Customer Reviews

Aghora

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stunningly unique and rewarding, Aghora's first release is a dazzling marvel sadly overlooked by most fans of the progressive/technical metal field. Aghora finds a natural integration of breathtaking female classical vocals, heavy & progressive twin guitar brilliance, a deft jazz-fusion rhythm section, references to Old World folk and Indian melodies, exotic tones, unusual harmonic systems, and more. The overall sound is very fluid and the interplay tighter-than-thou.

Some have expressed aversion to Danishta Rivero's vocals but I love them. Her voice is pretty, unfolding with sweet, diatonic, almost repetitive simplicity. Her style of ultra-compact singing is hypnotizing to me. She reminds me of the effortless but tense vocal perfection of Suzanne Lewis (ex-Thinking Plague), and to me that is good.

It would be easiest to put say the music has a metal aesthetic, and I suppose it is partly true -- however, the roaring metal riffs that appear opening the first song "Immortal Bliss" or the ones that sunder the peaceful vibe of "Mind's Reality" never dominate. Metal is a term I would apply out of convenience rather than perfect description. Aghora crafts a very unique sound with this album -- like the best progressive music, _Aghora_ constructs its own subgenre of music. Guitarist Santiago Dobles brings a fresh cauldron of influences spiced up with his own tricks, proving to be very subtle and imaginative musician. Tonally and melodically his playing is stunning and burns like holy fire. He employs exotic sounding scales and permutations but gives them a soaring metal fury, and likes to alternate between minor and major keys a la John McLaughlin (not that McLaughlin is the only guitarist to do it, but the phrasing is similar). His solo on "Frames", with his two-finger tapping achieving a gorgeous legato effect, is one of the finest I've heard. He also uses the choral sitar with remarkable effects throughout. For example, on the last song, an instrumental titled "Anugraha", his sitar playing finds itself morphed from an angry tension to a deep peace, mirroring the ancient Tantric group Aghora (from which the band takes its name) that sought to grasp the dark side and take it into the light. Musicians concentrically weave and adapt to each other, balancing colorful, orchestral sounds with precise, punctuated guitar work. "Transfiguration" is also great, with a base of dexterous fusion and jingling arpeggiated chords, broken up by ominous slower passages featuring that sitar's haunting murmur. Rivero's liquid vocal is amazing here too.

Sean Malone further proves that he is the finest bassist in metal: his beautiful note selection, timing, technical skill, and tantamount interplay with other musicians (especially drummer Sean Reinert) is always a marvel to hear. The Malone-Reinert rhythm section is grounded in a jazz-fusion orientation, often baffling to a listeners' sense of time (many passages in five and seven, with weird accents in a measure's subdivisions). Malone is almost another melodic voice, slyly shifting between rhythmic and melodic interactions. Reinert is irreproachably tasteful and intense, a very unique drummer among. Listening to them play is a joy worth the album's purchase on its own.

Although the music is mostly written by Dobles, the band exhibits a innate understanding for the needs of the music. The taut "Jivatma" began as a jam between Dobles and Sean Reinert, a seductive dance of percussion and bittersweet weeping guitar wails. It was fleshed out later into a more lush, engrossing atmosphere with amazing complements from Malone. The acknowledgment in the liner notes verifies the band's good taste, as they dedicate this track to Shakti and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, two of the ultimate fusion outfits of all time.

I'm sure I didn't say everything I wanted to, but this review must eventually end. Absolutely essential for progressive metal fans looking for something beyond the same ol' thing.

This is one of the most satisfyingly complete albums I've ever heard. Its like taking Cynic to the next logical level: No death metal vocals. The singer, Danishta Rivero, is a trained Metzzo-Soprano opera singer, and her sense of melody helps keep a sort of catchiness over the complex music that is reminiscent of both Cynic and Gordian Knot (two other bands f/Malone and Reinert). Santiago Dobles (who wrote almost all the music) is an amazing lead guitarist. How I'd love to see him team with Ron Jarzombek! Malone, as usual, is simpley amazing on bass whipping out several sharp bass solos and interesting rythmic lines. Sean Reinert is still one of fusion/metal's great drummers, utilizing his unique ryhthms and knowledge of the entire drum kit to provide a solid foundation for the other musicians. An excellent album by all means!

If you're like me, and you consider about 99% of progmetal to be way too boring and formulaic, then Aghora is just what you need. With the incredible rhythm section of the immortal Sean Reinert and Sean Malone, and the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Daneishta Rivero, this album is quite a unique and thrilling experience.

Aghora combine many different styles effortlessly, and frequently shift from one to the other in the blink of an eye. From the opening metal assault of "Immortal Bliss", to the funk-flavored "Transfigurations", to the epic, jazzy, "Frames", to the Hindu-inspired "Anugraha", there is a surprise around every corner. "Mind's Reality" moves easily between insane complexity and Daneishta's amazing vocals. "Jivatma" is a huge, atmospheric instrumental, whose 11 minutes go by startlingly fast. The songwriting is incredibly tight, and there is plenty of melody to go along with the wild crazy proggy stuff.

Ok, I must talk up Daneishta a little bit more. When it comes to progmetal vocals, or just any kind of rock vocals in general (but mostly progmetal vocals), this lovely woman is difficult to top. She is a classically trained singer, but unlike other female metal singers with opera training that I could name (like ones in, say, Nightwish), she has a great deal of subtlety and delicate beauty. None of that over-the-top, uber-vibrato stuff, that to me is just tasteless and, well, kinda goofy. But Daneishta is great. Perfect, haunting tone, and sort of exotic. She almost reminds me of a traditional Japanese singer (although she's not Japanese).

