Doom metal fans everywhere get hyped. The mighty Khemmis is back after working on their follow up to 2021’s Deceiver over the last couple years and today we’ve finally got a release date and details on their forthcoming self-titled album.
Set for release on June 12 via Nuclear Blast Records, Khemmis will boast eight new tunes, including the single they dropped today, “Invocation of the Dreamer.”
Speaking of the album and the thought process behind it, guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson explained that the band wanted to pay homage to the sound the band’s known for while also pushing their efforts in a new direction.
“We decided early in the songwriting process that we wanted to write a tight, high-energy album that retained the essential ‘Khemmis sound’ while also embodying the joy of creating, experiencing, and loving heavy metal. Ours have always been deeply personal songs born from tragedy and sorrow; while the songs on Khemmis are still undeniably dark—I don’t think we’re capable of writing ‘happy’ music nor can we disentangle our music from our own personal experiences—they are not mined from our suffering. Instead, this record is a celebration of the music world that has sustained us, both individually and collectively, and has also gifted us with community and a sense of meaning. In many ways, we have reconnected with the energy and excitement from our earliest days as a band, an unabashed desire to play loud, heavy music. That exuberance is infused with a profound sense of gratitude to be able to create art with each other and to share it with the world.”
As for the album’s lead track and first single “Invocation of the Dreamer,” which dropped with an accompanying music video you can check out below, Hutchinson said the band knew pretty early on that this would be the way they’d introduce the new album to the world.
“We knew that this song had to be the first single in much the same way we knew it had to be the album opener—it is an undeniable ripper. ‘Invocation of the Dreamer’ kicks the front door in, flips over your coffee table, and sets your living room on fire. It has everything you’d expect from a Khemmis song—big riffs, harmonized guitars, infectious vocal melodies—along with a slew of surprises, including blastbeats and a scorching bass break.”
Khemmis will be released on June 12 via Nuclear Blast Records, but you can preorder your copy today.
If you’d like to catch Khemmis live, you have a long list of potential tour dates to attend this year. You can find the full list of dates and who they’ll be on the road with below. If you see they’ll be at a venue near you, go ahead and get yourself some tickets.
KhemmisTrack List:
- Invocation of the Dreamer
- Corpsebloom Garden
- Grief’s Reverie
- Beneath the Scythe
- Gilded Chambers
- Tomb of Roses
- Carrion King
- Benediction Tones
KHEMMISTour Dates:
w/ACID BATH & CHAT PILE
May 16 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Forsake The Light Headline Tour
w/NECROFIER & WRETCHED
June 19 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
June 20 – Seattle, WA – Substation
June 21 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
June 23 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Room
June 24 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone
June 25 – Santa Cruz, CA – Felton Music Hall
June 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
June 27 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
June 28 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
June 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater
July 1 – Cottonwood, AZ – Queen B
July 2 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister
w/MONOLORD
Aug 27 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Aug 28 – Louisville, KY – Portal
Aug 29 – Atlanta, GA – Garden Club
Aug 30 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
Aug 31 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
Sep 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Sep 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
Sep 5 – Baltimore, MD – Labor Daze
Sep 8 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Sep 9 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary
Sep 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle