Band: KHÔRA
Album: TIMAEUS
Label: Soulseller Records
Genre: Black/Death
I'm sitting in my usual chair this morning drinking my coffee and tapping my foot to some music about universal creation and deities. I wouldn't have imagined that the works of Plato would make for a good backdrop for a melodic black/death/progressive/whatever album before, but maybe I should have. I'm sure it's been done before, and if you'd like to introduce me to some I wouldn't shy away from it. That being said, I'm not here to get recommendations for Platonic music; I'm writing today about the upcoming debut release from the eclectic metal group - KHÔRA.
KHÔRA began as a one-man band by multi-instrumentalist Oleg back in 2012, and has since grown into a full fledged line-up. The upcoming debut, TIMAEUS, is set to release on April the 17th through Soulseller Records. It is a 40 minute long epic study of the creation of the universe, and if you thought that was heavy material I encourage you to go read where the inspiration comes from, namely the Plato work by the same name.
So, what's the music like? KHÔRA weaves their way between the sounds of Norwegian black metal atmosphere, heavy death metal riffs, and not a small amount of symphonic/progressive elements thrown in to the mixture. All of the pieces add up to a rich sound full of surprises, and just when you think you know what KHÔRA is going to do, they do the opposite.
The highlight would have to be KHÔRA's use of eerie atmosphere with prog-driven progression layered on top. The track where this is illustrated the best would be song number 4, "Harvesting Stars." In fact, each track utilizes this to fantastic effect, but I find myself drawn to "Harvesting Stars" the most for some reason. Eh, everyone's gotta have a favorite, right? I'll just keep telling myself that. The musicianship is phenomenal, and the vocal style of singer Kranos is fantastic and diverse.
TIMAEUS is a great way to start off a band's career, and this record has already found a spot in my regular listening library.
I'm giving TIMAEUS a 8.5/10
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