Khôra: Timaeus

My first thought upon hearing Khôra was, “Man, their vocalist sounds a lot like Ihsahn.” My second thought was, “but musically, it actually sounds more like Arcturus than Emperor.” My third thought was, “wait a minute, is that Ihsahn?” I Googled it, it's not. While details on the band's history are scarce, Khôra have no ties to either band.

I will apologize then for dwelling on the comparisons, particularly to Arcturus. But Arcturus do happen to be one of my favorite metal bands, and it's not like there's a tired old “Arcturus formula” that's easy to reproduce. It takes more than just symphonic black metal elements and non-traditional song structures. You need muppet-y vocals. You need a space carnival atmosphere. You need a propensity for violent, blast-beat and double-bass fueled mood swings.

Yet a band could have all of these elements and still lack the infectious weirdness or the songwriting chops to make their eccentricities service the music. Such is not the case with Khôra. While I initially lamented the lack of killer vocal hooks or noteworthy riffs, Khôra's magic is all in the compositions. The songs frequently segue from chaotic maelstrom to psychedelic eddy and back again, but the tone changes always feel purposeful, each one an important step forward on a bizarre, dark odyssey.

While there are many highlights over the course of Timaeus—like the ICS Vortex muppety-ness of `l'Annihilateur` and the br00tal death metal beatdown in the midsection of `De Vetus Ad Novum'—it's the final two tracks on the album that will keep you coming back for more. ‘The Occultation of Time’ starts off with a dirgey, late-Celtic Frost/Tryptikon vibe that slowly oozes into one of the trippier moments on the album, climaxing with the line, “Look down, YOU'RE BURNIIIIIII-IIIIING!" It's my favorite part of the whole damn album, with the clean vocals being oddly reminiscent of Chris Pitman (of the woefully underrated late 90's psychedelic rock band, Lusk). The song then seamlessly transitions into the somber epilog, ‘Void’, which builds from a creepy spoken word intro into a beautifully spacey folk song before quietly fading away. It's a pitch perfect ending to very cool album.

While I started the review off with many comparisons, I've listened to Timaeus enough now that I no longer think of any other band when I hear it. Khôra have taken their influences and forged them into something quite unique, which is impressive for a band that seems to just be getting started. With such a strong foundation, I can only imagine what strange new horizons the band might explore next. I can't wait to find out.