“When we started this band, we had no expectations, no assumptions—we just wanted to play heavy metal,” says guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson. “The older I get, the more I appreciate how rare it is in life to have relationships that last this long and offer a sense of stability and reassurance in a world that increasingly is horrifying and unsuitable for human life. And so, in many ways, this band is a home.”
Some artists strive for a legacy; Khemmis felt born with one. Upon releasing their 2015 debut Absolution, the Denver-based four-piece felt like old souls whose towering, spiritual doom metal connected with metalheads the world over. This was further cemented by 2016’s Hunted, which won the band international acclaim and was declared Album Of The Year by Decibel. 2018’s rollicking Desolation, 2020’s devotional Doomed Heavy Metal MLP (featuring a fan-favorite cover of Dio’s “Rainbow In the Dark”) and 2021’s searing Deceiver only reinforced the band’s monolithic sound and diehard following.
It makes sense, then, that the Khemmis behind Khemmis–—Hutcherson, fellow vocalist/guitarist Phil Pendergast, drummer Zach Coleman, and newly-appointed bassist David Small—is different in many ways. While the band has often felt synonymous with the Denver metal scene, Pendergast and Coleman have since moved away to Washington and North Carolina respectively. But that separation only made their return to Flatline Audio, Dave Otero’s studio in Westminster, Colorado, that much more focused.
“Like some baptisms, it was full immersion on this one,” says Coleman. “I don't think we've ever really had that…We really got in the fucking weeds on it, and in a way that [we] hadn't quite done before. It felt totally focused.”
And yet, Khemmis today feel more like the band they’ve always wanted to be than ever before. They believe not only in the power of the music they’re making, but their bandmates’ ability to make it with them.
“We have so much trust in each other,” says Pendergast. “Me and Zach moving away, in some ways, actually strengthened that, 'cause it's kind of proven to ourselves that when we get back together, we can trust each other to do what we need to do. We've been able to reconnect to that sense of just how badass it is that we get to even do this.”
“It feels a lot like the early days where it's really fun again,” adds Coleman. “Like we're on a hot streak with writing and riffs and material…I had some kind of mental breakthroughs where, like, I feel really inspired and motivated.”
The addition of Small on bass in 2022 also reinvigorated Khemmis’ love for what they do. For David, the band’s visceral power got its hooks in him the minute they first jammed nearly five years ago. “I remember Ben and I left [that practice] together, and I just turned to him and I was like, Damn, the fucking energy of this music is so much fun. It's infectious.”
“I had no doubt that [Dave] could come in and learn the songs, but one of the things that the three of us were really impressed by was the ease with which he was able to find that place where he is a solid part of the rhythm,” recalls Hutcherson. “He's locking in with Zach but was also receptive to our feedback to be like, Hey, there's some space to breathe.”
“We’re flexing new muscles with Dave and Zach as the rhythm section,” adds Pendergast. “Dave’s able to hold his own while expanding on what Zach lays down. It feels like a big level up for me.”
The result of these developments is dense, blood-infused honey for the ear. Khemmis is a grand spiritual celebration of heavy metal, a concept album framed as a ritual of musical freedom that starts with the pounding rhythms of “Invocation of the Dreamer” and culminates with the starlit exaltation of “Benediction Tones.” Tracks like “Corpsebloom Garden” and “Carrion King” gallop forth on merciless hooves of steel, while anthems like “Grief’s Reverie” and “Tomb of Roses” overflow with infectious emotion too sincere for bands trying to fit a mold. Across the album’s eight, tightly-written tracks, Khemmis visit every corner of metal’s landscape and sing the praises of what they find there.
“[This record] embraces that fun in playing heavy metal together again,” says Pendergast. “I think that it's really cathartic, almost an act of rebellion, to just give in to the joy of playing music again.”
That jubilant darkness is one of the record’s greatest strengths. “Corpsebloom Garden” features Hutcherson’s guttural vocals at their nastiest, while “Gilded Chambers” kicks off with a burst of furious drumming from Coleman that might surprise some longtime fans of Khemmis. This continued dedication to metal’s extreme aspects is part of what makes these songs so damn entertaining.
“Mayhem is fun,” chuckles Pendergast. “This album deliberately plays out as an invocation of the joy of heavy metal, as a ritual.”
“When we were doing pre-production, Zach was like, I have this idea for this thing,” says Hutcherson about the intro of “Gilded Chambers.” "He played it and he's like, But we can change it. We're like, Don't fucking change anything! That’s how it starts!”
Even with their well-honed craft and reinforced sense of self, Khemmis are still embracing change. Fans will notice the record’s cover art, with a lush, esoteric oil painting by artist Christopher Remmers replacing the barbarian illustrations of Sam Turner that have adorned their previous full-length releases.
“The moment that Phil brought in Christopher Remmers' art was just like…holy shit,” raves Hutcherson. “It’s celebrating the capital H, capital M of Heavy Metal.”
“It's clearly part of the same story, but we're seeing a different version of it, from a different perspective,” says Pendergast. “It’s just better tied to the aesthetics of the album and how we're engaging with themes and imagery on the record.”
The change in cover art is just one of the ways in which Khemmis’ latest album features a band that can stand up to anything—a personnel change, members moving, the whole world going to Hell—and remain joyously unshakeable. Maybe that’s why it feels appropriate that this one is self-titled. Here is Khemmis in their truest form.
“Our litmus test for every album is, Is this a thing we would want to listen to? And if the answer is, Yes, then who gives a fuck what the rest of the world thinks?” laughs Hutcherson. “Obviously, it would suck if everyone said it sucks, but…we wouldn't believe it. Because that's not why we're doing it. We're doing it because it makes sense to us. We can't imagine not doing it.”
Khemmis’ self-titled album comes out June 12th, 2026 on Nuclear Blast.
Line-Up
Phil Pendergast (Guitars, Vocals)
Ben Hutcherson (Guitars, Vocals)
David Small (Bass)
Zach Coleman (Drums)
