Biography
Khemmis originated as a four-piece doom metal ensemble based in Denver, Colorado. Their deliberate, heavily distorted and low-end dominant approach draws from 1980s acts including Mercyful Fate and Sleep as well as Saint Vitus and the Obsessed, fusing stoner and doom metal to secure a distinct position in extreme music circles. The 2015 debut full-length Absolution drew frequent parallels to Pallbearer and High on Fire. Relying primarily on clean vocals over downtuned and distorted guitars, the group builds persistently memorable melodies and riffs while deploying volume and effects to generate crushing intensity around the edges. Hunted, released in 2016, reached number one on Decibel magazine’s year-end Top 40 Albums list. Following their signing to Nuclear Blast, the band delivered the wide-ranging, melody-rich and overwhelmingly heavy Desolation in 2018, which featured the charting single “Bloodletting.” At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 they released the Doomed Heavy Metal EP, a collection of unreleased tracks and deep cuts spanning various periods of their history, highlighted by a faithful cover of Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark.” After bassist Dan Beiers departed, they issued Deceiver in 2021 as a trio.
School friends Ben Hutcherson of Glacial Tomb on guitars and vocals and vocalist/guitarist Phil Pendergast formed the group and subsequently enlisted bassist Daniel Beiers, formerly of Lords of Fuzz, plus Texas-born drummer Zach Coleman, previously of Vasaeleth. Their name derives from an ancient Egyptian city now called Akhmim. The quartet rehearsed and performed locally for more than a year before issuing a three-track self-titled digital EP in 2013. After regional and then national touring that included small clubs and support slots, Khemmis refined a sound that continued to expand beyond the doom and classic metal they admired, incorporating distinctive elements such as strong lyrics, intricate twin-guitar leads, warm yet punishing power riffs and a consistent, uncommon heaviness. Their first long-player, the six-track, 40-minute Absolution, appeared on 20 Buck Spin. Recorded with Dave Otero of Cobalt and Primitive Man alongside Shane Howard at Flatline Audio, the album received widespread critical and audience acclaim; Decibel placed it among their Top Ten releases of the year while additional praise arrived from metal and hard-rock websites, print magazines and broader outlets such as NPR. The positive response attracted metal listeners from varied backgrounds and secured festival appearances across Europe and the United States. Returning to Flatline Audio with Otero, they completed the widely praised 2016 album Hunted, which positioned the band as headliners capable of filling larger clubs and topping smaller stages at events including Roadburn. Beyond strong press notices, the record outsold its predecessor and, thanks to its relative accessibility, introduced Khemmis to indie-rock audiences newly exploring heavy metal. Following roughly eighteen months of touring, the group signed with Nuclear Blast and recorded Desolation with Otero; the album emerged in June 2018 via a joint release with 20 Buck Spin and was supported by a fourteen-month international tour.
In April 2020, amid global travel restrictions and quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Khemmis issued the Doomed Heavy Metal EP containing rare and previously unreleased material. Its standout track for listeners and reviewers remained the well-received cover of Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark.” Bassist Dan Beiers exited after the EP’s release. In November 2021 the band issued the full-length Deceiver, conceived, tracked and produced as a trio, and began touring without a replacement bassist that December.
School friends Ben Hutcherson of Glacial Tomb on guitars and vocals and vocalist/guitarist Phil Pendergast formed the group and subsequently enlisted bassist Daniel Beiers, formerly of Lords of Fuzz, plus Texas-born drummer Zach Coleman, previously of Vasaeleth. Their name derives from an ancient Egyptian city now called Akhmim. The quartet rehearsed and performed locally for more than a year before issuing a three-track self-titled digital EP in 2013. After regional and then national touring that included small clubs and support slots, Khemmis refined a sound that continued to expand beyond the doom and classic metal they admired, incorporating distinctive elements such as strong lyrics, intricate twin-guitar leads, warm yet punishing power riffs and a consistent, uncommon heaviness. Their first long-player, the six-track, 40-minute Absolution, appeared on 20 Buck Spin. Recorded with Dave Otero of Cobalt and Primitive Man alongside Shane Howard at Flatline Audio, the album received widespread critical and audience acclaim; Decibel placed it among their Top Ten releases of the year while additional praise arrived from metal and hard-rock websites, print magazines and broader outlets such as NPR. The positive response attracted metal listeners from varied backgrounds and secured festival appearances across Europe and the United States. Returning to Flatline Audio with Otero, they completed the widely praised 2016 album Hunted, which positioned the band as headliners capable of filling larger clubs and topping smaller stages at events including Roadburn. Beyond strong press notices, the record outsold its predecessor and, thanks to its relative accessibility, introduced Khemmis to indie-rock audiences newly exploring heavy metal. Following roughly eighteen months of touring, the group signed with Nuclear Blast and recorded Desolation with Otero; the album emerged in June 2018 via a joint release with 20 Buck Spin and was supported by a fourteen-month international tour.
In April 2020, amid global travel restrictions and quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Khemmis issued the Doomed Heavy Metal EP containing rare and previously unreleased material. Its standout track for listeners and reviewers remained the well-received cover of Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark.” Bassist Dan Beiers exited after the EP’s release. In November 2021 the band issued the full-length Deceiver, conceived, tracked and produced as a trio, and began touring without a replacement bassist that December.
Albums
Singles
