Khors/Letters To The Future Self/Darakkar Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Ukraine's  Khors  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  atmospheric  style  of  pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Letters  To  The  Future  Self"  which  was  released  by  Drakkar  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  an  angry  black  metal  style.

  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album  while  the  recording  is  more  rooted  in  the  modern  era.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  or  slower  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  pagan  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  The  Wings  Of  Destiny  And  Burning  Enmity"  "Another  Year"  and  "Gods  Are  Waiting".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Khorsband/

http://www.khors.info/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OBmfGF2n90

Khors/Where The World Acquires Eternity/Ashen Dominion/2020 CD Review

  Ukraine's  Khors  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  atmospheric  style  of  pagan  black  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Where  The  World  Acquires  Eternity"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Ashen  Dominion.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the synths  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Programmed  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  All of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  introducing  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  album  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  whispered  vocals  and  stringed  instruments  on  the  album,  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  pagan  singing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  Renaissance  Of  Ukrainian  Culture  that  took  place  in  the  1930's.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  pagan  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blissforsaken"  "and  Life  Shall  Harvest  One's  Past"  and  "Beneath  the  Keen  Edge  of  Time".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Khorsband/
http://www.khors.info/     

  

Khors/Beyond The Bestial/Ashen Dominion/2018 EP Review

  Ukraine's  Khors  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  atmospheric  style  of  pagan  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Beyond  the  Bestial"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Ashen  Dominion.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  being  added into  the  background  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  clean  playing  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  track  is  an  instrumental  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Khors  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  style  of  pagan  black  meta  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Mysticism,  Ukrainian  History  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Through  the  Realm  Of  Unborn  Stars"  and  "In  The  Cold  Embrace  Of  Mist".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Khorsband/

Khors/Night Falls Onto The Fronts Of Ours/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Ukraine's  Khors  have  returned with  a  new  album  that  continues   in  the  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  tradition  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  release  "Night  Falls  Onto  The  Front  Of  Ours"  which  was  released by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very hard,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  use  a  great  amount of  melody,  talent  and  skill  and  keyboards are  also  a  huge  part  of  most  of  the songs  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  style  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  the  modern  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times.

  Clean  playing  can be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  the band  also  brings  in  an  instrumental  track  before  getting  heavy  and  using  vocals  again on the  later  tracks  and  the  vocals  also  get  more  grim and  high  pitched  and  the  keyboards  also  start  bringing  in more  of  an  epic  and  pagan atmosphere  to  the  recording  and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.       

  Khors  remains  true  to  their  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  showing  a  great  amount  of  progress  as  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Mysticism  and  Space  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dead  Birds  Valley"  "1664"  and  "My  Cossack  Way".  8  out  of  10.  


www.facebook.com/Khorsband

Khors/Cold/Svarga Music/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Khors  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  has  more  of  a  raw  approach  to  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2006  album  "Cold"  which  will  be  re-issue d in  March  of  2015  by  Svarga  Music.

 A  very  atmospheric  and  epic  sounding  keyboard  starts  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavy  black  metal  riffing  that  starts  to  kick  in  on  the  recording  a  few  seconds  alter  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  on  some  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  more  of  a  raw  style  of  black  metal  that  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

   There  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  guitar  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  pagan  folk  music  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  a  brief instrumental  that  focuses  more  on  keyboards  while  the  first  of  the  last  2  tracks  returns  to  a  black  metal  sound  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  keyboard  song  that  utilizes  grim  black  metal  whispers

  Khors  had  a  very  atmospheric  and  keyboard  orientated  style  of  black  metal  sound  on  this  recording  but  done  with  more  of  a  raw  approach  then  what  was  later  to  come  with  future  albums  where  they  progresses  heavily  as  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Mysticism,  and  Space  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ashes"  "Misery"  and  "Into  The  Depths  of  Black  hills.  8  out  of  10.

FACEBOOK »
YOUTUBE »
WEBSITE »
TWITTER »

  

Khors/Wisdom Of Centuries/Candlelight Records/2012 CD Review

  Khors  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  atmospheric  pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Wisdom  Of  Centuries"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  tribal  sounding  percussion,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark,  pagan  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music  with  some  ambient  elements  being  utilized  at  times,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  riffs  that  mix  raw  and  primitive  element  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  more  modern  sound  mixed  in  with  some  more  progressive  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  to  the  more  progressive  elements  of  the  music.

