Khors

Sturmglanz: Greets, thanks for your time and your interview with Sturmglanz. Could you introduce Khors to our German readership?

Khors: Hails to all the readers of Sturmglanz 'zine. Khors band was established in 2004 year. The band consists of ex members of such bands as Astrofaes and Hate Forest. For the moment we have 4 full length albums released. Our music can be described as Heathen Dark Metal.

Sturmglanz: I want to talk about your latest record "Return To Abandoned". In West Europe just a little amount of webzines and magazines present your new album. But those who did just gave positive feedback. Could you give us an overview about the songs and their content?

Khors: On this album we tried to unite the power and density of our early recordings together with the atmosphere of our recent stuff. What's came of that it's up to listeners to judge it.

1. The Arrival (intro)

It's kinda introduction of alistener to the album's atmosphere. Immersing into it.

2. Lost Threads

Powerful track with complex structure and with deep acoustic deviation in its middle.

3. Asgard's Shining

The most successful track for my opinion where speed and melody are combined well enough in.

4. Song of the Void

Slow track with shrouding and absorbing keyboard line in its middle.

5. The Fog (...and Grief Still Moans)

A bit special track. Lyrically it's a termination of trilogy we started on our first album with "Moan of the Grief" song then continued on our second album with "Misery" song. The first part of this track sounds similar to those songs from our early recordings but the second part much more dynamical and even positive in some view. Hammond solo performed by our guest musician Saturious passes the atmosphere of funeral feast, paradoxical fun with a background of funeral.

6. Mysteries Cosmos

This track intertwines with "Lost Threads" in some degree. Power and complexity

7. The Seas Burn of Omnipotence

This song consists of mid-tempo beginning which then passing to long and atmospheric acoustic guitar lead. Perhaps this one is the most ambiguous song on this album.

8. Sacrament of Buyan.

It sounds like a hymn to ancient times, hymn to freedom for people, freedom for nature. As the image there was chosen Buyan, the island from ancient myths.

Sturmglanz: How much are you and your music influenced by history and cultural events of the Ukraine?

Khors: The history of our country, its ancient culture sure has major value for us. Our music is far from the standards of folk music. It's not our style. We're interested in a little bit another kind of music.

Sturmglanz: Do you also play in other bands? If yes, which one?

Khors: Our guitar player Helg has a couple of projects namely Ygg and Ulvegr.

Sturmglanz: Some time ago Osmose Production had released "Return To Abandoned" on vinyl. How does this happen?

Khors: We contacted with Herve, head of Osmose Productions right after our "Return To Abandoned" album was recorded but at the end we decided to give this album to Paragon Records in some reasons. As we had the rights for LP version from Paragon Records we propose to Osmose Productions to release it then and have agreed a little bit later.

Sturmglanz: In Germany some Ukrainian Bands, like Nokturnal Mortem, Kroda and Temnozer, cause regularly trouble with miscellaneous groups. Do you recognize it? (Because you play with those bands on the same stage, for example on Kolovrat Festival)

Khors: Yes, we know such troubles for sure. But not the only bands you've mentioned had those kind of troubles but some European ones also. We are not into this kind of politics and had never been involved in. But I believe in your country there are some problems with mixing of concepts of "nazism" and "nationalism"

Sturmglanz: Apropos Kolovrat Festival. In March 2011 you released a live DVD from the Kolovrat Festival. Why should Fans own this DVD at all costs?

Khors: Actually this one is kinda official bootleg filmed on a single handycam with a decent enough sound.Something like for fans only.

Sturmglanz: This kind of Festival is at the moment impossible in Germany. Do you have any plans for live gigs in Germany?

Khors: Kolovorot festival is no more in different reasons one of which was the political implied sense on which you hint as I understood you right. It was always just a Music festival with Pagan bias for us and nothing more. We had never been interested in politics. As for the festival reputation worldwide — it's up on some bands ever played there on. We never had any proposals from Germany and I doubt there will be some cause of the attitude of your media to our Kharkov based black metal bands.

Sturmglanz: The recordings of the incoming album "Wisdom of Centuries" are finished.  Where do you see the differences in music and composition between "Wisdom of Centuries" and "Return To Abandoned"?

Khors: "Wisdom of Centuries" is absolutely another kind of album on which we experimented with some ethnic musical instruments and we reduced the keyboard tracks and leads to make the atmosphere of the album a bit gloomy and depressive. It's our first album performed on our native language and thematically it will transfer a listener to hard and tragical times for Ukraine — 20s years of the last century.

Sturmglanz: Could you briefly describe your new Compositions?

Khors:

1. Through the Clouds of the Past

Ambient/ritual intro

2. Black Forest's Flaming Eyes

Black metal mixed with ritual experiments with congas

3. The Last Leaves

The most dynamic song on this album. Density and power in its sound

4. Where the Grandeur of Mountains Embraces the Space

Ambient/ritual track on which we used cajon

5. Horizons Glassy

Acoustic instrumental song with depressive atmosphere

6. Wisdom of Centuries

Symbiosis of black metal, dark metal and ambient

7. Only Time Will Take It Away

The very emotional song, perhaps the most sad and depressive one in all our activity

8. Twilight

Outro. Short atmospheric termination of the album

Sturmglanz: When and under which label will it be published?

Khors: Unfortunately for the moment we have no specifics in this issue.

Sturmglanz: How do you partition the songwriting? How works this progress? Do you experiment together in your rehearsal room, or do you write new songs at home on your computer?

Khors: As a rule a bandmember (Jurgis or Helg) bring a song or a part of on rehearsal and we`re working on its final structure together then. As the stuff is ready to be recorded we use the help of professional studios. For our first albums it was Audio Alchemia and Buddha — Cat Studio from Moscow, RU. Starting from "Mysticism" album we use Blacklight Studio from Kiev and some stuff we record on local studios OSF and Dark Essence.

Sturmglanz: In Germany my searches for a Khors T-Shirt are still in vain. Are in this aspect official distributions planed?

Khors: One can order our merchandise through our official website at www.khors.info We have PayPal so I think one can order our stuff from any point of Planet Earth and get it then by express service. There are also Musical Hall and Paragon Records who distribute our records and merch so you can also order it from there.

Sturmglanz: Are there any bands or forms of art which have great influence to you?

Khors: If talking about literature and moving pictures so the most interested for me the ones with historical bias. As for music so we are a bit impressed with different kind of metal music such like hard rock, classic heavy metal, death metal, doom metal, black metal, thrash metal (Deutsch in general!!!), progressive and etc.

Sturmglanz:  Which is the typical Ukrainian dish you eat often?

Khors: Perhaps it's a borscht!

Sturmglanz: Last Question ...Football — European Championship 2012 — Are interested in that or do you don't care?

Khors: Yes we are interested in football and in Euro Championship in particular. Our team Metalist, Kharkov is a unique Ukrainian team which now represents our country in European League. There are almost 40 thousands of spectators come to stadium almost on each match. We divide top ranking in this parameter with Shakhtar, Donetsk here in Ukraine. We can be called a football city and be sure we'll adequately take Euro 2012 this year here.

Sturmglanz: Well I don't have any other questions. If something is still unsaid, you can say it now. Otherwise thanks for the interview and I wish you the best for your future.

Khors: Thanks for your time and you patience. Gods bless you! Listen to good music and don't be exposed with some unreasonable complexes.

Thurock (März 2012)