INTRODUCING: Abhoria
Finding innovation in a genre like black metal at one time seemed unlikely. In the past decade or so, black metal has seen a shift to more modern musical ideas and temperament, and ABHORIA, a new band from seasoned musicians in the metal world seeks to find ever more inspiration through the genre. Not to be constrained emotionally, by preconceptions, or even distance itself, the band are set to release their first self-titled record in February. We caught up with guitarist Vor to see what the band are all about.
ABHORIA had an interesting start to life, being scattered around the US. “When it came to fleshing out the rest of the band, I knew I wanted people that were in it for the same reason I was: a genuine love of making music,” Vor recalls. “Not that black metal is exactly a ticket to fame and fortune, but I needed people who were in it for the right reasons. I didn’t have any luck finding people in Los Angeles, so I started reaching out to friends in other states to get recommendations. Luckily, I found that in Igor and Walden. They’ve both been in the scene for a long time, and we have a lot of mutual friends. I knew they needed to be a part of ABHORIA based on reputation alone. So while I can’t speak to what ultimately drew them to the band, I’m happy it all came together.” The self-titled record came together with the band in different places, and they only came together for full band play-throughs after the recording was complete. It’s a testament to the modern progression to make high quality music production work across time zones in a streamline way, crafting without compromise of proximity.
The record itself is a cathartic listening experience, black metal that feels expressive and fresh. Seemingly the writing experience was the same. “Absolutely!” He says enthusiastically. “For fear of destroying any metal street cred I may have, I’m ultimately not an angry, violent, depressive, hateful person. But there’s so much going on that pisses me off, disappoints me and absolutely disgusts me about society; channelling it through music seems like a relatively healthy way to cope. Black metal is a genre built on darkness and misanthropy; it is absolutely an outlet for those aspects of my personality and feelings that are exacerbated by what I see and hear. But by providing a channel for me to focus that part of myself, hopefully it leaves the rest of me in a better place.”
ABHORIA sets itself apart as a band by having a taste for the old, while embracing the things that make it different. “I have a hard time sticking with just one style,” Vor explains. “For anyone familiar with ASHEN HORDE, you’ll know that I like to mix and match styles. I’m a huge fan of bands like THE WILDHEARTS, GUEEN, FAITH NO MORE; bands who don’t stick to any given style. I love not knowing what’s coming next! Obviously, ABHORIA‘s music is nowhere near as diverse as the aforementioned bands, but you get the sentiment. Coupled with the fact that I have a very short attention span for repetition when I play, I like to mix things up a lot when I write. As much as I love early ENSLAVED – Hordanes Land is one of the greatest EPs ever released in my opinion – I couldn’t fathom playing the same riff 40 times in a row. So I tend to jump between different grooves and feels quite often. I also feel like the juxtaposition of different things–whether that be blast beats and groove, or dissonance and melody. It creates a more interesting listening experience. While I did want an album that captured what I felt was the essence of 90s black metal, I didn’t want to write anything too derivative; I tried to put my own spin on things.”
The record is comprised of tales of a variety of unpleasant characters, people we all could easy come across in life that feed on violence, corruption and take advantage of others. “As much as we aren’t a political band, it’s hard not to be influenced by politics and the general state of the world,” Vox tells us, “Every day, we’re bombarded with news about people suffering at the hands of others, the ever-growing divide between working people and the super-rich, and manipulation of the powerless by those in power.”
“If we imagine a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, which is the backdrop for the album, I think it’s safe to assume that the same shit would still bubble up,” he goes on. “While there would definitely be some element of people uniting to overcome their shared struggles, as there is now, inevitably there also be a proliferation of people who will abuse whatever power they have and take advantage of those less fortunate. It may be for personal gain, to satiate a belief that their salvation is dependent on converting others, or just for cruel amusement. Humans have an amazing ability to hurt one another, and as much as it bothers me, it’s also captivating and provides great lyrical fodder. The selfishness, entitlement and disregard for others that drives so many people is sickly fascinating.”
Abhoria is out now via Prosthetic Records.
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