•
Rating: Therion, they are an amazing band, and even stones know that. Anyone who loves them does so totally and completely, without any doubt whatsoever; those who listen to them, perhaps only distractedly, can only acknowledge the enormous compositional virtue of one of the most original bands of all time and of any genre one might examine.
That they are also "volcanoes," in terms of long and intricate compositions, is also known, but never imagining they could ever publish, not to mention two albums in a year, which in itself would have been a titanic feat, given the content, but even together, is truly incredible, and this, also in light of the fact that both "Lemuria" and "Sirius B" are two works truly unrepeatable in terms of sublime composition and excellent quality. If then we also consider that the two albums leave nothing to chance, but are masterfully composed, magnificently arranged, deep, interesting, and fascinating in the lyrics, meticulously detailed in terms of artwork (to tell the truth I have never seen such beautiful and varied CD booklets), and especially that they employ an orchestra like the full Prague Philharmonic, then, this alone would be enough to make the reader understand that, undoubtedly, we are facing two masterpieces in the "pure" sense of the term, without having to be ashamed to say it and without any other hesitation.
"Lemuria," the CD with the blue cover, let's put it that way, is the first part of this enormous and mastodontic "suite", let's call it that. It contains all the salient features of Therion to which Therion have accustomed us, with the addition of an enormous and abysmal leap in quality compared to previous works, since all the songs have not been recorded by then "effecting" them with electronic mechanisms, but everything you hear is the work of a circle of musicians who for the occasion (and also thanks to the means provided by the record label) are more than 110. The tracks of "Lemuria" are passionate and inspired even in the tiniest details, adding to everything said so far, a massive dose of Heavy Metal composed "by the book" and performed even better.
Examples? "Typhon" which, with its nods to a certain refined and decadent gothicism, features a growl that is intense and fierce narrating the salient parts of this dynamic (and beautiful) song. But it's not only the first track that leaves you speechless: "Uthark Runa" with its mysterious and overflowing lyrics, and then, and then, the two parts of "Three Ships of Berik" which, in their majestic and martial progression, mix dynamism and orchestral parts of arcane military marches of the Ostrogothic armies. The two pieces, in themselves, narrate the deeds of Berik, a legendary Gothic general who descended from the cold pagan Scandinavian lands towards the Roman Empire at the time, already Christian, to conquer it. And if you close your eyes, you really can imagine the great barbaric horde with their ships, men ready for war, battle cries, screams and songs of triumph, the heroic deeds of a warrior people who, since its birth, have conquered lands and Empires, have hegemonized half of Europe and perhaps even some part of America (historians in this regard disagree). Incredible.
Incredible is the crucible of emotions and delightful and fantastic sensations that Therion manage to convey in these two songs. Then, in continuation, other stories, like those of "Lemuria," the magical and mysterious continent that inspired the band for the other pillar of this album, which begins with acoustic chords torn from a sad and "bohemian" structure, to fall into certain liquid, dark and magnificent universes, "The Dreams of Swedenborg," in classic "Therion" style, with that very particular sound of the guitars halfway between the powerful and scratched, and the melancholic and decadent. I will not go on any longer. As with the best works, the best books, for all the most beautiful things, it is necessary for everyone to discover for themselves, gradually, what are the points that most touch their own sensitivity.
I just listed and tried to describe mine, perhaps being verbose, I don't know, but how can one not pour rivers of ink for such jewels, each more beautiful than the other?
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Typhon (04:36)
Typhon is alive
descending with allies
from the mountain of the snake
in the deepest night of Pan
Typhon will return
With Erebos and Nyx
and a vision of the storm
and the ocean and tethys
chorus
the dragon breaks the temple wall
The flood will drown our gods
Break down the wall
and let anoher kingdom rise
The castle of Olympia
is shaking by the storm
the king lost his crown and now the wall is tumbling down
Typhon overthrow
The throne of Father Zeus
the creation of the gods
and the order of mankind
Thyphon is alive
Descending with allies
and the empires will fear all the power of her wrath
chorus repeat
02 Uthark Runa (04:41)
Hail hail hail the mystery!
