THERION

The amazing(?) story of a Swedish librarian

Quite why this is a double CD is not obvious, the total running time being around 85 minutes. It is certainly very nicely presented in a lavish slipcase, so presumably the splitting of the songs over 2 CDs is mainly a marketing ploy.

"Gothic Kabbalah" was released in 2007, and represents Therions' most recent album at time of writing. A new album does seem to be in the pipeline, with Christofer Johnsson once again radically changing the make up of the band but we are jumping ahead there, and here the line up remains unusually stable for Therion. Johnnson and the Neimann brothers are once again present, joined by the returning Petter Karlsson on drums, vocals etc. Wisely, Johnsson chooses not to sing at all on the album (he is reputed to have "retired" from singing), principal vocal duties being shared among 5 vocalists including the also returning Mats Levén. A fine collection of guest musicians are gathered together once again, but interestingly this time the numbers are pared back considerably. This time, there are no massed choirs or orchestras, the focus being on operatic soloists and rock singers or musicians. From a personal point of view, it is great to see Ken Hensley plays Hammond organ on the album.

Perhaps surprisingly, this is only the second genuine concept album (After "Secret of the Runes") released by Therion. The concept here is based on the life of an obscure Swedish Scholar of Runes and librarian to the king called Johannes Bureus (I kid you not!).

Given the absence of the orchestra, the natural assumption would be that this is a more rock orientated album than its immediate predecessors, and this proves to be the case. The superb classically trained vocals we are used to still appear throughout the album, but they are balanced to a much greater extent by a variety of rock voices. On the title track for example, Katarina Lilja's vocals are much less Nightwish, much more Mostly Autumn. As such, this album actually has more in common with albums by Ayreon and the likes than it does with previous Therion albums.

Tracks such as "Son of the Staves of Time", written by Mats Levén feature a fine vocal arrangement, but the underlying song is disappointingly basic and lacking imagination. "Tuna 1613", written by Petter Karlsson and Snowy Shaw emphasises this aspect even more, being straightforward rock song with some standard speed metal lead guitar.

On disc 2, "Wand of Abaris" makes for a fine ballad, I would swear that is Ken Hensley playing slide guitar on it too (but I am no doubt wrong!). Here, the vocals are actually the weak point, Snowy Shaw drifting too close to growling for comfort. The closing track, "Adulruna Rediviva" runs to some 13½ minutes, and as such is one of Therion's longest tracks ever. The song does to some extent delve back into the operatic pomp we love so much, the complex arrangement giving the track a more symphonic feel.

For me, the appeal of the best Therion albums has always been the pomposity and over the top presumptuous nature of the projects. Without those elements, while we by no means revert to the anonymous death metal band from whence they came, we are left with a good but no longer extraordinary product. It seems that the Neimann brothers, who were much more involved with the song-writing this time around, did not share the ambitious visions of band founder Johnsson (hence their subsequent departure).

The lavish packaging of this album serves to disguise the often prosaic nature of the contents. Hopefully Johnsson will rediscover his sense of adventure and future product will amaze and astonish us in the same way as Therion's recordings of the late 1990's did. Do not misunderstand me, this is an enjoyable album, I simply feel that it fails to live up to the high expectations previous albums have encouraged.

Set in a lost land, population 170

After the release of the 2001 concept album "Secret of the Runes", Therion toured extensively to promote that album. A live set was released in 2002 containing material recorded on the tour, but it would be a further 2 years before the next studio release was ready. Band leader Christofer Johnsson and permanent members Johan and Kristian Niemann had however been busy writing material for the new album, reportedly finding they had 55 new songs by the time they arrived in the studio. As a result, not one, but two albums were recorded. While these were initially released as a twin package, they are generally regarded as separate albums, and are now marketed apart (in much the same way as Bruce Springsteen's "Lucky town" and "Human touch"). Do not be mistaken in thinking that these are two full CD length albums though, while "Sirius B" is a respectable hour or so, this album runs to a rather paltry 42 minutes.

In an admirable nod to all the excesses that make prog the unique genre it is, no less than 170 musicians were brought together to work on "Lemuria" and "Sirius B". Apart from the now obligatory choir and orchestra, probably the most interesting of these is the return of former drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk (who also appeared on the bonus tracks on the previous album) to sing on several tracks. The album's title relates to a mysterious lost land which provides the loose concept for the album. As usual, the lyrics are written by Thomas Karlsson.

