Korova

The boundaries of black metal are, as I've said before, more expansive than a lot of people think. Sure, there's straightforward stuff like Bathory or Mayhem, but there's also the weird and the experimental, like Abruptum or Arcturus or KOROVA, from Innsbruck, Austria. And I think it's important to best understand the genre in all of its aspects.

First off, their name itself reflects their penchant for weirdness. The word "korova" is Russian for "cow", and as odd a name as that is for a black metal band, it was chosen because it was the name of the milk bar in the dystopian novel/film A Clockwork Orange and because Christof Niederwieser, the driving force behind and founder of the band, wanted a name that represented the musical "herd" Korova was seeking to separate itself from.

Off of their debut album, this is "Entlebt in tristem Morgenblut"

Although formed in 1990, Korova labored in the underground for a few years as--mostly--a one-man band under the leadership of Christof. By 1994, Korova was a full band and recorded their debut album, A Kiss in the Charnel Fields. Released in 1995 on Austrian label Napalm Records, Kiss is an odd slab of jarring avant-garde black metal. Filled with unusual time signatures, riffs that range from the atonal to the melodic, clean vocals, and eerie synth passages, only very adventurous black metal fans would embrace such an album.

Korova recorded material intended for a second album, and even shopped it around to several labels. However, it was repeatedly rejected for the music being too odd. This unreleased material apparently exists in the form of the Echowelt demo. Christof has even said in interviews that some of the Echowelt material is actually some of their more popular material when they perform live.

"Europa in Flammen" is a great song from 1998's Dead Like an Angel

They did end up releasing a different second album, 1998's Dead Like an Angel. It's a pretty solid follow-up to 1995's Kiss. That being said, it pushes boundaries even more than its predecessor. In addition to the above-mentioned elements, Korova was now incorporating more electronic sounds, female vocals, and more dissonant passages.

"Drown Symphony" is an excellent example of KorovaKill's millenial weirdness

The turn of the millenium saw some pretty radical changes for Korova. Christof and drummer/guitarist Moritz Neuner more or less disbanded Korova and reformed as KorovaKill, with new keyboardist Renaud Tschirner in tow. The resulting album was even more avant-garde and off-the-wall than anything Korova had done up to that point. This was 2001's Waterhells, an expansive, mind-bending concept album not for the faint of heart.

Since that time, KorovaKill morphed into yet another iteration: Chryst. Chryst is continuing the avant-garde, progressive industrial tendencies of KorovaKill's Waterhells. For fans of black metal as it is traditionally understood, Korova's first album is probably your best bet. For the more adventurous, their entire catalogue is worth a listen.

Select Discography:

A Kiss in the Charnel Fields (full-length) (1995)

Echowelt (demo) (1997)

Dead Like an Angel (full-length)  (1998)

Waterhells (full-length) (2001)

Next time: GOATPENIS