ALBUM REVIEW: Timaeus – Khôra

Debut albums can be a tricky business for bands. Do you stick rigidly to the tried and tested genre conventions of old in the hope of making an instant impression to fans of more established outfits? Or, do you ignore the confines of sub-genres and push the boundaries of sound forward in the hope to stand out from the crowd? Whilst option two carries the more risk, if done right, it certainly yields the greater rewards. Timaeus, the debut offering from KHÔRA, definitely falls under the latter category.

With an elaborate concept of the creation of the universe by three omnipotent entities, loosely based on Plato’s dialogue of the same name, to achieve a aural representation of such grandiose ideas, KHÔRA rip up the rulebook of genre conventions to present a musical journey that is ambitious, exploratory and jam-packed full of surprises at every turn. A manifestation of death, black, progressive and symphonic metal (and with ample sprinklings of avant-garde quirks across its runtime), Timaeus is multi-faceted, both in its concept and on a musical level, to say the least.

Aether starts the record off with a customary instrumental number, which albeit could be perceived as unnecessary, but the track builds the atmosphere the band are intending to forge, and then, things are ramped up a notch. Noceo walks the tightrope as a cacophony of vicious blastbeats, frost-bitten riffs and contorted vocals dance with melodic flourishes of symphonic elements to create an enticing atmosphere, one which firmly rests on its black metal laurels, but, it is as Timaeus unfolds where things really start to become interesting.

I’Annihilateur demonstrates the versatility of the vocal department as piercing shrieks intertwine with some gorgeous cleans, allowing the band’s melodic flourishes to shine in the spotlight, Harvesting Stars is one of the highlights on the album thanks to medley of vicious riffing and sinister vocal work and creepy orchestral undertones whilst Sempiternal and The Purge show KHÔRA at their most explosive. These two tracks witness the band up the intensity to unfathomable levels and the results are incredibly satisfying. Given the sheer breadth of KHÔRA‘s soundscape, it’s quite remarkable just how well the album flows and maintains your interest, further proving that the band’s lofty ambitions have not been the architect for a catastrophe.

That being said though, Timaeus isn’t without its shortcomings. De Vetus Ad Novum‘s conventional black metal approach, whilst solid on the whole and packs a powerful punch, doesn’t display the same experimental nature as some of the album’s more stronger and memorable moments whilst Existence just doesn’t hold the same vicegrip over your attention as it probably should have. Fortunately, these shortcomings don’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the record and one can allow a bit of leeway to KHÔRA, especially considering this is their debut outing. They were never going to get everything perfect on their first attempt.

Kudos must be given to KHÔRA for daring to think outside the box to create an album as expansive as Timaeus. Whilst not everything the band attempt to explore on this debut hits the bullseye, there is enough experimentation and interesting moments to pique the interest of the most adventurous metal fans. On the whole, the album achieves its goal to blur the lines of genre and on merit, Timaeus stands as one of extreme metal’s more curious listens. A fine first effort.

Rating: 7/10

Timaeus is out now via Soulseller Records. 

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