The excesses of the production are briefly forgotten as heavy guitar riffs introduce "Typhon". Soon though the operatic vocals are up and running. Surprisingly though we also find some growling by Christoffer Johnsson making a reappearance for the first time since the band's early albums. The track makes for a spirited opener, with good lead guitar accentuating the upbeat nature of the song. "Uthark Runa" has a slightly slower pace, the marching drums which introduce the track giving way to lead vocals by guest Mats Levén. These first two tracks, while featuring the now usual operatic vocals, are unusually straightforward compared to what we have come to expect from Therion.

The two part "Three Ships of Berik" only runs to 4 minutes in total, but it is the first real introduction to the orchestra. Once again, growling returns, but here it is set against a pulsating wall of sound with guitar, massed vocals and orchestration competing for centre stage.

The title track changes the mood completely. Here, acoustic guitar accompanies solo female operatic vocal, the song evolving into a delightful chorale. Piotr Wawrzeniuk adds a fine, slightly distorted voice to the proceedings. The oddly named "Quetzalcoatl" continues in a similar vein to "Three Ships of Berik", the vocals becoming increasingly theatrical. "The Dreams of Swedenborg" finds Wawrzeniuk making his second vocal contribution, the track being much more rock orientated than its peers. We still have the female vocals, but here they are in a strictly supporting role.

A ticking beat and soprano voice introduce "An Arrow From The Sun" before lead guitar introduces an orthodox Therion number. "Abraxas" pounds along to a highly infectious rhythm, the vocal arrangement here is the finest on the album. The album closes with "Feuer Overtüre / Prometheus Entfesselt", which features lyrics in German. Wawrzeniuk makes a final appearance, his distinctive voice sitting well with the rock orientation of the song.

Despite the massed line up "Lemuria", more than its twin "Sirius B", signals a pulling back from the theatrical orchestration and operatics which have been a feature of recent Therion albums. This trend would continue on the following studio album. For me, some of the tracks therefore have a feeling of being a underdeveloped, something also reflected in their brevity individually and collectively. There is still much to enjoy here, but I find overall "Lemuria" does not achieve the magnificent standards set by its immediate predecessors.

Nordic legends by Swedish legends

In 2001, in an admirable effort to further their prog credentials, Therion released their first bona-fide concept album. As the title suggests, "Secret of the runes" takes its theme from ancient Nordic legends. The "Runes" are ancient symbols containing secrets (see Led Zeppelin 4 for Similar Icelandic Runes). One of these secrets relates to a world tree called Yggrasil which is made up of a number of "worlds", each of which is afforded a track.

Before we can explore the worlds however, they have to be created from a black hole, thus we have the opening track or prologue, "Ginnungagap". We are even advised that the land comes from a slain giant's body, and the seas from his blood. The track itself is surprisingly heavy and rock based, with only passing references to the orchestral and chorale side of Therion.

The track dedicated to the first world "(Old) Midgård" opens with a male choir, who provide a sort of narration throughout. The general feel is even more symphonic now than on previous albums, with operatic singing virtually taking over. The song is majestic, played out at a regal pace, but featuring some fine lead guitar towards the end. The following "Asgård (The Bifrost Bridge)" is along very similar lines, with melancholy vocals and instrumentation being the order of the day.

"(Call of) Jotunheim" explores darker themes, including pagan like chanting with fanfare accompaniment. "Schwarzalbenheim" opens with further fanfares before bursting forth into a pounding up tempo number. Here the lyrics appear to be in German, a language which suits the harder nature of the song. The acoustic basis for ""Ljusalfheim (The Shining Ones)" sits well with the choir voices. The song tells the tale of pixies and elves (as does much of the album), Ljusalfheim being King of elves. The brief "Muspelheim" continues lyrically in a "Lord of the rings" way while compressing what might have been a 6 minute song into just over 2 minutes. "Nifelheim" takes the choral vocals even further, with chanting and melodic orchestration competing for the middle ground. "Vanaheim" reverts more towards the metal side of the band, while "Helheim" has some quite delightful male vocals. Here the lyrics are Scandinavian, presumably Norwegian.

The album closes with an "Epilogue" which also bears the album's title. This piece is similar to the "Prologue", lead guitar driving a spirited vocal theme forward.

