Therion - Secret of the Runes(2001)

Another album of Therion Follows, now is time to talk about Secret of The Runes, which was released in October, 2001
I talked about it in the last Therion post, Cause Summernight City appears on this album. Well, the first song I'm showing you form this album is called "Midgard", once again the choir is amazing, is starts in a more strong way and folows to a more melodic part, Not being considered prog, it surely has wonderful transitions as Therion already showed us. I really enjoy this one a lot. Someone said on the commentary's it is Odin's Lullaby, it surely could be.

The second one I am showing you is called "Asgard", this whole album I guess spins around Nordic and Northern Europe Mythology. Is a much stronger one in cadence than Midgard, but the chorus is also something amazing. Appreciate this masterpiece on it's maximum. The instrumental towards the end is simply Superb.

The third song I will share with you from this album is called "Schwarzalbenheim (Gold Der Unterwelt)" Another piece of art. Starts so smoothly and then it explodes without being ever too much, everything fits so well. Amazing transitions, mainly after this part:

Schwarzalbenheims Gewürm
Schmiedet solch schimmerndes Gold
Der Götter Glorie gestaltend
Aus der Erde Geäder

 But even after that transition from the beat to the choir is so envolvent. The string from 4.15 towards the end are simply outstanding in my opinion. Seems like they are crying to this wonderful tune.

The 4th song I'm showing you is called "Nifelheim" Not so amazing as the other songs, but also pretty nice, And to show you some more operatic songs in this album.

The last song of 13 that I'm showing you form this album, is called "Vanaheim". This  is with
Schwarzalbenheim my favourite song, from the lyrics to the voices to the fitting instrumentation. starts with an amazing intro, then the strength with which the voice enters fits so well. Helps understanding some points of Nordic Mythology. I really enjoy this one, here a video from the amazing channel of Jonny A Magnis Maxima

Well with Secret of The Runes We are way past half of their works I am talking about, Next week I am still thinking between a double album or both separately, wait for it.

Circus Maximus - 1st Chapter(2005) - A prog metal band I have been forgetting

Today I'm making a small pause between Therion's Discography cause I suddenly remembered a band I never talked about for some reason. This album 1st Chapter from the Norwegian band Circus Maximus is hard to divide it by songs, makes us remember in some bits of Dream Theatre. It basically tells us bit by bit a story of someone who lost faith in life and questions it and the event will give him hope.

The first song of the album is called "Sin", and is the beginning of the adventure

"All My life I have been a Drifter

Going the paths that had no ending
With satan on my shoulder
I was an angles from the underground

(...)
What you have taken away from me
Can never come back, I cry, all night"

This tells what the main character was passing and what bring him to imprisonment (to be like a slave)

The second song is Alive, I think in this song he remembers his lover and the times spent whit his girlfriend, wife from the cell he is in

When you feel alive, and there's nothing you can do
When you can't explain, is there a reason why I'm living?
When you feel alive, and there's nothing you can do
We must struggle towards this together
Together we will make it through alive...

The third song is epic, He is brought to fight in the arena as a gladiator for is live and fear controls him, the song is called "Glory of the Empire"

Now the time has come
Will I win or fall?
Victory is on my mind
Could it ever be what I have found?
Now the gates are open wide
I must enter the arena
It will bring me one step closer to my revenge

There is an instrumental song I will not post, but hear it, the 5th song reveals after he is freed from where he was after winning in the arena, the song "Silence from Angels Above" where he questions his choices, and the time to confront who he left behind

The time has come to face the end
This is a necessary thing
Cause I will hold your hand an say
Will you forgive me

Long ago I made a choice
That I thought would make a difference
And lead me back on track

 
The next song is "Why am I here?" he continues questioning what he done in the arena, and in his life that brought him to that moment

 It was only a dream. His body senses relief
He washes of the night from his face
Followed by a look in the mirror
Something doesn't feel right here
Who is this man I see?
Somehow he can't recognize himself

Then comes "The Prophecy" where he realises he is part of something bigger he found his reason to live after all that happened

I woke up in the middle of the night
Outside the rain was covered in red
Thunder and lightning covers the sky
I'm all alone in this forsaken place
What have I done to deserve a life like this
Am I the key? Have I unlocked the mystery to life?

Innocence is the secret to reveal the prophecy
A new beginning predicted by the pages in the sand

The longest song of the album is also where everything is solved and where he finally closes the first chapter and starts a new one, the song is called precisely "1st Chapter"

I've reached the point of no return
And the path that lies behind me I will never see again
From the day that I left home I had one thing on my mind
To find the hidden answer in the sand

Feels like someone's watching over me
My faith is in their hands
Voices surround me... they show me the way

The journey ends back to paradise
Beyond the mountains far away
I've returned to where the sun always shine
...to my Grand Utopia

There is a last song on the album but I will not post it, hear the full album from first to last song so you can embrace the story on it's full

I guess he understands his happy life before all that happened was an utopia, We understood the message that life is that, doubts questioning and moments of unforeseen wins you never expected when everything seemed darkness all around.

Therion - Crown of Atlantis(1999) & Deggial(2000) and cover of Sumernight City of Abba

Then came two albums I don't have much to share of, but still from Crown of Atlantis a powerful version of "Thor" from manowar

From Deggial I'm showing you the version of "O Fortuna"

About Summernight city, it appears in fact at the end as a bonus track in 2001 album Secrets of The runes, but as this post was week I decided to show you already this amazing, song become simply amazing is the only thing I can say

Therion - Vovin (1998)

Now I'll talk to you about the other album condered with Theli Therion's best albums, Vovin. It is undeniable the quality of theli and vovin, and it marked a change of direciton form Therion first works, from there their sound followed the wave.

This albums has some iconic songs that every Therion must hear, starting by the song opening the album "Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah", When it starts fans love it and start singing along.

The second one I'm showing you works amazingly live, even better than the studio version it is called "Birth of Venus Illegitima", where choirs are more important than ever in Therion.

The next song is a longer one, but always as giantly played, it is called "Clavicula Nox" or translating, The Key of the Night, on pair with Siren of The Woods another peaceful song, and how powerful night seems, I will share a video from Jonny a Magnis Maxima youtbe channel he has a lot of Therion songs with amazing videos to them, check them out

the last song I'm showing you from this album is called "Raven of Dispersion", it's one of those songs as being the one before the last, the song talks about a cry of help to a Raven. Another video from the same channel, once again the choir with a great female voice over makes the greatness of the song

 

I still have at least 7 to 8 more albums to talk bout but the next 2 will be talked togehter, I'm counting with  you next week.

Therion - Theli (1996)

This week we go back one year, and will embrace Theli, the album that is considered by most of the fans as the best Therion album side by side with the album from the next week, Starts the era of Operatic Therion, the amazing melodies all Therion fans recognize. Some people call it Gothic metal, others symphonic, I think their quality is too much to put such a band in a stagnant category.

There are three songs I want to share with you, the first one can be mentioned as the band's song, explains a bit the name of the band and is called To Mega Therion it never fails to be played live

The second song I'm showing you is Cults of The Shadows, musically I prefer this one over To Mega Therion, but both are amazing, this one is a bit more melodic there my preference.

The last one is one of my all time favourite of Therion, when listen to this song, disconnect yourself form the world around and lets the sound submerge you in a peaceful melody, I know the lyrics are not so peaceful for what I've been reading. But we don't understand the lyrics so I only enjoy embracing the sound. Sometimes when the noise in a Bus, Subway or Train is too much, this song cancels all that.