Victoria K: KORE

Australian gothic metal band Victoria K has been around for a few years, releasing their second studio album titled KORE in 2022. Until now I had been unfamiliar with the band. On their new album they tell the story of Persephone. So, what we have is a little Greek mythology to wrap your head around. The liner notes do a nice job explaining the story. Lead singer Victoria Knight wanted to further explore her Greek heritage, hence the concept.

The band delivers a big sound, with orchestral strings, huge guitar riffs, and big sounding keys, all centered around Victoria Knight's excellent vocals. She has a great range and sings with plenty of emotive flair, whether quietly crooning or soaring towards the heavens. Gruff male vocals also appear, sometimes entwining with Knight’s melodic flavourings.

The short, orchestral “Prologue� begins the disc soon followed by “Raptum� where Eastern ethnic flavours are incorporated in the band’s big gothic metal sound. There is a nice instrumental break with only drums, adding a little variety into the mix. “Mother’s Garden� is highlighted by melodic keyboard piano coursing through the heavy guitar crunch, backed by Knight’s choir-like backing vocals. Another catchy track. With “The Child�, a mellow acoustic guitar beginning morphs into massive orchestral swells and rocking riffs, gets mellow, and then heavy once again. The band is certainly tight. With “Persephone� the band touches on progressive metal where variation in vocals, shifting moods, and rhythmic change ups keeps the interest level high. On “Divine Revelation� the band reaches for more Eastern vibes and the synth/guitar break captured my attention immediately.

I was a little burned out on gothic/symphonic metal these last few years, but I really like this album. Consummate musicianship and great vocals make for a well rounded package. Recommended.

A Rockshots Records’ release.

The players:
Victoria Knight (all clean vocals)
Charlie Curnow (all extreme vocals)
Troy Downward (guitars)
Craig Newman (bass)
Gerry Pantazis (drums)
Lee Bradshaw (keyboards, synths, and sound design)
And:
Strings by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and the Moscow Bow Tie Orchestra

Track Listing:
1. Prologue
2. Raptum
3. Mother’s Garden
4. The Child
5. Persephone
6. A Divine Revelation
7. Tower
8. Blasphemia
9. Pomegranate
10. The Afterlife
11. Epilogue

Added: February 23rd 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 235
Language: english

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