First of all I must admit that I have never been a big Therion fan per se. Their earliest Death Metal days are not anything I spend any time on at all and the fact is, the only reason I ever checked them out was because I heard that Mats Levén had joined the band – and on his first releases with them, the double release of Lemuria and Sirius B (2004), his voice was only heard on six of the 21 songs. The albums were pretty good, though. I didn’t go back into their catalogue until the brilliant Gothic Kabbalah showed up back in 2007 – a masterpiece – but even their earlier more operatic Metal records never impressed me at all. Maybe not bad but I don’t think they’re all that good either. Many critical voices were raised when they released the follow-up Sitra Ahra in 2010 and even I was disappointed at first but that album grew on me and today I think it’s great.
The follow-up Les Fleurs Du Mal (2012) was a real curve-ball even for a band like Therion. The album was made of covers of old French schlagers and I was sceptic to that album, to say the least, from the beginning but even though it might not be my favorite album of all time, I do appreciate it – they did get away with it. What they didn’t get away with from my point of view was the triple CD, the mastodon rock-opera Beloved Anti-Christ from 2018. I don’t hate it but it was – and still is – a bit overmuch to digest and to this day, I still haven’t managed to make anything on there stick. When it was time for the release of the new album, band-leader and guitarist Christoffer Johnson stated that Therion now don’t have anything left to prove and therefore the new record would be an album of Therion hits, an album made for their audience. I’m not sure if Therion ever had a hit but I get his drift – and I do like the idea.
Therion opens the album in a surprisingly traditional Heavy Metal meets Hard Rock way in the verses of “The Leaf On The Oak Of Far” – very straight forward without any fuss. But fear not, Therion-fans because the tune soon takes the dramatic and operatic road we’re used to and goes from quite groundy to bombastic and grandiose. It’s a short and concise, heavy rocker with some chunky riffing and a kicking beat that holds both more traditional vocals, both male and female and choral arrangements. It’s a hooky piece with a strong main-melody and a memorable chorus.
The single “Tuonela” has Marco Hietela of Nightwish guesting on lead vocals. It holds some stompy and punchy verses, pretty straight ahead but the song also holds some folky vibes, some medieval Blackmore’s Night sounding musical arrangements and when the chorus strikes, both Avantasia and Nightwish comes to mind. The tune is big on orchestration, it’s aggressive and it’s rich on melodies and a damn catchy chorus. Hietela shares lead vocals with one Taida Nazrac, a Serbian born soprano with a magnificent voice, a massive register and a voice that sounds both gorgeous and sinister at the same time. A great song that very well can turn into a modern Therion classic.
Also a single, the title-track is one bombastic number, quite rhythmic on a straight-forward beat. There’s a folky and old northern melody arrangement here that makes me see vikings in my living room, it’s theatrical, operatic and holds an huge soundscape vocally. It’s a slower piece with a brooding atmosphere that crawls under your skin but also very memorable with a bewildering hook. I dig this. “Die Wellen Der Zeit”, single # 3, is slow and sparse in the verses yet grandiose with more medieval melodies and holds some beautiful female vocals but turns dramatic and comprehensive with lots of orchestration when the chorus comes. It brings on a grand soundscape and the vocal melodies are almost hypnotic. Very good.
Heavy, rowdy and robust with a stone-hard beat, “Azi Dahka” hits the ground kicking and scratching with thrashy riffs and a punchy outlook. There’s some eastern flavoured melody-lines inserted and a roaring Hammond as well. The tune is still filled with orchestration and a grandiose arrangement which makes for a cool contrast that works wonders for the dynamics here. A damn good one. “Eye Of Algol” is one heavy and dark rocker, punchy and headbnag-friendly yet with some striking vocal-melodies all over. The song comes across as a fine mix of Gothic Kabbalah and Sitra Ahra style wise but there’s also some aggressive vocals involved. Yet it’s still very bombastic and at times it feels like I’m about to go out to war while listening to it. Very good indeed.
On a slower note, “Nocturnal Light” starts out as an ominous opera of sorts but when the Metal vibes comes in the tune goes for a more pompous and theatrical outlook. The blending of Metal and Opera works like a charm here and feels like the most natural thing in the world with some major catchiness within the vocal-melodies. A good metal-opera-ballad that dwells inside a sinister soundscape. “Great Marquis Of Hell” holds a fast tempo, it’s upbeat and heavy and quite rough-edged. It’s a riff-happy, metal-infested and punch-hard piece with classical undertones. It’s short and concise, a fast-burner with a blasting chorus, very in-your-face and bang-on-target. Very good.
“Psalm Of Retribution” is slower in pace with a marching-beat, quite punchy and some chugging guitars. It’s a melodic yet heavy number that takes different turns here and there with a progressive twist. The down-beat classical music passage is a fine, dynamic breather and the whole tune comes with memorable melodies all over. Mats Levén makes a guesting come back and the guy’s really perfect for the tune. A killer song and one of the album’s finest moments. The classic Metal guitar chugging continues in the upbeat and rhythmic stomper “El Primer Sol”. The usual Therion bombasm is there, so are the operatic vocals and while the tune do hold some hooks, it’s not as direct as most of the tunes here. It’s ok, though.
As a closer, “Ten Courts Of Diyu” does its job splendidly. Starting out slow on a softer note with gorgeous female vocals by Noa Gruman and Taida Nazrac, it takes a turn for the more grand and bombastic, turning the song into a Therion power ballad. It’s darker laden but also a bit on the smoother side. It’s not as operatic as the rest of the tune but still very dramatic and even cinematic with a turgid arrangement. It’s orchestrated with big choral arrangements and there’s a slight oriental touch to the melodies. It’s intriguing and while the darkness lies all over the song it’s also uplifting because of the hook-laden melodies and the highly memorable chorus that really grabs a hold. A very good way to say bye-bye for now.
I must admit that the first time I listened to the album it left me a bit cold and it came across as quite “meh” – not bad but nothing really stood out. Luckily enough, I gave it a few more spins and I gave in the first time I plugged it through my headphones. An album full of Therion hits, they say? Well, I don’t know about hits – I like to call it Therion’s AC/DC album – the album when you’re given what made the band big, the songs most fans expect and want – unless you’re a fan of their Death Metal era that is. The album really went from a disappointment to a record I hold as one of their better efforts. One might argue that the opera-metal thing has over-stayed its welcome but the fact is, no band sounds like Therion does which is why I think they not only get away with it, they master the craft. I really look forward to part 2 and 3 which apparently are in the works.
8/10
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Tracklist:
1. The Leaf On The Oak Of Far
2. Tuonela
3. Leviathan
4. Die Wellen Der Zeit
5. Azi Dahaka
6. Eye Of Algol
7. Nocturnal Light
8. Great Marquis Of Hell
9. Psalm Of Retribution
10. El Primer Sol
11. Ten Courts Of Diyu
CD & Festival reviews 