Artist: Therion
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 11/13/01
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Title: Secret of the Runes Artist: Therion Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 11/13/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
The problem with reviewing a Therion album, is that if you don’t like it, you’re automatically considered a closed minded death head by their fans. The range of your musical tastes cannot dissuade them, and in their mind, you have no right to comment on music, let alone write about it. In short, they are almost as irritating as Dream Theater fans.
"While it seems a worthwhile goal on paper, it rarely comes out as pleasurable, even if it’s usually interesting." My problems with Therion are not their ambitions or their songwriting, but their finished product. It’s easy to understand why so many people don’t get this band, as they try to meld musical styles that don’t really have much of a reason to be together. While it seems a worthwhile goal on paper, it rarely comes out as pleasurable, even if it’s usually interesting. It often sounds like a combination of prog metal and a poor Christmas album. Secret of the Runes definitely has taken a good step away from the over indulgent albums that have kept me from truly appreciating this band. And while I still don’t see me going back to this one all that much, I am enjoying what I’m hearing for the most part. The metallic parts seem to be the difference here. When they contrast with the symphonics, that complement rather than contradict, the music flows together rather than fights itself.
What I do find very frustrating, however, is Nuclear Blast’s new technique for preventing bootlegging. With the exception of two songs, each track fades to silence halfway through so that you’ll go buy the album later. While I wholeheartedly agree with labels trying to protect their property, I’m frustrated by this technique because it: a) makes it difficult to review the album as a whole, and b) doesn’t work. People will still copy it once they find someone who has already bought it. This simply isn’t the answer to their problems.
"I’m not all the way there, but I like where this band is heading." Anyway, from what material there is here, I have found some early favorites. “Ginnungagap”, “Midgard”, and “Jotunheim” are swaying me to the Therion side of the fence. I’m not all the way there, but I like where this band is heading.
Death's Review:
"You got symphonic instrumentation and choral vocals in my modern European power-thrash!" You might imagine such a bastardized exclamation of the classic Reese's "two great tastes that taste great together" commercial forming the centerpiece of a hypothetical commercial for Therion's Secret of the Runes. Personally, I'm not buying it. Sure, the musicians clearly are good. The opening 1:40 of Secret sounds fucking awesome-if you told me it was the intro to the next Nevermore record I would be psyched. But then the vocals come in and ruin everything. I don't want to hear fucking opera singers, I want to hear Warrel Dane! And so it goes with Therion. My subjective taste pretty much takes these guys out of the running for a high score. It's not that I object to experimentation or combining styles, it's that I just don't like this particular combination so much.
"An incredibly uneven and ultimately disappointing effort that just can't hold my attention long enough to ever truly make enough of an impression to cause me to revist this material again." You however, might love this. If you can deal with the vocals, and if you buy into the whole "marriage of classical and heavy metal concept," you might really be into this. I told you in the last paragraph about how I was really into the opener "Ginnungagap (Prologue)" until the 1:40 mark. What I didn't tell you then is that by the 2:40 mark the same track once again shreds with a killer, repetitively aggressive solo. And once again I'm into it. And so it goes with Therion's Secret of the Runes, an incredibly uneven and ultimately disappointing effort that just can't hold my attention long enough through the classical vocal bullshit to ever truly make enough of an impression to cause me to revist this material again. I know the band is "good," and yes, Christofer Johnsson is obviously a talented and creative artist. I also must point out that Secret of the Runes is overall a more metal album than its predecessor, Deggial. But I just am not that into it. And I figure my score should reflect that.
Hel's Review:
Here's my big issue: the promo copy of the album we received for review is a "faded" version. Apparently this is the new trend, and for those who aren't familiar with the term, "faded" means that most of the songs are partial, and sooner or later fade out before the song is over. Secret of the Runes copy we received has exactly two full tracks out of the twelve on the album.I realize that piracy is a huge problem for labels, and apparently this is the reason for shortchanging us, but I feel like I'm ripping off a band if I don't listen to the entire album at least three times before I review it. Imagine how I must feel only getting to hear two of the songs in their entirety. I actually lobbied not to review the record for this very reason, but the decision was eventually made to go ahead with this and see how it goes.
Frankly, in the end, I am torn. On the one hand, I can't help but wonder: how much am I missing? Do these songs really start to rock after they are cut off? On the other hand, I really haven't been blown away by what's available for me to hear, so maybe Nuclear Blast has done me a favor by not making me listen to the whole thing!
"I can only imagine that I may have liked this record more in its entirety." At any rate, I dislike this trend. I've always felt a bit shafted by promos that do not include lyrics, etc., since in many cases it's an entire aspect of a record that I don't even get to see. Now I don't even get to hear how the songs end? How surreal is that? How in the hell am I supposed to give fair reviews under these conditions? But enough of my ranting, you're reading this to find out how the album is…
>From what I did hear of it, I must say I was rather disappointed. I appreciated the depth and fullness of the orchestration on Deggial but, moreover, I enjoyed the way the music blended together in a natural way. There was a complexity in the way that the sections worked together that was truly harmonious. Secret of the Runes simply lacks that balance.
Instead of being swept away by the strength of the music, I find myself continually dwelling on the weaknesses, and my mind continually displays images of beer steins swinging to and fro as I listen. Never a good sign, at least in my estimation. There are times when I hear vestiges of the brilliance I found on Deggial but they are fairly few and far between.
"IThe strengths of the album are clearly in the concept, and the additional strings, woodwinds, and brass that complement many of the tracks." One thing I should make clear, these are the only two Therion albums I have heard, so I can make no comparisons to their older works, and if I understand correctly, Deggial was something of a departure from their previous recordings. If this is indeed true, then fans of those older records should certainly form their own opinions of this album, since my reference point is clearly skewed.
I can only imagine that I may have liked this record more in its entirety. Without lyrics and complete songs, I feel unequipped to supply others with a full picture of what the album is like. The strengths of the album are clearly in the concept, and the additional strings, woodwinds, and brass that complement many of the tracks. I can't say it's a bad record, but nonetheless I was unimpressed by what I heard.
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