Audio CD review:
Therion - Secret of the Runes

Therion - Secret of the Runes

Band: Therion Title: Secret of the Runes Rating: Release Date: Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Ginnungagap 2: Midgard 3: Asgard 4: Jotunheim 5: Schwarzalbenheim 6: Ljusalfheim 7: Nifelheim 8: Vanaheim 9: Helheim 10: Secret Of The Runes 11: Crying Days (Bonus Track) 12: Summernight City (Bonus Track) 13: The King (Bonus Track)

Customer Reviews Perfectly Perfect What can you say about Therion ?? . . . they are a legendary Death Metal band . . . I listen usually to symphonies and Opera & i never thought that death metal is an art untill i listened to ( Raise of Sodom and Gomorrah ) by Therion . . . then my life changed . . . i became a big fan . . . i have 6 albums and this one is the last . . . . they are treasure for anyone like the labile melody which continously change in harmony with great inspiration . . . their music combine the opera style with great voices & greate performance with Guitar . . . you cannot belive how these people can combine 2 different things without conflict between the two . . . it is really worth the try . . . try their music . . . you won't regret it . . . i myself as a cartoonist cannot draw or imagie superheroes or villains without listening to their music first. Consistantly Brilliant The guitars are more prominant and pervasive, much like those on "Deggial", yet this album still has some of the subtleties of "Vovin". With the release of his new album "The Secret of the Runes", Christopher Johnsson has once again proven that he is not a man to rest upon his laurels ,as he has shown us with his new masterpiece. The intricacies of the choir are very impressive as they form a more complex arrangment advancing Johnsson's muscial vision. This version of the CD is a Korean import which has three bonus tracks, the third of which, "The King", is the same cover version of the Accept song which appeared on the tribute put out by Nuclear Blast records. The other two songs, "Crying Days", and "Summernight City", are covers of the Scorpions and ABBA ,respectively, which have been previously released by Nuclear Blast, although in a somewhat different format. For this CD, these two songs have been remastered and remixed with "Crying Days" sounding more clear and incisive, and "Summernight City" sounding much improved. The ABBA cover, which appeared on the Nuclear Blast tribute to ABBA and Beauty in Darkness 5 was brilliant in it's intent, but the choir and orchestrations where muddy and restrained which made for an overall disappointment of a listen. With this release, however, this problem has been rectified. For those fans of Therion that have not bought the "Secret of the Runes" yet, I would recommend that you buy this copy instead (it is at a good price), as the American release does not have the bonus songs. For those of you that have and enjoy " The Secret of the Runes",but have the US version, this CD may be a welcome addition, if only for the bonus tracks. Brilliant orchestral and choir grace seamlessly combined with heavy metal music. How rare it is to find brilliance in thinking and composition, and how lucky we are to have this new work from Christopher Johnsson and Therion. . You can see a complete list of all Therion discography, or go back to the Therion tabs