DECEIVER review - No lies, this is one of the best doom metal albums ever

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)

Deceiver is a 2021 doom metal album from Khemmis, a band whose members met at the University of Colorado Boulder while seeking their PhD's, and is named after an ancient Egyptian city (which has since become known as Akhmim). Released by Nuclear Blast, Deceiver marks the band's fourth studio album, though they did release a mini-LP (Doomed Heavy Metal) back in April of 2020 to tide folks over for this full ass thing. The lads have received rave reviews, especially from Decibel Magazine, who eat their shit up. But I got put onto them by lurking in r/RABM, and seeing a thread from someone asking for great doom metal bands. A commenter there had mentioned Khemmis as being a band of solid blokes who kick ass. So, uh, take that Decibel, I'd rather get my metal recommendations from Reddit (as regrettable an admission as that may be). Anyways, I checked out the cover of Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark" off of Doomed Heavy Metal, and was smitten. (In fairness, I'm pretty sure that you are instantly, legally targeted by a heat-seeking missile if you cover "Rainbow in the Dark" badly.) Listened to that shit nonstop for like a collective 24 hour period. So when they announced that they had a new LP dropping, on my birthday no less, my ears naturally perked up. Then my birthday came and Kyle Rittenhouse, that guy who wanted to play Lone Ranger at a BLM protest and crossed state lines so that he could murder protesters, was acquitted. Uh, so, I was naturally not in the headspace for listening to any new metal. And by the time I was, I had realized that the new Black Sites (Untrue) had slipped under my radar, and I fucking adore that band too, and their album ruled. But, as much as I gushed over Untrue, I honestly think that Deceiver kind of nudges out a win over it.

 

Doom metal is often mixed up with other subgenres of metal, like stoner/doom and sludge/doom and death-doom, or sludge/death-doom, so it's really interesting to see such a modern band that sticks much more to doom when it comes to genre. It's not a lost art, or anything, but it is oddly rare outside of Ghost's early outings. There are definitely passages which veer into deathy growls, or lush and progressive suites, but for the most part, this is a doom metal album that doesn't use that doomy quality as a complementary flavor to everything else they're doing. That's not to slag off other bands that aren't as doomy as Khemmis, of course, it's just an interesting distinction to me.

 

Oftentimes, the doom metal label conjures expectations of morbidity, of ruination, of, you know, *doom*. However, on Deceiver, I do not come away with such dire emotions. When it comes to the instrumental performances, it's stellar across the board, with such tremendous guitar heroism on the solos. Every riff feels momentous, but they also have a propensity for just melting into pure bliss. That the band walk the tightrope of both singing about having your body ravaged, betrayed by those you trust, and lots of other unsavory topics, while also making it sound like the most fucking cathartic shit in years--and doing each so well--is incredibly impressive.

 

Speaking of pure bliss, the hooks on this thing are immaculate. Every chorus burrows its way into your skull instantly, and the performances are outstanding. Phil Pendergast handles the clean vocals, which carry with them such a personality to them. The cleans on this thing are beautiful as hell, without needing to do any bombastic vocal runs or anything you might see from a more technically pristine vocalist like Adele. But they also do such a great job of selling Khemmis' high fantasy vibe. Meanwhile, the death growls (which seem to be courtesy of Ben Hutcherson) are really blood-caked and visceral. A great, dynamic change of pace when they barrel into Pendergast's more wayward, grandiose, and soaring cleans.

 

In terms of highlights--every song on this album is so consistently excellent. But I'll note that "Shroud of Lethe" has my favorite hook out of the fantastic bunch this album provides. Meanwhile, the riffage (from Pendergast & Hutcherson) on the album closer, "The Astral Road", is next-level. The fact that the track is so progressive and doesn't wallow in its catchiest moments, but still consistently brings so many great highs, is--in a word--a triumph. Likewise, the drumming courtesy of Zach Coleman is consistently fucking superb and captures the titanic scope of the fantasy in Deceiver.

 

Deceiver is the kind of album that when I finish listening, I want to listen to it more. It is all killer, no filler, even as it takes plenty of room to build atmosphere--it never feels to me like they're just wanking about. Khemmis on the whole are the kind of band that I think just about any metalhead who isn't partial to one particular subgenre will find a lot to love in. For me, this album just makes me so damn happy listening to it. These guys shred so fucking hard, and I really appreciate that they seem to be decent people, cuz man, I am so tired of shitheads in metal like Dave Mustaine or the entirety of Five Finger Mud Pie. So yeah, this may not be the most socially thought-provoking album out there, but I don't think a 10/10 is unfair for such a spectacular listen that will have me spinning it over and over again for weeks.

Masterpiece

Summary:

Khemmis deliver such a monumental, fun as hell album that you'll be the coolest motherfucker in the eyes of anyone you put them onto.