Two "bonus" tracks appear on pretty much all the releases of this album. The first of these, "Crying days" is a cover of a Scorpions song with Piotr Wawrzeniuk returning to provide lead vocal. While the song is a distraction from the overall concept of the album, it does at least feel like a Therion number. The following cover of Abba's "Summer night city", which also has vocals by Piotr Wawrzeniuk, on the hand is a distraction too far. It is certainly an inventive and enjoyable affair, it just does not belong here. (You do have to hear it though!)

In all, a brave attempt by Therion to venture into new fields. The results largely work well, the greater emphasis on the symphonic placing further demands on the quality of the writing. By and large those demands are met, although overall I would place this album just below the best that Therion have made.

This was the first album by Therion to feature an unchanged core line up, and while drummer Sami Karppinen would leave after its release, the rest of the trio remained intact for subsequent albums. Much of the recording of the album took place in Johnsson's newly built studio.

Part two of this power metal epic fares better than its predecessor, "Sirius B". "Lemuria" focuses on metal intensity and a more conventional feel, finding better ways to utilize the excessive opera of part one to construct some memorable progressive power metal.

In general "Lemuria" is speedy, chugging, melodic, metal riffing with variety in its tempo and dynamics to create a dark, gothic feel. The symphony is still here, but much more subdued, helping to create tapestries in the background to complement the quite between heavy crunch. Johnnson sings much more on this album, and although his voice isn't especially remarkable, "Lemuria" is much better for it. His clean vocals have an unsettling feel to them (sometimes distorted for effect), and the death-metal growls go along way. The operatic vocals remain as well, sometimes taking the lead, but the end effect has a much more collaborative feel.

Still, while the feel has improved, the songwriting is virtually a cookie-cutter of metal cliche; there simply isn't much imagination here, and in a project of this scope it shows in a big way.

Good for the occasional power-metal listen, but far from a metal-masterpiece.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 3

Part one of Therion's two-piece epic, "Sirius B" is an odd example of pure metal joy mixed with endless metal cheese, rife with "artistic" pretense making it an explosive misfire, but not without redeeming qualities.

"Sirius B" uses cunchy, melodic guitar-led metal riffing throughout, usually with terrific intensity and power from its rhythm section. Big, powerful, and exciting, at its best "Sirius" really rocks. The songwriting itself isn't especially compelling though, and the group's lauded technical skill falls very short of the raves. The songs are somewhat varied, but ultimately revolve around the previously mentioned riffing; there are few solos, few interesting time changes or experimental moments, and not much to make an impact. As a whole, the project feels like its playing it safe, and while generally sounding pretty good, this banality takes away from the end result.

The biggest problem is, of course, its gimmicky symphonic and opera additions, which seem novel at first but quickly out last their welcome. The choir does almost all fo the lead-singing (if one can call it that), and the purity (or sterility, you judge) of their voices sounds very silly here. The inclusion of the ochestra is not pulled of well either; the compositions give the instruments few chances to do what they do well-- they just sort of chug along with the riffing.

The end result is something I wanted to be very cool, but will ultimately become little more than background music for Dungeons and Dragons.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

I had ignored this album for the very reasons that Easy Livin pointed out in his review: I was amongst the fans that saw Therion gradually losing their originality and creativity. I had really enjoyed Theli and Vovin but a number of reasons had made me do big detours around anything called Therion from 1999 onwards: the repetitive approach of Vovin, the stop-gap called The Crowning of Atlantis and the assembly line product Lemuria/Sirius B.

As I had expected, there's nothing on offer that we haven't heard on other Therion albums, but the crunchy guitar work from new axe man Kristian Niemann is good improvement. His galloping NWOBHM riffs kick Therion out of its imminent lethargic state. In fact, due to its energy boost, this album sounds more like a follow up for Theli then Vovin did. The songs have a lot more metal punch in them and there's more variation.

Next to the guitarist, also the choir and orchestra are a real treat and generally, Therion sound like a band having lots of fun at what they are doing again. The opener Seven Secrets is the best song on the album and serves as an excellent example: crisp guitars, big choir arrangements and good melodies. Eternal Return goes for a more gentle approach, a bit musical-alike at times but with occasional up-tempo parts that seem to come straight out of Iron Maiden and Rainbow albums.

