CROWNING OF ATLANTIS

A quality selection of odds and sods

As with "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" from two years previously, "Crowning of Atlantis" should not be taken into consideration when examining the Therion time-line. Like that album, this is really a compilation gathering together odds and sods (for want of a better expression) from around the period. That is not to say this set is devoid of value, but simply to put things in context.

Originally planned by as an EP by Christofer Johnsson, the record company decided that they wanted it expanded into a full length CD release. The three new tracks were therefore augmented by a collection of live tracks and some more cover versions.

The opening title track would, according to Johnsson, have ended up on the next proper album "Deggial" had it not appeared here. It is certainly the best of the bunch, featuring all the operatics and orchestrations which made "Vovin" such a fine album. Clearly putting the most appealing songs up front, the following "Mark of Cain" is a track recorded for, but omitted from, "Vovin". Johnsson was not satisfied with the version of the song which was prepared for "Vovin", hence its omission. He worked on it further for this album, resulting in a guitar driven piece which would have been worthy of that album.

The song "Clavicula Nox" had already made it onto "Vovin", but Johnsson felt that the ideas he had for it had not been fully realised. Whether there is anything newly recorded for this 9 minute version is not clear, the official notation being that this is a remix. In any event, the result is superb.

The first of the covers is "Crazy nights", NOT the similarly named Kiss song but a more obscure number by a band called Loudness. This rendition could actually be by Kiss, being a straightforward slice of hairspray rock. "From The Dionysian Days" was recorded during the "Vovin" sessions, but omitted on the grounds that it did not fit musically. The eclectic nature of this compilation therefore makes it the ideal home for the song. In retrospect, I reckon this piece would have fitted in fine on "Vovin" and thus serves to enhance the appeal of this album. The operatic singing is slightly less formal here and the guitar work smoother, leading to a bit of a middle of the road feel.

"Thor (The powerhead)" is a cover of a song by Manowar from their "Sign of the Hammer" album. As with "Crazy nights", this rendition is pretty faithful to the original, and thus sounds quite remote from the style Therion have now made their own. The final cover is of "Seawinds", originally by Accept. In this case, unlike the other covers, Johnsson reinvents the piece as a Therion original. The acoustic base and 60's type harmonies combine to form a light but beautiful number which might have made for a successful single release had it been recorded 20 years earlier.

The album closes with the traditional way of filling unused space on an album, i.e. a trio of live versions of songs we have heard before. These were recorded on the 1998 tour (as a support band) to promote "Vovin". It is not clear however how much of what we hear is actually performed live, and how much is pre-recorded. The three songs, one from each of "Theli", "Vovin" and "Lepaca Kliffoth" come across well. Given though that a major part of the appeal of the music of Therion is the way the songs are arranged and recorded in the studio, these versions are largely sueprflouous.

In all, a decent gathering of diverse material. As such, the album does not flow well and pretty much all the worthwhile stuff is upfront. Enjoyable in the same way as a greatest hits package might be.

The followup for "Vovin" was supposed to be an EP or at least that's what Christofer Johnsson wanted it to be due to the lack of time for preparing new material after the Vovin Tour. Of course THERION's record company Nuclear Blast had other plans and to capture the momentum of the band's ascent into the big leagues of the metal universe, pushed them to crank out more material for a full album's worth. The result was a rather haphazard attempt of covers, a remix and live performances from the tour and much like the album "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" was basically a mixed grab bag of new material along with stuff that probably should have been held back as bonus tracks for later rereleases.

Despite the compilation type of feel, CROWNING OF ATLANTIS is still considered THERION's eighth overall studio album but only contains three new tracks and a remix of "Clavicula Nox" from the previous "Vovin" album. The three live tracks include "To Mega Therion" from the "Theli" album, "Black Sun" from "Vovin" and "The Wings Of Hydra" from the "Lepaca Kliffoth" album. While there are only three new tracks and four if you count the remix, the cast of THERION is still quite a large group with an army of guest musicians, choir members along with the regular band and Indigo orchestra. The album's content was basically salvaged from various recording sessions that spanned from 1997-99 so it's no wonder that this one basically feels like a leftovers album.

The covers include "Crazy Nights" from Loudness, "Thor (The Powerhead)" from Manowar and "Seawinds" from Accept. Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear is the guest vocalist on the first two and these covers are decently done in their original heavy metal splendor without any THERION styled orchestral or choir elements added. They are faithful to the originals but seem rather pointless really. Why bother unless you're going to add some new life to them? There is more of a classic 80s metal feel even in the original as well. The new material beings with the opening title track which borrows the primary riff from Iron Maiden's classic track "Powerslave" at least in the verses and then the choruses bust out the symphonic and orchestral splendor. While it's all done well, the Maiden riff just makes me want to listen to the album of the same name.

"Mark Of Cain" is a decent track but sounds like a leftover from the "Vovin" album with heavy power chord guitar riffs, folk metal extras on guitar that crushes on mid-tempo. The focus of keeping things more metallic diminishes the role of the classical elements on this one. The "Clavicula Nox" remix is basically slows things down with a classical piano roll but then finds the male choir members busting out their operatic fine tuned baritone voices that alternate with the sopranos along with more chugga chug guitar work. The piano plays the role of butting in and crafting a softer sound that then gets sped up again by the guitar riffs. Decent but basically just mellows out the original. "From The Dionysian Days" starts with a hyperactive classical piano part with the divas singing their hearts out with the tenors following. This one is catchy and brings out the best of the THERION sound. IMHO the best track on this one.

One for the fans for sure. Material presented is definitely of decent quality even if much of it seems rather forced. Given the circumstances of the clash of will between artist and label, it's no wonder this is not the phenomenal followup to "Vovin" that the fans were surely expecting. Good for what it is but certainly not the most essential chapter of the THERION canon. Luckily the band would refocus and release another string of high quality albums beginning with the following "Deggial."