Khors

1.Khorus, hello to you once again. Tell us about news in Khors in past two years? Without things connected to new album, we‘ll talk about that later.

Greetings! Glad to answer your questions.

Actually we were engaged in concert activity (2 Ukrainian tours and exclusive shows) but we have also let out the first in our history DVD this spring (it’s not multicameras 5.1 record but still qualitative enough official bootleg) as well as LP version of “Cold” album and also we’re composing, writing and recording our new album “Mysticism”.

2.Do you see the progression of Khors? I mean that I listened both releases together with new tracks available on MySpace and this progression is huge. Practically looks like that black metal turns out from your main music veins. New tracks sounds like melancholic soundtrack to music genres far from your first vision some years back. Well, as idiot can ask you: will be new album softer? hehe

Sure we feel our progress but it’s up not to us to estimate it but to you. We don’t progress for progress only we just do the things we want and we like to. I’m agree that there’re a little of black metal elements in our new songs but I think it is enough of them for this album. It’s so much as we planned. The difference from the first album’s enormous but it’s our decision and I was talking about that every album of ours wouldn’t be the same as the previous in times of “The Flame of Eternity’s…”.

“Mysticism” sounds sad, depressive and mysterious. These are the main musical ideas we liked to enclose in it. I hope our new album be pleasant to the people listening to this kind of music as well as to our old listeners. On “Cold” album we already became a little bit slower and there were melancholic elements so I think people who liked “Cold” will like our new album too.

As for new album so I can definitely say it won’t be sweet but probably on the contrary. Now there are a couple of songs we’re working over which on rehearsals and they’re guitar oriented. Even more guitar oriented than you could think after listening to “Mysticism”. It doesn’t mean there will no keyboards in our music just it will be more guitar oriented.

3.Both released albums has one track, which mean some kind of unloading for me (I mean „Breath“ and „Whispers“). Are you prepare something similar even on „Mysticism“?

On the new album the song “Pagan Scars” approaches to this definition. But “Mysticism” is not aggressive in whole thus this song won’t be allocate so much as “Breath” or “Whispers” on the previous albums. 

4.Where was born the first idea about clean vocals? Can we find them in more tracks? I mean „Read Mirrors“ is a masterpiece. Clean vocals looks like thing we lacked in your music! All in all, some song structures can be done just for this kind of vocals. And… it will be pleasant.

The idea appears at once we’ve fulfilled this song on rehearsal. No verse of vocal except clean one or whispers associated with it. Initially I thought on female voice on this song but we tried man’s first. And the female voice didn’t match with the lyrics at all. It is Michael ‘Maiden’ Smirnov our sound engineer, keyboard player of cult Russian band MENTAL HOME and big friend of mine who sung on “Red Mirrors”.

There are no more similar tracks on “Mysticism” but it’s quite possible there will be more clean voices on the future album. 

5.But globally, I’m highly surprised that vocals in all (black metal or classic) went into background. The main parts of songs are guitars, rhytmic changes, solos, etc. And vocals are something like bonus, enriching things.

Probably such impression’s in cause of not so many vocal parts on the album as a whole. But in the moments where they’re present they sound harmoniously and tastefully enough. Besides we’ve paid special attention to vocals on this album. The lyrics translated to English to sound in a rhyme and vocal sounds much wholly unlike previous albums where it’s fragmentary to hear.

6. You have also little different CD cover for the first time. No beauty nature around, just some eye-building motive. I think this is a part of „Mysticism“ concept, yeah? Tell us more about the story inside.

What you see on the album cover is the eye of an animal. No matter which kind of as it is just an image. In the pupil of the eye reflects the fragment of ancient fortress. The elements of that fortress are also used in the booklet. Animal’s eye associated with the nature as with eternal unrestrained power to which dependently even stone made construction built by man for own protection. It’s all figuratively and it has its own inner meaning. It has the own sense for everyone maybe.

The album name “Mysticism” no more than abstractly in the context and it unites in itself perception of the album both in visual and acoustical mode.

7.I’m thinking… Your music will be harder to listen, thanks to „Mysticism“. And this means that playing on stage will be different in some ways. I think, only from my view, that many clubs will not be able to make a sound, which will represent your actual CD. But I HOPE you’ll haven’t problems with that and your potentional way to Czech republic will be the good one. Will you come? Hope yes, hehe.

I’d like to note that we already played some songs on the shows. They sound much rigidly live than on record and it is normal. The same situation was with the songs from “Cold” in that time. We won’t play all the songs from “Mysticism” live as we’ll choose only the most suitable ones for concerts.

We’ll be glad to play live in Czech so it’s only necessary to receive the invitation from your promoters, he-h! 

8.Thanks for this short interview, Khorus. It may be introducing to your new album for our readers. Keep your power strong.

Thanks for your interest! Huge greetings from KHORS band to all the readers of Mortem ‘zine. Listen to our new album. Hope it won’t disappoint you…