Tuesday, September 25: Khemmis, “Ash, Cinder, Smoke”
Khemmis won a great deal of acclaim for their brand of doom metal even though they barely deviated from the formula- though to be fair, the vast majority of doom- even the best of the best- adheres to a very specific template. But the Colorado outfit charged out of the gates with a strong and well-received debut that quickly (or slowly, since they were a doom band) established them as promising newcomers. Tracks like “Ash, Cinder, Smoke” were lengthy, lumbering and gigantic, and while more dynamic than traditional doom, it wasn’t significantly more so than a lot of the next-gen outfits that have permeated the scene over the past 10 or so years. But Khemmis did have a strong sense of craft, and Phil Pendergast’s clear and occasionally soaring vocals were a nice departure from the usual haunted angst. “Ash, Cinder, Smoke” was clearly thought-out and perfectly arranged to make the most of its epic running time, ultimately demonstrating that Jag Panzer (or, err, Kip Winger) wasn’t the only great metal act to come out of Colorado.
