CD Info

2010
Nuclear Blast Records

11  Tracks

Multiple Languages

It’s hard to figure out where to start with this CD. The music? Probably as good as anything I’ve ever heard, but then we all have our biases regarding musical style and yours may not be the same as mine. But the music is only a part of it, this is intellectual music, the message is just as important as the music, and the message is not exactly the sort of stuff you typically get, even in music as complex as Gothic can be at times. Therion, as has been noted previously, looks at the world through the eyes of a Northern European Pagan Mystical Sect, Ordo Draconis et Atri Adamantis, or Dragon Rouge. This is the Left Hand Path, a perspective that takes much of it’s thinking from the ancient religions, from the dark side of those religions. Much of the current thinking from this group has been influenced by the Kaballah; a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. And that’s where the term Sitra Ahra comes from. I spent a good deal of time investigating the ideas associated with this term; time with a Rabbi who has studied the concept in depth, and also enlisted the research skills of a lovely young lady, one of my students, Ms. K J, who gathered additional information on the topic. It gets pretty complex, if you want the short version, the Official Video, found here, can get you started towards some understanding, and for many, this may be more than sufficient. However, there is a lot more to it and one of the best places to investigate it is on the Therion Forum found here. Be prepared to deal with some rather exotic and arcane dialog, this is not a topic that is easily comprehended. The long and the short of it, however, is that Sitra Ahra is the "other side", the dark side of our nature. Some would argue that this posits a dualistic perspective on religion and many would find fault with that. Pagens, of course, do not. But, the Kabbalists would argue that what is more important is the need to understand a natural polarity arising from free will. They view Sitra Ahra as the left hand path of the tree of life, a concept that is found in numerous ancient religions, and one that still finds appreciation in some current religions.

Well, anyway, that’s what it’s all about. You can spend a lifetime studying this material; many have, with various levels of understanding resulting from it. But our purpose is probably more in line with understanding the music and considering it on its merit. And there’s almost as much to consider there as with the message. Again, this is not simple music; it can be nearly as complex as the themes upon which it is based. For those of you having some familiarity with the music of Therion, that music can be fairly huge. As it is here. The core performers are Christofer Johnsson, and a totally new group backing him up, including Thomas Vikström as the new principle vocalist. However, there are at least three other featured vocalists, Lori Lewis and Snowy Shaw being carryovers from several previous efforts. Beyond that are a list of 10 additional performers, including Linnea Vikström, daughter of Thomas who does lead on several songs. Not to be forgotten are a large professional choir and an equally large children’s choir. And finally, Therion wouldn’t be Therion without an orchestra, in this case, the Stockholm Session Strings.

The music uses every performer, and the songs can be complex as a result. And, they can be long, often covering multiple segments. Of course, there is a strong classical component; Therion is as comfortable doing Mozart and Wagner as they are doing Therion. If classical isn’t your thing, this may occasionally be a little too formal for your taste, this isn’t typical metal. But, when the occasion calls for it, Johnsson can crank the Gibson with the best of them, and fellow guitarist Christian Vidal can make the Ibanez howl.

The work begins with the title track, Sitra Ahra. It’s almost a more commercial product, utilizing both an operatic female and male lead, as well as the full choral elements and some guitar driven metal. Relatively tame by comparison to what follows. And that direction begins with Kings of Eden. Kings proves interesting in a couple ways, the first being the multiple musical directions that introduce that direction to the CD, a direction that is featured on most of the songs that follow. A second note of interest is the vocal interplay between Vikström and daughter Linnea. The song carries on for some 9 minutes with more musical shifts than wardrobe changes in a Madonna concert. The selection demonstrates pretty much everything in the Therion arsenal. You get the top flight opera vocals, those beautiful female vocals, the choral arrangements, the full orchestration, and some crunching guitars, probably just to remind you that this is metal at its core. Of special note is the interplay of the choral groups. . . over those crushing guitars. You just don’t get this in other types of music.

Unguentum Sabbati moves us into a heavier direction. That Gibson I mentioned earlier takes front and center, and this time we get the Snowy Shaw / Lori Lewis dimension that has driven the Therion sound for a few years now. The lyrics remind us that we’re dealing with material from the religions before our time, with wisdom from the ancients:

Land Of Canaan is the monster on the CD. Many a reviewer has met his match here. This title almost defies description. I’ve been listening to rock ‘n roll since Elvis did Hound Dog and to recognize that the music has gone from that to this is like suggesting that cave men would one day reach the moon. This is a 10 minute opus to everything that popular music, and classical music I guess, can conjure up. You get it all here folks, the opera, the metal, the coral work, the symphonic, the black Gothic, folk music and pretty much every musical instrument known to man with the exception of a couple things I’ve heard of from Tibet but never personally witnessed. This is a musical collage, a triumphant walk through pretty much everything man has found to be interesting musically. Vikström has some great solo material, Snowy Shaw has his parts, the women bring the Valkyries to the table, the choral groups are kept busy full time and we get lyrics that again take us to the ancient themes:

Hellequin brings us back to something more closely approximating metal. But again, we get multiple vocals, especially some inspired soprano from Lewis, she has a voice that is hard to imagine without hearing it. There’s a harder drum line, a little more significant guitar time and a more focused direction. But the choral work is never far away, it seems to be a staple and there is NOTHING I like more than a solid choral component.

The work concludes with After the Inquisition [Children Of The Stone] and it leaves us with a little time to catch our breath. Our children’s choir turns down the heat and works to sooth our souls; the direction is mystical and not as hard as previous selections. Some fine acoustical guitar work enhances this direction. There’s a little Pink Floyd here, we are left with a comforting feeling, a recognition that we have heard something we haven’t heard before, something profound and meaningful.

Sitra Ahra is pretty much in a league of its own. I’ve certainly never heard anything like this before, and I’ve listened closely to everything Therion has ever done. And that seems to be a perspective held by most of the reviews I’ve read. That’s not to say everyone will like it, we all have separate tastes, no two listeners are the same. But this is great music, great production, and great vocals. And you can’t go to far wrong with that.

10 / 10

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