in the strange but relaxed mountain communities around him. Inspired by the local news and folklore, Angstrom started writing the songs that would become “Blood Moon” and put together LUNA SOL with local musicians, drummer Pat Gill (THE FEDS, ’76 PINTO), guitarist and vocalist Shanda Kolberg (THE SWANKS), and bassist and vocalist Shannon Fahnestock (THE SWINDLERS).
The first turn with Blood Moon was with very limited information, a great stoner album on a note what I had. "KYUSS", jesus! Was the first thing that hits me. Then I found out that it's David Angstrom new band :) Also notice that John Garcia is singing on one song so I guess that was the cause my judgement. Anyway...
Blood Moon is a real rocker, stoner rock with a heavy southern rock vibe. It sways in a hypnotic desert way. From the first riff-heavy tune to the last, very freaking high quality tunes and an excellent production that makes this record even more fun to listen to. The tunes are cleaver, slow and
dreamy with really strong good-old-fashioned songs.
Blood Moon starts of with a real strutter "Bridges", softish guitar with some cool licks along with a heavy bass kicks it off, the tune accelerate until it's time for Angstrom crunchy vocal to make it's mark. Excellent start of the album. The album continues with slower grunge like "Death Mountain"and the happy smile is on and the volume is going up a bit.
The 3:rd track "December" where John Garcia (VISTA CHINO, HERMANO, KYUSS) adds vocal on is a dirty piece about snowing in December! "Leadville"is a marvellous tune with a great groove. Nick Oliveri (VISTA CHINO, KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) plays bass on "Pretty Rotten", that is a real monster, up-tempo with heavy riffing with cocaine eyes. "Operator" slows down but gets even heavier and adds in a bit psychedelia. "Standley Lake" and "Your War" are two tunes that have a spiced up the stoner with some blues and more clean singing. Excellent guitar work and the Hammond part on the "Your War". The album ends up with "In The Shadows"
Songs "Leadville", "Standley Lake" and "Death Mountain" all come with stories from Angstrom that seem like bizarre mountain folklore, like cautionary tales read to children in books with colorful drawings. Angstrom clearly loves the morbid strangeness with a fascinated curiosity of his new homeland and shares it with us here on Blood Moon.
The album was recorded at Sierra Estates in Colorado, and the album artwork was designed by celebrated Denver tattoo artist Christel Perkins of Sol Tribe. The basic tracks were finished in a week, and in keeping with the long-standing tradition of the stoner and desert rock communities, members of the Luna Sol extended family tree contributed additional elements to the recording. Dean Smith (SUPAFUZZ) supports with playing the bass "Bridges", Dandy Brown (HERMANO, ORQUESTRA DEL DESIERTO) is playing the bass and Greg Martin (KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS) contributes with slide guitar on "Death Mountain". John Garcia (VISTA CHINO, HERMANO, KYUSS) adds vocal "December", Nick Oliveri (VISTA CHINO, KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) plays bass on "Pretty Rotten", Jason Groves (SUPAFUZZ, ASYLUM ON THE HILL) plays bass on “In the Shadows" and Dizzy Reed (GUNS N’ ROSES) delivers a keys performance on the Hammond B3 for “Your War.”
John Garcia calls “Blood Moon” “a dark twisted ride down the mountain… It rocks.”
My summary is simple, if you dig KYUSS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, then you need this!
LUNA SOL consist of:
Dave Angstrom - Guitar, Vocals
Shanda Kolberg - Guitar, Vocals
Shannon Fahnestock - Bass, Vocals
Pat Gill - Drums
Today's tune "December" taken from "Blood Moon", the video clip is live where LUNA SOL performs "December" at the Marquis Theater, Denver CO on 9/4/2015.
New week, a new Monday and a new "The Record Of The Week"
A quartet from Denver US, we find the 20 Buck Spin début "Absolution" with KHEMMIS. A band that bumped into by accident during a bandcamp surf a boring evening when the hole family was watching some reality show! Something that I skip and use that time to listen to music instead and this is something that I just love.
"Absolution" have all the components that's needed to be a listenable record. A slow, heavy doom album with melodic nasty guitar tones that reminiscent of stoner metal and a mix of contemporary sludge. It's progressive and brutal without getting too much in one direction. The riffs are cleaver, where the solos partly sings "classic metal" and the rhythm section doing their job to create a massive heavy and progressive atmosphere. The vocals are mixed between deadly growls and very clean. A terrific way to work out the vocal part on this record. The result is "Absolution" a six track, forty-minute journey of properly crafted tunes that shows a very high level writing skill and musicianships. KHEMMIS music breathe fresh and forge a new brick to what heavy progressive doom rock is in 2015.
Summary: "Absolution" is among the biggest surprises of the year. KHEMMIS have made the best debut album of 2015!
