how the concept began...
The concept of AGHORA was first devised in 1995 by Santiago Dobles while attending the Berklee School of Music. Originally the lineup consisted of Santiago (lead guitar), Max Dible (guitar), and Andy Deluca (bass) all students at Berklee at the time. It was not until 1997, when Santiago and Andy moved to Miami and met up with the other members: vocalist, Danishta Rivero (Santiago’s sister); local death metal guitarist, Charlie Ekendahl; and drummer, Sean Reinert (of CYNIC, DEATH and GORDIAN KNOT), that the music started to come alive. Together they recorded two demos and began searching for an outlet for their music. Since then, AGHORA has become well-known through the internet in the progressive rock & metal scene and many people throughout the world are waiting for the release of their first CD. In 1999, the band began work on their debut album. Sean joined the band as a guest artist two weeks before the scheduled recording sessions. His unique playing was the last element in putting together the sound and energy desired by all the band members. Throughout 1999 they recorded "Aghora" a debut album containing nine original tracks. The album was produced by Santiago Dobles, Dan Escauriza and co-produced by Sean Malone. The CD will be available for sale March 2000.
Many people have made the connection between AGHORA and CYNIC and this is obvious by having the two Seans playing with AGHORA. The link between the two bands started when Santiago as a young teenager became a huge fan of Cynic (I remember he always wore the CYNIC tee-shirt, and he only had one!). When Santiago moved to Miami he made friendships with the members of CYNIC and this has developed through the years to where we are today. So there is a natural progression from CYNIC to AGHORA. Is AGHORA the second coming of CYNIC? I think the answer is no. AGHORA incorporates some CYNIC influences with many new ones introduced by Santiago. The result is something new and quite different.
Source: http://www.aghora.org/