Uthark - code of secrecy
Frey, Frey - god of ecstasy
rise, rise from ginnugagap
chorus:
Enter the path of Runa
and drink from the well of Urd
Taste the fruits of Iduna
Decipher the signs from the north
Hail, hail - God of mysteries!
Hail , Frey, your prosperity
Come forth from the depth of Ur
Rise, rise from eternity
chorus repeat
Uthark Runa, Galdra:
AruA
Thurs
AnsuR
Raidho
Kaun
Uthark
Runa
MannaR
LaguR
ingwaR
DagaR
Odal
Fehu
Life is eternal for you
When you pass the gate of Hel
(and come to the end of the row
(where you find)
The Beast and teh God conjoined
05 Lemuria (04:15)
In the ocean, deep down
Under raging waves, wrapped in memories, you'll find
Wrecks of stately ships, they all went astray
Captain, did you find
Land of Mu, Eldorado for the seaman?
Or did you sink in dreams (and) lose your ship
In the Sirens' symphony?
When the sailman's sailing away
He shows that dream of Lemuria is true
A land lost he will find again
Hear the call from depth of the anemone song
Do you dare to enter the ship?
Hear the call from below of an underwater world
Land of Mu is close to the stars
In the arms of the sea you will live as hypnotized
Call of Narayana, the seven-headed one
Lemuria, rise!
When the sailman's sailing away
He shows that dream of Lemuria is true
A land lost he will find again
Hear the call from depth of the anemone song
Do you dare to enter the ship?
Hear the call from below of an underwater world
Land of Mu is close to the stars
In the arms of the sea you will live as hypnotized
06 Quetzalcoatl (03:47)
One day in (the) Maya calendar
The Winter Solstice is open
Like a gate to the Plumped Serpent
For the Maya and the Toltec he return
Sol volverá, en la costa vimos su luz
Quetzalcoatl
¡Oh Señor del Sol!
Ride on Quetzalcoatl and you will reach another day
When Capricorn will change the world
Enter into 2012
Ancient forecast of the Maya will be true
07 The Dreams of Swedenborg (04:58)
Wake up in the darkest hour!
Angels are surrounding you
In the borderland of heaven
Lucid are yor dreams tonight
Open a door, a gate in a dream
(The) dead will pass by to show you the sky
[chorus:]
Astral presence everywhere
In the dreams of Swedenborg
He could see across the sky
Through the boundaries of time
Lucid dreams and astral sight
In the dreams of Swedenborg
Every part of universe's
Corresponding to the world
Dream a vision clear and splendid
When you visit afterlife
Daedalus Hyperboreus
Delinate the astral world
Write all your dreams in your diary
Give to the world a glimpse of the sky
[chorus repeat]
10 Feuer Overtüre / Prometheus entfesselt (04:39)
Ersteig' den höchsten Berg
Trotze des Zeus Gesetz
Stiel die Feuerfackel
Schenke sie dem Menschengeschlecht
Des Prometheus Funke
Ward zur Menschenseele
In Ketten schlug ihn Zeug
An den Fels im Kaukasus
[chorus:]
Prometheus Fessel
Sie sei gelöst!
Prometheus Kette
Erlöst den Gott eur' Seele
Prometheus Fessel
Sie sei gelöst!
Prometheus steig' auf
Dem Adler und Rauche gleich
Zeus straft die Menschheit mit
(Der) Büchse der Pandora
Aber Herakles Kraft
Entfesselt den Titanen
Gewunden im Leid
Doch fühlst es kaum
Du stahlst der Sonne Feuer
Erleustest der Menschen Nacht
[chorus repeat]
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By BathoryAria
Uh-oh! It has been pointed out to us that this review also appears (in whole or in part) on truemetal.it and we have been asked to remove it.
By SUPERVAI1986
The album lives with a relentless force, almost divine, thanks also to the compositional factor executed impeccably.
Therion show us they are one of the most exhilarating and shocking bands on the world music scene.
