By Andrew Bansal
August 8th 2016, The Griffin, Los Angeles CA: The doom metal genre is as popular and prevalent as it has probably ever been, and as a result, is spreading its wings to span newer territories everywhere. Even within the Los Angeles area, doom has its favored spots such as Complex in Glendale, Five Star Bar, Lexington and Redwood in DTLA and the Roxy and Viper Room in West Hollywood, but it’s also rapidly spreading to other parts of town, as evident from the show at last Monday August 8th 2016 at the Griffin, a bar located in the Atwater Village/Los Feliz neighborhood. Denver, Colorado quartet Khemmis and LA six-piece group Taarkus joined forces to put forth the loudest show this place had ever hosted, and many in the LA underground community were in attendance to witness it.
The Griffin does not have an actual stage, and bands play on the floor in the corner of the room instead, which in theory is not the best setup, but as first-timers discovered on this occasion, the sound quality is surprisingly decent, and bands playing here should have no complaints in that regard. This was a free show, as are all Monday events at the Griffin, and folks started arriving after 9 PM in time to grab a drink or two and get ready for the advertised 10 PM start time. At around 10:20, Taarkus began their set and impressed one and all in attendance with their multi-layered doom. Taarkus is a brand new entity which was founded in 2014 but they’re already signed to Rise Above Records and released a 7″ vinyl single called ‘Stones’ in January 2016. In addition to guitar, bass and drums, Taarkus employs the usage of the organ and flute as well as extra percussion instruments for certain parts, and together with the dual female vocals, all these instruments combine to create a richly melodic yet undeniably powerful sound. Taarkus’ ultra-slow, well-rounded jams resonated strongly across this room to garner the undivided attention of everyone in it, as lead vocalist Stephanie Sallee fronted this band and made a great impact with her singing voice as well as her exploits on the flute. Her five band mates were also excellent in their roles. Sallee’s vocal harmonies and back-and-forth trade-offs with organ player Emma Maatman, specially when it went along with the organ also being played at the same time, stood out as the most distinct and powerful element of Taarkus’ live sound. The ‘Stones’ single was clearly the catchiest song of the set, but other songs in the set including the Exit cover were just as enjoyable. Thankfully, Taarkus is definitely not one of those overhyped Rise Above bands, and this is just the beginning for them as they pave their way towards proving to the world that yes, the flute is indeed a heavy metal instrument.
Shortly after, Khemmis took their turn to obliterate eardrums, with their brand of stoner/doom/sludge. The Denver, Colorado band did this show as part of a nine-date west coast tour which they’re ending with an appearance at the Migration Fest in Olympia, Washington. In comparison to Taarkus, their stage setup is relatively much more straightforward, vocals, guitars, bass and drums delivered by a four-piece lineup. They’ve also been a band for longer, having started out in 2012 and with an EP and full-length release under their belt, with the second full-length ‘Hunted’ set to release on October 21st 2016 via 20 Buck Spin. Doom as a genre/label is thrown around perhaps a little too loosely these days because it automatically associates the given band with a scene that’s extremely popular at present. Hearing the word ‘doom’ could make one think of relentlessly boring bands like Electric Wizard and Sleep, or an exciting new band like Khemmis, and in all honesty, Khemmis is much more than a doom band, as in addition to the slow, heavy riff-based approach akin to the typical doom band, they also blend guitar harmonies and really solid old-school clean heavy metal singing into their sound. Their songs undergo transitions within themselves and aren’t merely built on repetition. They shook the very foundations of the Griffin with their extreme loudness, but did so in a manner that highlighted and did justice to every layer of their sound, and wasn’t a wall of noise. Attendees, specially those that forgot their earplugs at home, would remember Khemmis not just from temporary hearing loss but mainly because the band truly made a positive impact, and will compel everyone that witnessed this set to see them whenever and wherever they play again in the LA area.
All in all, a soul-soothing, skull-crushing evening decorated by two great young bands, and in an atmosphere very much apt enough to warrant more such shows to be booked at this venue.
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