| CD REVIEW Therion |
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Band : Therion During the past three years, it has been relatively silent around Therion, the Swedish heavy metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. Fortunately, it was the silence before the storm, because Therion is now back with an earthshaking monster of an album, being the successor of Gothic Kabbalah: Sitra Ahra. Listening to the album for the first time, we get the impression that the band has returned to their roots. After some line-up changes, it’s very clear that there are still a lot of death metal influences and that there are still those enchanting female vocals. In addition, we’re treated once more with the finest and most mindtwisting melodies! The fact that there’s an incredible amount of guitar solos really stands out. For the fans, this album will be a discovery on the one hand and a true challenge on the other. On this album, the band decided to work around old cultures and ancient religious characters. But what makes Sitra Ahra so stunning and breathtaking? The very first song is, surprisingly enough, not a prelude to the rest of the album, but immediately a killer of an instrumental track, being the title track takes off in a very classical way. It’s very easy to listen to, with both female and male vocalists who welcome us to mystery. These parts are followed by the bombastic ones, which make this a very catchy song. The second song on the album is “Kings of Edom”. It begins in a very soft way, with two main instruments: a piano and a flute. But this doesn’t take long, because there is immediate action, followed by an alternation of fast and slow musical parts. All of this is soaked with bittersweet voices and enchanting melodies, which makes it a very experimental song. The third song on the album, “Unguentum Sabbati” has a very bombastic opening with lots of choir. In this song we’re not welcomed by Thomas Vikström, but by Snowy Shaw, who had first left Therion to become the new bass player of Dimmu Borgir, but was welcomed back just some weeks later into the Therion camp. His return was a fortunate event for Therion, because with his strong voice, the album becomes that much more of a diamond. For the fourth song, “Land of Canaan”, you need be prepared, for it lasts more than ten minutes! This is always a risk, but Therion is a band to rely on, which means there are no boring parts at all. This song is introduced in great mystery, with just a bell, followed immediately by some oriental instruments, which makes us only more curious. It’s a fantastic song full of things to discover. “Hellequin” has a much greater medieval character. There’s this genius harmony between male and female vocals which makes us float away upon a bed of clouds. Next to that, this song has a very heroic character, supported by the strong voices of all Therion singers! This song is very playful, though incredibly mature and convincing! A true piece of skill. Now we’ve passed half of the songs, it’s already time for the end of times. With “2012” you really have to close your eyes and imagine the cruelties and apocalyptic events of the end of the world. With “Cu Chulain”, Snowy Shaw proves what he’s really capable of. In the chorus, the added female echo increases tense and curiosity wonderfully. This song really makes us curious for what is yet to come, which might be some top guitar work. “Kali Yuga III” is one of those songs made to become a hit! It’s just so damn catchy! Let’s hope this song will be performed live a lot, since it’s filled with loads of vocal, melodic and instrumental diversity. In addition, we hear the same thing for several times, though each time, it is brought to us in a whole different way. This, my dearest, is just phenomenal! I have a different feeling when it comes to “The Shells Are Open”. It’s more in the style of The Vision Bleak, being ‘horror metal’. It’s not very surprising anymore, which makes it a redundant song for Therion. It’s a good song, let’s not forget about that, but doesn’t add any extra value to the album. The two last songs (“Diu” and “After the Inquisition”) bring us some pure Therion songs, using grunts, combined with perfect melodies. The last songs wonderfully illustrate the rebirth of Therion! All in all, Sitra Ahra is less catchy, compared to the previous ones, though of a very high quality! It requires a long journey in which every detail leads to full comprehension of this masterpiece Therion’s just delivered to the world. Get it and discover its magic! 89/100 Tim Tronckoe. |
