If there was ever a time to listen to doom metal, it would be now. It’s been a surreal and distinctly weird time for all of us; whether you’re a front line worker, or indeed just if you’ve been stopped in your every day life. Khemmis of course were rising fast to the top of the modern doom tree even before this catastrophe, with some incredibly strong releases over the last few years. “Doomed Heavy Metal”, a six track EP of odds and sods to tide you over until their next release.
The EP starts with the classic Dio track “Rainbow in the Dark”, and unlike many of the more recent Dio cover tracks, it’s played straight, without any hint of hipster irony, and is all the better for it. Adding their own weight and gravity to such a classic track, its epic power fantasy metal done the way of classic Candlemass. If that doesn’t whet your appetite, then frankly, what will?
“A Conversation with Death” comes next, and from what I can tell, this appears to have originally been some American folk song made famous by a US preacher-man. I listened to the original on Youtube, and to be honest I couldn’t see much linking the two tracks, but for the main here it sounds like a bottom-end-grunt doom track.
“Empty Throne” was, I believe, originally released as one of those flexi-disc tracks that our trans-atlantic cousins are so keen on producing (it does take me back to the days of getting that orange flexi-disc from Sabbat on the front of White Dwarf magazine!), and is a classic Khemmis track. Grumbling, fuzzed up guitar riffs and Ben’s haunting vocals.
The final three tracks are taken with live takes on their earlier recorded material. Modern classic “Bloodletting”, complete with audience participation “whooo” and “waheeey” before the music erupts, and presented in a slightly more feral and gritty form than on disc. “Three Gates” up next, with chanted crowd cheering before giving way to that war-doom riff, equal parts High On Fire and Celtic Frost. Finally, but by no means least, the spectral “The Bereaved”, which highlights the spiritual connection to classic Candlemass better than any other track they’ve produced. Here, live and raw, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Is this an essential record? Well, as a six track EP where half of the tracks are live numbers, probably not, but if you’re watching the star of Khemmis rise, then this is going to be worth a few listens. For me, it’s a great reminder and an appetiser for the next full length album once all of this lunacy is over.
(8/10 Chris Davison)
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