by Eduardo RivadaviaOne of Austria's most eclectic and risk-taking black metal bands, Korova was formed in the city of Innsbruck by Christof Niederweiser (vocals, guitars, keyboards) in 1990, oddly taking their name from the Russian words for "the cow." After several years composing and rehearsing, Niederweiser drafted second guitarist George Razerberger, bassist Michael Kroll, and drummer Moritz Neuner prior to recording Korova's debut album, A Kiss in the Charnel Fields, released in 1995 by Napalm Records. It then took another four years before Niederweiser and Neuner returned with a second album, Dead Like an Angel, featuring new bandmates Martina Hornbacher (vocals), Herwig Huber (guitar), Florian Oberlechner (bass), and Susanne Eckbauer (keyboards). This was the record that really put Korova on the map, thanks to its awe-inspiring mix of death, black, gothic, and progressive metal, performed with a flair for grandiose theatrics. But it also spelled the group's end, when Niederweiser and Neuner inexplicably broke ranks to found a seemingly unnecessary, but clearly self-explanatory new project called Korovakill.