Abhoria

Abhoria was formed by guitarist Trevor Portz (Ashen Horde) in 2018, who was seeking to get back to his black metal roots. Initially intended to be a band that celebrated the ‘90s era of black metal in all its [in]glory—minus the murders and church burnings, of course—the band ultimately shaped their own blend of aggressive, and occasionally progressive, black metal. Portz drafted other seasoned players, and soon completed their first album. The band signed a deal with Prosthetic Records, and released their self-titled debut in February of 2021. The album received immense critical praise almost across the board, with Metal Temple calling the album a “…a revelation of the genre,” and giving it a 9/10 rating. A performance video was released for lead single, “Mountebank,” with epic closer “Sunless” also receiving video treatment and widespread praise. Since touring wasn’t an option given Covid restrictions, the band instead focused on writing and recording a follow-up album in short order. Walthrax exited during the second album sessions, so the band pulled in Ben Pitts (In the Company of Serpents, NightWraith) to fill the spot. The band completed work on “Depths,” with mixing masterfully handled by Zac Ohren (Fallujah, Immolation). The album further refines Abhoria’s sound, creating a multifaceted blend of hyper speed blasts, dissonance, progressive complexity and a string sense of melody. Lyrically, the band delves deeper into the dystopian world introduced on the debut.