Enter Vril-Ya is a classic hard rock stomp. As usual with Therion, they know how to make the most out of a simple idea. The choir is really excellent here, dark and menacing. In fact, as the closing track of the album proves, it all seems to come right out of the Carmina Burana: songs about drinking, lust, gluttony and similar types of medieval fun.

The quality goes a bit up and down. Some songs like Ships of Luna and The Invincible rely too heavily on the effect made by the overwhelming arrangements and big choirs , probably in order to hide that the songwriting isn't all that impressive really. Still, there are good moments, like Deggial that saves itself from anonymity by a good tempo change at the end.

The short Lord of Flies is a little energetic piece and one of the highpoints. With Flesh of the Gods they put in a stab of shameless hairmetal that is simply irresistible. The fun they had with this one is no less than contagious. Via Nocturna is a typical Therion track that I've simply heard too much by now. They handled the Orff cover O Fortuna with their usual good judgement, not too bombastic (a relative thing), with just some celestial rock drums accompanying the choir and orchestra. Works for me.

From this album onwards things declined rapidly for Therion. The following albums might still appeal to die-hard fans or to people not familiar with Therion, but for anyone else they're unnecessary. The conclusion stands that Therion stopped evolving after Vovin, but with Deggial they at least added a nice selection of songs to their canon. Not their best but a good album nevertheless and not a bad start for Therion newbies.

— First review of this album —

A compilation of tracks from two compilations

Between 1997 and 2000, Therion released three magnificent studio albums, namely "Theli", "Vovin" and Deggial". Such was the pressure from their record company to keep the flow of material coming that two other original albums were also released during this period. Both "Crowning of Atlantis" and "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" were in fact compilations made up of leftover tracks, covers and live versions. They were presented as original albums, and appear in the band's discography as such, but they should not be taken too seriously in terms of Therion's development.

In 2005, a compilation of tracks from these albums was released under the title "Atlantis lucid dreaming". The reasoning behind such a release are not immediately clear, but the results are certainly quite palatable.

The first six tracks here are also the opening tracks on "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" with the exception of the Iron Maiden cover "Children of the Damned". They include three cover versions, three songs recorded for "Theli" but not used on that album, and an instrumental version of the early track "Symphony of the Dead". The remainder of "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" was given over to Christofer Johnsson's soundtrack for the obscure film "Golden Embrace". That soundtrack and the Therion reworkings of tracks from it are simply omitted altogether here.

In similar fashion, the first seven tracks from "Crowning of Atlantis" are lifted and dropped onto this album, along with the closing song, a live version of "Black sun". In addition to three more cover versions, we therefore have tracks left over from "Vovin" and one originally intended for "Deggial". Some of these songs would have appeared on an interim EP had it not been for the record company's insistence on padding "Crowing of Atlantis" out to full album length.

Given the fragmented nature of the two source compilations, this set also lacks continuity. The original songs are generally excellent, most being worthy of inclusion on the main studio albums. The cover versions on the other hand are light relief, and not representative of the work of Therion.

If you have "Crowning of Atlantis" and "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming" there's nothing new to be found here. If you have neither, this is a decent collection.

The first half of the 90's saw the rise of doom-death. A style of slow-paced doom metal with gruff vocals that combined the power chords of Black Sabbath, the slow dirge and nihilism of the industrial new wave band Swans and the zombie type of vocals that you used to scare your little sister with.

Now, all of that would have been of little relevance to this site if it hadn't been for the fact that most of the UK pioneers of this style gradually morphed into more accessible formats. My Dying Bride stayed most true to the original format but they matured into epic metal compositions that many Opeth fans will probably like. Paradise Lost did an interesting excursion into Sisters and Depeche Mode territories and you all know what wonderful music Anathema went on to create right?

But also Sweden (of course) had its exponents. Tiamat doesn't feature on this site but before they turned into a stale gothic metal act they created some interesting Sisters of Mercy on Pink Floyd dope albums. And Therion, well they believed the true potential of Jesus Christ Superstar hadn't been explored yet and brought back opera to rock.

The reason I try to impress you with all this background is because I have very little to say about this particular album itself. It is decent, but it is the sound of a death metal band that realized they weren't heavy nor skilled enough to hold their ground in this normally very technical scene. So they compensated their disadvantage by experimenting, by finding creative solutions and by trying out new things on the unsuspecting audiences. An approach that often leads to great things.

