Al Khemmis Live!
The name Khemmis harks back to Egyptian times, when cats ruled( I think) and the band have very kindly rifled through their back catalogue to bring us this fine selection of choice cuts to chomp over during this lockdown. Yeah, I know I just made it sound like cat food, but it really is the cat’s whiskers. The cover art reminds me of Cellar Darling and the lyrics, mood and philosophical aspect run along similar lines too.
First up is an absolute favourite of mine, a cover of the Dio classic ‘Rainbow In the Dark’ it has a stratospheric riff my friends, once heard, never forgotten. This is tastefully done, true to the original with a sprinkling and twinkling of Khemmis frets in a super-duper midsection.
‘Empty Throne’ was once featured on a flexidisc ( remember them?) and now it has been dragged out of the archives for us all to savour. A touch of the Alice In Chains methinks but a cracker, nonetheless.
‘A Conversation With Death’ is a very real prospect for us all and with the urgency of ‘Oh Death’ it is deeply dark and deliciously disturbing. These are two words to choke upon.
The next three cuts take us on a sprightly jaunt into live music and my friends behold the dramatic introduction for ‘Bloodletting’ as we consider how ‘no hope remains inside this hell’, it is doom by name, doom by nature. The band ask you to ‘take my hand and twist the knife’ but not before confronting the ‘Three Gates’ in reference of the gates of Hell as defined in the song by ‘ the sea, the sky, my mind’. with winding and weaving guitars to complement the profundity of the lyrics , we get a little prog rock feel, but not too indulgent.
The grizzly and grungy vocals of Grant Netzorg( In The Company Of Serpents), sit neatly with the crisp and clear voice of Phil Pendergast. We end with a gentle reminder of ‘The Bereaved’, solemn, sincere and the perfect soundbite for ‘ my mandible broken on the end of a night’ as we plunge into the great beyond, to face what awaits us.
A whirring, stirring mix of emotions, make room for the doomed.
Khemmis – Doomed Heavy Metal out now via Nuclear Blast