Deceiver

Deceiver may be the first album that Khemmis has recorded as a trio following the departure of bassist Dan Beiers but there’s no stripping back their Doomed Heavy Metal style to be found here. Ben Hutcherson and Phil Pendergast’s dual dynamic continues to define them as the twin guitars put in the usual beefy rhythms and intertwining leads while the vocals serve up their established mix of dramatic yet workmanlike cleans and raspy growls. Drummer Zach Coleman also maintains a loose but hard-hitting method that moves from slow, abstract rhythms to blast beats with ease.

But with that in mind, the band sets this album apart from its predecessors by means of putting greater focus on the more melancholic aspects of their signature formula. The expanding classic metal influence that was hinted at on 2018’s Desolation has essentially been phased out, leaving behind a predominately doom foundation with more extreme tendencies filling in the blanks. The growled vocals stand on near equal footing with the cleans and the tempo shifts border on death or black metal. It’s a shame to see that heavy metal side of them go but there’s enough precedent for this shift to make sense, especially considering the current climate.

This approach also affects the songwriting, resulting in what is easily the most atmospheric Khemmis album to date. This is made immediately apparent with the clean guitars that kick things off on the opening “Avernal Gate” but gets even stronger development “Shroud of Lethe” and “The Astral Road;” the former is an especially notable curveball thanks to its borderline ballad layout while the latter is the latest in the line of climactic closers. Lead singles “House of Cadmus” and “Living Pyre” also stand out as more straightforward doom numbers, the latter featuring a particularly memorable refrain.

Despite all the setbacks, Deceiver ultimately proves to be yet another notch on Khemmis’ impeccable track record. I must admit it takes more time to properly digest than their usual fare, not having the same instant classic appeal for me as Desolation or 2016’s Hunted. However, the band still shines in their ability to pull from different metal spheres to form a unique whole and the extra pathos from the more downtrodden approach goes a long way. It has the makings of a grower and does a nice job of reinforcing their status as one of the strongest bands in modern metal.

Highlights:
“Living Pyre”
“Shroud of Lethe”
“The Astral Road”