Vovin (1998, Nuclear Blast)
Lineup: Christofer Johnsson (guitar, keyboard), Tommy Eriksson (guitar), Waldemar Sorychta
(guitar), Siggi Bemm (guitar), Jan Kazda (bass), Wolf Simons (drums), Martina Hornbacher
(vocals), Sarah Jezebel Diva (vocals), and others.
Style: Guitar-driven heavily orchestrated metal (really, with a string orchestra), with
choirs and almost no lead singing.
With this album, Therion has finally shed the last vestige of its olden death metal days in
favor of the style whose musical inception was during the "Ho Drakon" era, with the vocal
orientation pursued through "Theli." It is hard to compare the band to anything I've heard
before (except themselves). The music is as heavy as ever, and is still guitar-driven unlike
the ubiquitous keyboards that everyone else uses. However, the arrangements benefit from the
efforts of an entire string orchestra this time, which is another bonus given that most try
to imitate the strings with synthesizers (with predictably abominable results.) In addition
to the rich orchestration, the vocal parts are done entirely by a choir, both male and female.
Now, although Sarah (of Cradle of Filth, Covenant, and just about anything else fame) and
Martina (Dreams of Sanity) do plenty of singing themselves, the lack of lead vocals can be
somewhat off-putting. Take, for example, "The Wild Hunt," the only song that has Ralf
Scheepers leading, it is perhaps one of the best pieces on this album. Not only does it
retain most of the energy of metal, but the singing is superb. I would not mind having more
songs like this one.
On the down side, if you are a die-hard metal head, who was into Therion during their "Symphony
Masses" days, you probably won't like this (unless you are like me... I like both). Some feel
that Christofer spoiled what used to be one of the best death metal bands and turned them into
this odd spawn. Well, change direction he did but to suggest that he should have restricted
his talents to the circumscribed dogmatic death is insane. The new and improved Therion is
miles above anything the old style could offer. On top of that, it is innovative, well-done,
and quite pleasing. So quit your yapping and go listen to "The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah,"
or "Birth of Venus Illegitima," or "The Wild Hunt," or "Black Sun," or any other song on this
album. It is epic, dense, and is guaranteed to fill your room with majesty.
As an added bonus, Therion have given up on the computer-generated logo (which was hateful)
and have switched to another (which is superb). The entire album booklet is very tastefully
done and accords well with the music. In fact, the cover is one of the best I have seen. Kudos
to Nuclear Blast for releasing this album. Everything in it smacks of professionalism, from
what we can see to what we hear. The production is crystal clear, Christofer's guitar retains
its distinct trademark sound, the drums are pounding as heavy as ever, the string orchestra
is unobtrusive and does an excellent job, with the choir completing the experience of an
Orff-escue touch.
Verdict: I suggest you listen before you buy, it is unlike any other metal band. On the flip
side, you are almost certain to like it.
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