Aghora - "Aghora" (Code666 Productions)

Talent is the word that comes to mind when a listener gets his/her first exposure to Aghora. And why wouldn't it? This is the current project of Sean Reinert and Jason Gobel - the rhythm section behind Cynic and Death's Human album; arguably the most technically proficient in metal. And, while the songwriting core is different, Cynic is the band that Aghora happens to remind me of most. This is perhaps explained by the fact that the band's guitarist/founder/main composer Santiago Dobles studied guitar with Cynic main man Paul Masvidal.

Don't get me wrong, Aghora is NOT simply an extention of the ideas Cynic proffered on their lone official release Focus, but the similarities are prominent. While decidedly mellower than Cynic, Aghora uses the same complex structured fusion jazz rhythmic backbone, coupled with metallic distortion to create a challenging, but consonant soundscape. Much like Cynic, Aghora has every chance to show off amazing technical proficiency, but also manage to create memorable compositions with well-placed soloing (which is not limited to the guitar) and breakdowns. There is also no dearth of experimentation here as Aghora implement a great deal of electronics into their music, as well as the Tabla and Sitar for an authentic sound (keep reading...) which builds on Cynic's use of keyboards on their album.

However, unlike Cynic's juxtaposed male death grunts and "Max Headroom" vocals, Aghora takes a more accessible route and employs the highly competent mezzo-soprano female vocals of Danishta Rivero. Ms. Rivero is a true asset to the band, not simply for her singing talents, but also for her vocal arrangements, which add to the continuity of the songs greatly. Danishta's voice also seems like a perfect match for the lyrics she conveys, which are highly spiritual, with an Eastern theosophical flavor (I'm not well-versed on Eastern cultures, so I can't really specify more than that). Danishta's vocals also gives Aghora more of an identity removed from Cynic, making the album perhaps less palatable for ardent death metal fans (not that Aghora would be considered anywhere close to death metal, even with male vocals, being a distinctively lighter band without the emphasis on aggression that is a death metal staple.)

Really, my only complaint about Aghora's debut is that a few of the songs run a bit long. What I loved about Cynic was that they coupled extreme complexity with relative brevity as to eliminate any sense of self-indulgence. Aghora could use some improvement in this area, since many of these songs surpass 6 minutes, and the instrumental "Jivatma" clocks in at 11 minutes in length (!!). But the quality of musicianship, solid songwriting, excellent use of peripheral instrumentation and mellifluous vocals make Aghora's debut a highly enjoyable progressive rock offering. I'm very much looking forward to more releases from this band.

Reviewed by: R. Temin