And so it did for Therion. This transitional album is mostly straightforward 'doom death & roll' with occasional experiments with choirs and violins. Their next album would reveal all the potential of this fertile marriage. Lepaca Kliffoth will probably only appeal to you if you want to seek out where Therion came from and if you can stomach the gruff vocals. I've found myself quite liking it, but never enough to motivate me to explore the Therion history any further back then this one.

"Deggial tell the truth that man is but a Beast"

With Therion's star rising ever higher, Christofer Johnsson secured even greater funding for the recording of the band's ninth official album. As a result, he brought in a full orchestra for the first time (previous releases had included a strings orchestra only) in addition to the now traditional choirs and soloists. The album took 3 months to record, the emphasis being placed on exploring in even greater depths the symphonic aspects of Therions' music. Once again, Johnsson takes the opportunity to refresh the line up, with Kristian Niemann coming in on lead guitar, Johan Niemann on bass and Sami Karppinen on drums. The arrival of the Neimann brothers would signal the beginning of a relatively stable period in the line up of the band.

The opening bars of "Seven secrets of the sphinx" give little indication of any symphonic aspects, and indeed indicate that this will also be a generally darker and heavier outing for Therion. The following "Eternal return" is more in keeping with albums such as "Theli" and "Vovin", but even here, the sound actually seems a little sparser. It is only when we get to "Enter Vril-Ya" that the symphonic aspects start to come to the fore, the strings and massed choir combining to deliver a piece with true might.

"Ship of Luna" begins with a "Mars" (Holst) like drum rhythm before switching completely to become an acoustic based number. The combination of acoustic foundation and choral voices works well here. As the song unfolds, it reveals itself as one of Therion's most complex, and indeed progressive pieces. The power is notched up further for the regal "The invincible", which floats along on a series of mystical lyrics. Quite why the title track seems a little different is difficult to explain, but while the vocals are of the usual choral type, the instrumentation has an alternative feel to it. Midway through, the song burst open in a rip- roaring romp to the end.

As a title, "Emerald crown" sails close to Rhapsody territory, but the song itself is actually one of the softer ones, more of a ballad really. At less than 1½ minutes, the instrumental "The Flight of the Lord of Flies" is the shortest track on the album by far. The piece seems to be a sort of variation on "The flight of the bumble bee".

"Flesh of the Gods" features guest lead vocals by Hansi Kürsch, the balance of the song leaning back towards the heavier rock orientation of the band. The centrepiece of the album is the 2 part, 9½ minute "Via Nocturna". The pixie inspired lyrics (written throughout the album by Thomas Karlsson) talk of walks in strange forests and a queen of the night called Lilith. The images are well buried though in an epic mix of orchestration, chorales and dramatic guitar blasts. In the best ways of prog, the song take some time to reveal itself, but as it does we discover a magnificent cornucopia of all which defines Therion.

The final track is a cover of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna", an operatic piece which will be familiar even to those who do not recognise the name. The rendition here calls upon all the power of choir and orchestra, while also featuring some fine acoustic guitar.

The album was a commercial success as expected, but despite the major investment this time, it actually sold less than "Vovin". Quite why this should be is not immediately obvious, as the album fulfils all expectations. Perhaps the more of the same aspect meant that some fans felt the originality of Therion was waning. If so, that would be a great pity, as this is a mighty album.

Before they got into the business of cloning themselves, Therion made quite an interesting appearance on the extensive 90's metal scene. With Theli, Therion reached the end of their progression from a Celtic Frost replica into a highly influential blend of Celtic Frost's pioneering theatrical tendencies with an equal amount of Metallica thrash metal and Sisters of Mercy gothic rock.

Therion will probably not charm you much if you expect great musicianship, both the riffing and the song writing is fairly straightforward. But it is applied to maximum effect: they don't repeat too much here, change tempo and melodies frequently enough and had plenty of ideas to keep your attention to the proceedings. Both the inspiration and the passion for what they were doing ran high in those days. The element that could make them appealing to progressive rock audiences is the addition of Beethoven-era classical influences and symphonic choruses. Celtic Frost pioneered this in metal but Therion apply it very effectively.

As happened with every remarkable heavy metal album from the 90's, also this one sprouted a multitude of look-alikes that would ape the style and clutter the metal scene for years to come. Nightwish, Within Temptation, After Forever and Therion themselves would turn this exciting approach into a commercially successful but artistically deficient self-parody. Before it got so far, Therion made this essential piece of music. 4.5 stars