GOTHIC KABBALAH

I'm all for bombastic metal projects with choirs and symphonies and all that. However, Therion seems to be missing something very important in this release. I couldn't tell you exactly what it is, but I'm guessing it has something to do with creativity or inspiration or memorability. Because when it comes down to it, most of this album is completely forgettable. While some of the vocals are quite impressive, and while the band does some neat sort of metal motions, we as the listeners here have ended up with a uniquely bland and unremarkable collection of the most standard progressive metal to be found. Not only that, but it runs far too long for the minimal interest it creates. If the band had chopped the total length down to maybe half the time and kept only the best parts, this album might be average.

There are some good songs here, though, enough to interest any fan of the band. Wisdom and the Cage, Tuna 1613, and The Falling Stone are all fairly neat. The only song that stands out, though, is the odd track Trul. The chorus features a rather long-winded vocal harmony between some female voices, and boy does it sound really good. This song and this song alone is the reason I do believe some people when they say that Therion is one of the best symphonic metal acts to come out of Sweden and possibly all of Europe. The rest of the songs, however, all blend together in varying levels of complete homogeny.

If you really like Therion, I imagine you'll enjoy this release, too. If you are into bands like Ayreon or Orphaned Land and think you've found a similar band, check twice or check elsewhere in their discography. While the levels of cheese may be on par with Ayreon's lyrics, I do not think you'll find the melodies or the use of multiple voices nearly as entertaining. Not a good place to start with this band, I have learned the fifteen-bucks-in-the-hole way.

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