Therion
Secret Of The Runes

THE REVIEW

"I know it myself, I was hung on the wind-swept trunk for nine whole nights, wounded by a spear and given to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree no one knows where its roots rise. With bread they did not satiate me nor with meats. I looked down, made the Runes rise, Calling them I did, and I fell from there."

Odin in Scandinavian tradition has the gift of runes, magical sources of all power and wisdom, anyone who managed to possess such magnificence had to be idolized as a god and ruler of the world. This time, Therion immerses us in the fascinating Norse culture and its mystical and dark places and mysterious theories, in a trajectory of perceptions that lead us to the understanding and interpretation of the runes, in an attempt to discover their macabre and symbolic secret.

The runic alphabet was the alphabet used by the Germanic peoples such as the Jutes and the Goths, it was made up of 24 signs called Runes. Their style was distinct and imprecise, made so by the carvings which were carried out on stone or wood. The runes are one of the most important cultural institutions of the Germanic peoples, and in their inscriptions indicated by the individual signs of the alphabet, they lead us to a sort of conservative conception that we might interpret as a "secret". Many have sought the exact formation in which the alphabet should presumably have been correct. The most striking aspect of the runes is that they have a very complex order. In addition to the first runic series, the one I mentioned at the beginning includes the 24 signs, there is in the pre-migration phase, a runic series composed of 16 signs, also called the Viking series. Additionally, there is another series that develops in the 10th century in the Scandinavian area, where the history of Odin's power takes place. This is the chapter of the "PROSE EDDA" by Snorri. Born in 1178 in Hyammur and died in September 1241, he was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. Known for being the author of this relentless work where he tried to narrate the story that characterized the runes and its master, precisely Odin. We are faced with the umpteenth masterpiece of the Swedish band which every time manages to amaze every lover of good music. Mysticism and prophecies are the symbol of the representation of the philosophy that encases the concept.

The album is a collection of touching Gothic atmospheres, a colossal excellence laid to the enchantment of melodies typical of symphonic metal and melodic structures which with monumental wisdom intercede with our soul, making it so sweet as to give chills throughout the body and with an elegant sound that caresses you and makes you pure in listening to such magic. A glaring example is immediately found in the first track "Ginnungagap" where the tones are lost in those baroque and Gothic melodies, a style in which Therion revels wonderfully. The chills continue to flow through my body with stealthy steps at great strides when in "Midgard" the sublime beauty reaches a peak of absurd emotions, it feels almost like attending a "Requiem mass", those tones, those voices, I can never stop thanking God for having given me hearing and for letting me hear such work. Charm and grace are sentiments that never cease to beat when the atmosphere finally begins to warm up. Off with the rolling and suffocating sound of guitars in a heavy metal put at the service of the sopranos who, although quite powerful, always keep the harmonic female voices as protagonists for the entire piece, until reaching a beautiful solo very technical but never self-serving, making the atmosphere even more devastating. Then as the concept progresses, we reach a point where classical music takes the lead brought by the advent of violins in "Schwarzalbenheim".

The album lives on these emotions in all its entirety, a Gothicity that brushes against mannerism, baroque style, sweetness, and magnificence are symbols of elegance that "Secret Of The Runes" encompasses like an old music box placed in a dark place where mystery lies cradling the shining feelings which dazzle the entire concept. Finally, we reach the true masterpiece of the album "Secret Of The Runes" where all the content and the mystical philosophy of the entire work originate. An alternation between symphony and metallic tones makes the piece a true pearl, something precious with which man cannot but be satisfied. To conclude, I define this latest effort by Therion an absurd masterpiece, a joy to be guarded with care and elegance.

Thank you Christofer, thank you Therion for gifting me such greatness. "SECRET OF THE RUNES"