Anyway, this is, quite simply, one of the most accomplished progmetal albums you can hope to hear. All those lame Dream Theater wannabe bands could take some serious lessons here. A must-have for all fans of creative, technical music.

Aghora is an interesting progressive metal mix. Featuring a wonderful rythem section with Sean Malone on bass, Sean Reinert on drums,tabla and percussion.(Both are from Cynic and Gordion Knot). Female vocalist Danishta Rivero ads a very unusual flavor for the music.(as it is unusaul to have a vocalist actually sing over this type of music). Santiago Dobles provides lead guitar,programming and the occasional choral sitar. Also featured on guitar is Charlie Ekendahl. If you are a fan of Cynic or Gordian Knot you will love this album, though the three do not sound alike all are phenominal on equal planes.

I had high hopes of how good this CD would be when I bought it. What I heard was simply amazing. Sean Reinert going completely nuts on drums like the Cynic days, Sean Malone reinventing the bass again, the guitar work and songwriting of Santiago Dobles exquesitely layered to perfection and not at least of all the superb vocals by Metzo-Sopranoist Danishta Rivero. She at times had me thinking that Karen Carpenter took over! Great stuff. This had everything Gordian Knot was missing from some of the older Cynic stuff and it still goes from there! I recommend this CD with my highest regards as it has not left my CD player since I got it. For any music lover, a must-have!!!

i really like the groove this disc puts out, especially the first track. THe music is sort of heavy, technical prog but geared more towards setting groove similar to Nu Metal (but not near as simple). I like this disc quite a bit, but the female vocals just don't quite fit. She is a decent singer, not exceptional, but it just sort of catches you off guard at first, and after a while her voice begins to sound flat and emotionless. perhaps it would have been a better CD with a male singer? we'll never know, and don't dwell on it. The more you keep your mind open however, the better it will sound. I've edited this review about 2 months later because i like it more now. :) Has a nice groove, kind of like the more intense moments of Liquid Tension Experiment, like their songs acid rain or chewbacca played at double speed, but no real crazy time changes. Keep in mind you can still do plenty of tricky inside out and backwards rhythms in 4/4 time. A fan of heavy prog that grooves and doesn't mind mediocre vocals at times should pick this up, or at least hear some samples. I know i enjoyed it as a prog metal fan. Best songs to me are tracks 1, 4, 5, and 8.

I myself find it odd that I must be reminded (by myself) to listen to the progressive death metal classic "Focus" by Cynic. I truly enjoy the album, but rarely reach for it.

Aghora is a completely different story.

This album combines everything I have recently come to love: a precise rhythm section (should I even include the bass as rhythm here? Not that it doesn't play a part in the rhythm, but my goodness, bass metal performance of all-time anyone?), vocals made exquisite by a perfect blend of power, beauty, and pain, and patient guitar (an anamoly in progresive metal) which still rips and shreds at the perfect moments.

As Lord Chimp does, I must commend the vocal performance on this album. The best vocalists are not those who possess unfaltering, pristine voices, but those who possess powerful voices, yet, and more importantly, can match perfectly the purpose and tone of the band. Rivero is this kind of singer. I mean really, I have never seen a picture of this woman, but I already imagine her as a picture perfect example of sexiness.

The lead guitar playing often reminds me of the work that Dream Theater's John Petrucci has been demonstrating over the past couple of years, but again, Santiago is so patient and content to play in the background that he really maximizes his role as guitarist on this album: technically proficient when he needs to be, but otherwise, a more than willing participant in the creation of a holistic sound. Don't be fooled, the guitar in no way takes a back seat, but amazingly, the line between earth-shattering musical knowledege and technical prowress is maintained along with an astounding sense of ambience and group playing.

At times, Aghora hits with a mighty slap of intensity and distortion, breathing the ancient metal breath of aggression and destruction. At others, they seem to reach a zen like level of musical transendence, tickling the senses with grace, and true musician humility. Always, they impress and push the envelope of what metal is and should be...hmm...not unlike this one Florida band from the early 90s...what was the name...?

Oh well, as good as that band was, it will be this band that will have the privilege of parking their album in my CD player more frequently. If only it wouldn't kill the wallet so much to give them a spot!

Even years after Cynic, no one really noticed the influence they made in extreme music and no one really dared to equal the complexity. So after all these years, are there any bands that have felt the impact this band made? YES! Aghora is one of these bands. Close ties with ex-Cynic members Sean Malone and Sean Reinert, Aghora sort of takes the stage where Cynic died off. Why did I rate this album 4 stars? Because to me it isn't as well crafted as Cynic was back in 93 but also, instead the rough, brutal vocals that are typical in extreme music, Aghora have taken another approach with the soft singing (and in my opinion not very good) vocals of Danishta Rivero. Nevertheless a step up in the progressive food chain and I enjoy this band for it. Fans of Cynic will not be dissapointed.

Organic fusion of jazz, thrash and folk music, with classical vocals. The rhythm section is absolutely brilliant and the guitar-work is virtuosic yet not overbearing.

Some might find it difficult to listen to very often and others may take time to acquire a taste for it. None of this takes anything away from its brilliance.

This is a must-have for every fusion and progressive rock fan's collection. Make that for every serious music fan's collection.

Simply put, this album features the fusion of jazz, progressive metal and world sounds, backed by the powerful, classicly trained vocals of Danishta Rivero. Aghora is the 3rd chapter in the Sean Malone/Sean Reinert legacy, dating back through Cynic and Gordion Knot. The album itself is absolutely amazing and will appeal to the air-musician in all of us. While technical it leaves you feeling like you're in the studio with them listening to the jam out all night.