Khors

Dunno, why i slept on this band for so long, now on their fourth full-length, Khors situate themselves well alongside their Ukrainian BM brethren but offer something uniquely their own, too. Muscular in their professionalism like latter-day Nokturnal Mortum yet still windswept and full of wonder like more recent Drudkh, on Return To Abandoned(So What??) Khors patiently paint pagan landscapes that are engrossing and involving and, fairly often, even light-er-in-the-air life-affirming — no mean feat, than — everything unfolding with poise, each song sounding epic whilst clocking in at an average of five minutes. Elsewhere, the band takes pleasant pagan(prog)detours, all before ripp(!)ing back into life(!) with heroic heavy-metal-is-the-law-leads. And vocals are on the gruffer, deathlier end of the BM spectrum, solidifying Khors otherwise-plausible crossover appeal. Not sure if the occasional -and rustic — Moog detracts or augments, but I'll take these journeys and days.