How does one follow up a deeply ambitious concept album that sprawled over two discs and left the listener breathless with admiration? In the case of Therion you open your new album with a supremely operatic moment and then let loose the same guitars that made ‘the rise of Sodom and Gomorrah’ so jaw-droppingly brilliant and couple it with an expensive, and expansive, production sound and automatically you have an introduction that will leave fans of the band in ecstasy and the competition wondering what the hell they did wrong to be faced with such an impossible standard to live up to.
With a new band in tow and new singers, Therion main-man Christopher Johansson has clearly been re-energised to write some of the catchiest and most dramatic music of his lengthy career. All the elements that make Therion such a phenomenal band are here – the huge, operatic choruses, the scorching guitar work and throbbing bass and the distinct vocal parts and the whole thing sounds somehow larger than before thanks to a production job of exceptional clarity. Opening with the sublime title track, you’re hit instantly with a dizzying sense of scale, particularly as the chorus rivals Carl Orff’s magnificent work ‘oh fortuna’ (from the equally astounding Carmina Burana) in the dramatic state which is no mean feat. It’s a fabulous opening and a powerful statement of intent from a band with a stunning legacy to live up to.
As if to ram the point home that the new band is more than capable of equaling the last incarnation of Therion, the second track, ‘kings of Edom’ is an eight minute epic that sees crushing riffs dueling it out with classical music through multiple tempo and mood changes. It’s awe-inspiring stuff and just goes to show that Therion’s shedding of musicians is a justifiable endeavour which keeps the band sounding as fresh as if this was a debut disc. ‘Unguentum Sabbati’ maintains the high quality with a HUGE guitar riff and choral sound opening before heading off into the heaviest pastures Therion have entered in some time. It’s a frenetic, exciting and awesome track that reminds you that Therion can still kick it with the best of them when they choose to. ‘Land of Canaan’ is the album’s centerpiece – a ten minute work of majestic art that steals the show with its soundtrack opening giving way to an eccentric melody that incorporates all manner of eastern trickery and effects to stunning effect. There’s no point in even trying to describe it, this phenomenal tune just needs to be heard to be appreciated. After such a track, ‘Hellequin’ takes the sensible option and opens sedately before blasting into life ‘ginnungagap’ style with an excellent lead vocal supporting by massed voices and a blistering guitar riff. Showcasing Therion at their eclectic best, it’s notable that the introduction of a new line-up really seems to have put a fire in the belly of a band who have been making consistently excellent albums for over twenty years and there’s a progressive edge to their symphonic grandeur that makes the songs even more complex than in the past. As a result, this album takes longer to get into than, say, Vovoin but the effort is very much worth it.
‘2012’ is much more of an ‘instant fix’ with a heavy guitar riff pounding along behind Thomas Vikstrom’s excellent vocals. Equally ‘cu chulain’ is one of those excellent heavy metal moments that Therion do so well and which always stand out thanks to the eclecticism of the whole . Heavy riffing, pounding drums and a choral part that once again recalls Orff, before a thrilling solo reminds you that Therion are still, at heart, an old school metal band. ‘Kali yoga III’ is a spiritual descendent of the eastern-tinged ‘wand of Anubis’ with a similar vocal feel and insistent melody. ‘The shells are open’, by contrast, is easily the oddest thing Therion have ever attempted as it marries what sounds like a traditional, Eastern-European Jewish melody with the stately, gothic grandeur of ‘Lemuria’. As a result, the brutal death metal styling of ‘din’ comes as a complete shock and it’ll have you head banging with a gigantic grin on your face before you know it. The heaviest track Therion have recorded in years, it is a stunning moment of perfect brutality. Final track, ‘after the inquisition, children of the stone’ runs the whole gamut of Therion’s styles and moods over a perfect seven minutes, closing what is possibly Therion’s most consistently excellent album in style.
As a fan of the band I wondered idly how they could possibly top ‘Gothic Kabbalah’, yet here Therion have done it with ease. Heavier, more progressive and an album that, while best enjoyed in one sitting, offers up so many memorable tunes, gloriously over-the-top moments and pure-metal fury that you can also dip into it at will and find something to suit your mood. Beautifully written and played, it is a testament to chief songwriter Christofer Johnsson and the band’s extraordinary skills that they could create something quite so beautiful, thrilling, classical and yet elementally metal all at once. This is the album that will not only find a place in the heart’s of the fans but which also deserves to be heard by those who have, up until now, scorned the idea of symphonic metal as a worthwhile genre. Simply stunning in every respect, Therion have finally made their flawless masterpiece even when judged against their exquisite back catalogue. This is an essential release.
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