  Vocals are  mostly  high  pitched  hateful  black  metal  screams  that  utilize  a  deeper  tone  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  whispered  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nature  and  paganism,  as  for the  production  it  has  a very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  without  sounding  either  to  over  or  under  produced  in  addition  some  of  the   songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Forest's  Flaming  Eyes"  "The  Last  Leaves"  and  "The  Only  Time  Will  Take  It  Away".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://khors.info

Khors/Return To Abandoned/Paragon Records/2010 CD Review

  Khors are a band from Ukraine that has been interviewed as well as having previous material reviewed in this zine, with a style that i would describe as being atmospheric pagan/black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Return To Abandoned" which was released by Paragon Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with some fast playing and the occasional blast beat, while the keyboards have a very atmospheric pagan feel with some folk instruments being used at times, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs with the faster riffing having a very primitive feel and some hints of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding pagan/black metal guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to bring a folk music element to the music and some finger picking that has a classical feel to it.

Vocals are mostly deep growls that combine black and death metal with some occasional high pitched screams, while the lyrics cover Slavic and Nordic Paganism, as for the production it sounds very powerful and professional.

In my opinion this is another great album from Khors and if you where a fan of their previous material, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Asgard's Shining" "Mysteries Cosmos" and 'Sacrament Of Buyan". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.khors.info
http://www.myspace.com/khorspagan

Khors Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?



Nothing special. Rehearsals, main work, common life. Autumn/Winter is just a season for good job, practice, plans and hopes…



2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new release?



It’s consistent enough. I think it’s the very best sound we could ever make on our records.



3. What are some of the lyrical concepts and topics that the band has explored on both newer and older albums?



Nature, it’s mystical essence, Paganism



4. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?



You know it hard to mark out the one very best show but it’s always great to play together with our old friends on Ukrainian Kolovorot fests and Pagan fests. I can’t describe our stage performance. It can be described by anyone saw it. There’re good performances and not so good ones and it depends on the atmosphere inside the venue, fans support, equipment and of course on our inner feelings and state.



5. When can we expect the new album?



We hope it’s out this December just as our label plans



6. Recently you got signed to Paragon Records and they are getting ready to re-issue your older material, how has the support been from that label so far?



We love to work with Paragon Records cause we always get huge support and understanding in many ways. We are very thankful Paragon for that.



8. How have pagan/black metal fans worldwide react to your music so far?



If following the reviews on our records in the web so I can definitely say we’re not so bad). We’re also getting some positive feedbacks from fans Worldwide.



9. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?



Actually I think that our fourth full length album is more professional in technique, songs structure and sound recording than our previous records. The progress is obvious once you start to listen to our new album but sure if you know the previous ones)). There are many directions for us to go to further and right now I can’t exactly say how we’ll sound on our next records. Time will tell…



10. Do you have any plans in the future to tour the United States?



No. It’s impossible cause it’s too expensive to reach USA from Ukraine. If metal music could be as popular as it was in 80's and there would be such great attendance I think there would be people interested in us.



11. What are some of the bands and musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?



Oh! There are too many bands influenced us by the years just like classic gothic FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, TYPE O NEGATIVE, SISTERS OF MERCY, also KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, old school death metal bands like OBITUARY, DISMEMBER, BOLT THROWER, classic BM like DARKTHRONE, BURZUM and of course many of classic hard rock bands like BLACK SABBATH, W.A.S.P. and so on. Nowadays we still listen to metal music)) We also love some post-rock, post metal bands, some progressive like PORCUPINE TREE but mainly we’re still in metal)))



12. Are there any current side projects going on these days, besides this band?



No any side projects now. There were times we have some but now almost all the members of KHORS play in KHORS only.



13. How important is Slavic Paganism to the music and do you have any interest in any other forms of paganism or occultism?



It’s very important as it’s the main ideological component of KHORS. Our interests are also in history, traditions, mythology, culture, architecture, poetry, etc. It goes about European Heathen Culture not only about Slavic Paganism.



14. Outside of music what are some of your interests?



Our families, rest times, football, cars, musical instruments and equipment, videos and so on.



15. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?



Thanks for your time!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

Myspace

ReverbNation

Spotify

Twitter

VKontakte

YouTube

Khors/The Flame Of Eternity's Decline/Cold/Paragon Records 2010 CD Re-issue Review

 Khors are a band from Ukraine that plays an atmospheric form of pagan/black metal and this is a review of their albums "The Flame Of Eternity's Decline" and "Cold" which where re-issued by Paragon Records during the year 2010.

Drums alternate between mid paced to fast playing with a lot of blast beats, while the keyboards have a very  dark, medieval and atmospheric sound to them mixed in with some sorrowful melodies, as for the bass playing it has a dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black metal riffs and at times they have a thrash feel to them, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black metal guitar solos with some melodic viking metal soloing.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover paganism as well as some other dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark feel going on with it.

In my opinion while Khors are not the most original band I have ever heard they still play quality atmospheric pagan/black metal and should appeal to most fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Eyes Of Eternal Loneliness" "Spirit Of Fury" "Ashes" and "In The Depths Of Black Hills". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/kozeljnik