Needles & Grooves family, I am humbled and honored to present Volume 2 of this site's record of the month as Khemmis' Hunted:
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I have been a fan of many different genres of music for a long time. Metal, however, has been the one that has delivered the most cathartic experiences throughout my life. Whether it be thrash music that gives me the punch in the gut and a satisfying "shout at the man, break the establishment" feeling or black metal providing a place for solace when I'm feeling especially misanthropic, the subgenres all offer something just a tad different for when I need something heavy.
One of the most charming things about metal is the predictability and consistency. There are lines within and between subgenres, and it is easy for bands to navigate and thoroughly explore within their chosen realm. Sometimes bands blend a little of this and a little of that to some degree of success, but when it doesn't work it's a disaster. Because of this, one of metal's biggest strengths (predictability to the initiated and consistency) can be its biggest downfall. Bands can become complacent and "samey" with their sound or alternatively, bands can get in their own heads and try too hard to go outside of their areas of expertise with disastrous results.
Every once in awhile, a band comes in with a deftness at taking from different genres that is staggering. This is the case with Khemmis and their sophomore effort Hunted. On the heels of their debut Absolution, a fine display of sludgy, fuzz driven stoner-doom metal mind you, they came back with fury just 15-16 months later with a PERFECT blend of traditional doom metal, traditional heavy metal a la Iron Maiden/Judas Priest, and good old fashioned classic hard rock in the vein of Thin Lizzy. The result of the delicious concoction is as accessible to newbies as it is satisfying to grizzled metal veterans. Perhaps the greatest feat of all is providing enough dynamics and layers to make it a rewarding repeat listen. I have listened to this record 20+ times from front to back over the past month preparing my thoughts and liner notes, and I am typically one to get very fatigued when listening to a release. I am still thirsty for more.
The praise was hefty and well deserved upon release. Here is a list of the year end lists and accolades it received for 2016:
#1 Metal Album of 2016 Decibel Magazine
#11 Metal Album of 2016 Rolling Stone
#6 Metal Album & #1 Doom Metal Album Consequence of Sound
#7 Metal Album LA Weekly
#1 Doom Album 2016 Metal Storm
9.5/10 Metal Injection
4.5/5 Angry Metal Guy
8/10 Exclaim!
7.6/10 Pitchfork (Top 20 Metal Albums reviewed in 2016)
It would be easy enough for me to justify my pick based on critical acclaim or the accessibility of the sound, but the content makes it stand out even more, and is what makes me think this will stand up to the test of time as one of the best metal releases of the next decade. Let's dive in, shall we?
At only 5 tracks spanning almost 45 minutes, it is incredible just how interesting Hunted stays throughout its entire running time. Doom and doom adjacent albums are frequently long with very few tracks, but this can be pretty daunting for the uninitiated. Khemmis has done a wonderful job of making the riffs and the dual guitar harmonies fresh, exciting, and purpose driven. There is real weight to the emotion delivered musically and it is a true testament to the songwriting abilities of everyone in the band.
On top of the fantastic musicianship, there is also the stunning artwork provided by Sam Turner that depicts a companion piece, separate yet whole, from the lyrical themes which portray various exercises in parsing out lifetime nightmares by the band members. Wizards hash it out in an epic battle on the cover, and the themes are consistent throughout the lyric booklet. The songs may be separate in theme from the artwork, but it's fascinating that we have two pieces of art that can stand on their own.
Above the Water starts of the record with a bang featuring a hefty dual guitar harmony and leads directly into fuzzed out galloping doom laden riffing. This is an appetizer of what is to come. Phil Pendergast's emotive croon bursts forth weaving a sort of maritime tale of being caught on a sinking ship. First, the narrator mentions being younger and catching "a glimpse of fate" and seeing a loved one perishing in the sea. The narrator appears to meet the same doom at the conclusion of the song:
Under the light that keeps me awake
Call out to the sea
That takes me in and holds me tight
But I cannot breathe
If the fates align, it isn't my time
More than a part of me
Under the deck, submerged in the night
Carried away in the stream silently.
Candlelight weaves a story centering around a haunting figure with "three tall bony fingers" (making me recall Black Sabbath's seminal namesake tune), visiting possibly the storyteller in his dreams ("beyond the lucid veil"). The narrator is trying to make out this mysterious figure when the weight of the intentions comes crashing into view with the first growls on the album (courtesy of other guitarist Ben Hutcherson):
NOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW
FROM THE VOOOOO-IIIIID
IT EMERGEESSSSS
CLOAKED IN HORROOORRRRRR
NIGHTMAAAAAAARES
OF FLEEEEESH
AAAAND BOOOOOOOONE
NOTHIIIIIINGGGGG
Immediately after, there's an almost triumphant revelation with the lyricism and delivery, almost like the narrator has squared himself to his fate:
So reveal the darkened figure
Eyes adjust to the flame
Creeping like those bony fingers
Stretching into the sky.
Three Gates comes rollicking in with a downright thrashy intro and guest growls from Grant Netzorg (from fellow Denver metal band In the Company of Serpents) spinning a narrative of awakening in a hell of some other person's perfect life. Devoid of meaning and the pain that makes life what it is - an experience of the bittersweet. The narrator has to make a hard choice to escape of this "perfect hell".
The penultimate track, Beyond the Door, tells the story of someone caught in sleep paralysis, watching flames overtake his room with no choice but to accept his fate. The lyrics and storytelling are horrifying, but the delivery is cathartic. Everything I love about the lyricism of metal is here: the duality of good and evil, triumph and defeat, life and death
*chef's kiss*.
The album's closer, the titular Hunted, is the best (and longest) song on an already stellar album. A 13 minute epic gallop to doom of finally finding the courage to face a lifelong stalking antagonist only to discover it's another version of yourself. The most terrifying thing in an album rife with themes of sadness and doom is coming to terms with your own demons. Rather than having the music mirror gloom and dread, there is plenty of triumphant sounding guitar melodies to reveal that sometimes realizing we HAVE a dark side (and that part of us is and "cursed") is a victory in and of itself. Never before have the closing lines as grim sounding as "I am damned" made me feel quite as simultaneously relieved and cleansed.
My goal with this pick was to find something accessible yet fulfilling to any and all interested in branching out to taste what the best of modern heavy metal has to offer. I hope you find as much to discover with repeated listens as I have, and I hope you too can find catharsis and triumph amongst the themes of sadness and doom to help you when you are feeling down or depressed. Enjoy!!
Further Listening:
Khemmis - Absolution (more fuzz, more straightforward stoner-doom)
Khemmis - Desolation (more traditional heavy metal and ridiculous lead work with some elements of death and black metal sprinkled about)
Pallbearer - Sorrow & Extinction (melancholic modern doooooom metal masterpiece)
Visigoth - Revenant King (awesome modern traditional heavy metal)
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (classic doom)
Iron Maiden - Powerslave (classic heavy metal)
Khemmis Profile:
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/khemmis-when-phd-students-make-doom
Interviews:
https://www.indymetalvault.com/2017/04/05/an-interview-with-khemmis/
Thank you for your work and your pick! Thank you @Murfocakes for the great job, I know how hard it can be to track all the guesses in this thread (thanks also to @duke86fan, the best runner-assistant in the world 
