Khemmis - Absolution - review
Khemmis - Absolution - review
Tracklist
01. Torn Asunder02. Ash, Cinder, Smoke [feat. Ethan McCarthy]
03. Serpentine
04. Antediluvian
05. Burden Of Sin
06. The Bereaved
A review by
ScreamingSteelUS December 05, 2015
As Walter White once wisely told us, "The Khemmis-try must be respected." And as my brilliant pun suggests, Khemmis exists to study the reactions of complex doomish formulas smashed together. Many different varieties of bass-heavy, impenetrably crushing metal - stoner, sludge, and multiple schools of doom - find representation here, and all handled with such aplomb as to make me perfectly comfortable with any tangential exits that Khemmis might potentially want to take.
"Torn Asunder" begins the journey congenially enough with some early-Sabbath swing, but it soon becomes clear that Khemmis have no intentions of sticking to one end of the doom spectrum. "Ash, Cinder, Smoke" pounds through its last few minutes with layers of harsh vocals and a mournful simplicity, soon offset by the musty, stoner-ish riffs of "Serpentine." Those strings are so slack that they quaver in and out of tune in that peculiarly endearing manner with every bit of force applied to them. The distortion spilling from those guitars is so thick and fuzzy that you could mistake this album for a bear. It's obvious that this was recorded in a room so smoke-filled that it would make Richard Nixon, Cancer Man, and Boss Tweed look like your local church council. The drums wander and syncopate groovily; while this may be a far cry from Candlemass territory, the excellent clean vocals inject some elements of epic doom, while the harsh vocals push the album further into sludge.
For me, the highlight of Absolution is the freight train entitled "Burden Of Sin" - a groovy, up-tempo gut-puncher that showcases Khemmis's ability to write great songs in addition to corralling multiple styles. Of course, the magnificent closer, "Bereaved," puts up stiff competition, with perhaps the strongest vocal performances on the whole album and nine full minutes in which to dig that doom ditch deeper and deeper. At 42 minutes, Absolution runs on for a fairly average span, but it still feels compact and efficient; in fact, it could comfortably go on for much, much longer, as per the traditions of the genre. Always leave them wanting more, as the saying goes. 2015 isn't quite over yet, and I'm by no means done doing my research, but Khemmis have put forth in Absolution a strong contender for doom album of the year.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 05.12.2015 by
Written on 05.12.2015 by
Dull Music for Dull People Comments
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Posts: 64528 Written by PocketMetal on 05.12.2015 at 08:50 if cover sucks and band sounds great I usually put other side of booklet 1th ...
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