Khemmis

Named after an ancient Egyptian city currently known as Akhmim, the output of this Denver, Colorado based doom metal trio/quartet is characterised by a bass-heavy sound that is indebted to 80s bands ranging from Mercyful Fate to Saint Vitus and Obsessed. The mostly clean vocals and downtuned guitars weave infectious melodies and crushing riffs that make for a heavy-hitting yet melodic end product. In just over a decade they’ve dropped four long players: their full debut ‘Absolution’ (2015) elicited comparisons with Pallbearer and sophomore outing ‘Hunted’ (2016) topped Decibel magazine's Top 40 Albums that year. 2018’s ‘Desolation’ is more traditional heavy metal oriented, a trend that continues on ‘Deceiver’ (2021), their latest effort to date. This should be one of the most memorable Graspop debuts this year. (#GMM24)