Should a band be measured by the sum of the parts? Definitely not. And while Khôrada contains the bulk of the Agalloch lineup, listening to the band's debut release should be done on its own accord.
Luckily, Khôrada delivers on the promise of previous work with their latest single "Seasons of Salt," from their forthcoming debut album Salt. Leaning on a melodic black-metal approach with strong and impassioned vocals courtesy of Aaron Gregory (Giant Squid), the remainder of the lineup — Don Anderson, Aesop Dekker and Jason Walton of Agalloch — lays the foundation for a fascinating and highly entertaining journey that is worthy of both previous bands' efforts. There's enough heavy there to keep your air-guitar in full swing, yet melody is paramount – making sure those riffs and melodic underpinnings keep you heading back to that repeat button.
"Seasons of Salt" is not only a melodic powerhouse, it also represents one of the first fruits borne from the Anderson / Gregory songwriting team.
"This is a personal favorite song of mine as it's one of the earliest representations of Don and I writing together," comments Gregory. "[It was] one of the first examples of what Khôrada could and would sound like. Everyone in the band has their undeniable stamp on this song, from moments of calm, exotic sections, and blasting rage. For me, it's the perfect representation of Khôrada's combined capabilities and our hunger to create something vastly different from our prior work."
Check out "Season of Salt" above for the first time, and order your copy of the band's debut via Prophecy.
