Journey Notes

What a record! While I was updating the WordPress version, I had a good deal of time to kill as the backup files went to my hard drive and the updated files then overwrote it all on the web site – anyway, this album, about the nine (I think) underworlds of Norse mythology, is superb.

All the way from when I first heard about Therion, I was not particularly excited about the idea of sitting through a concept album about the various -gårds and -heims, but then I’ve already been following Thorgal Ägirsson into the underworld and back many years ago. So: the music is very tastefully done, with quite some variety, and manages to create strong, and changing, atmosphere. That is rare even in symphonic metal. Therion is one of those bands (more like a solo project really) whose music is not easily accessible at first and actually gets better as time goes on.

“Secret of the Runes” features beautiful melodies, the Therion trademark choirs and operatic solo singing, some of the most beautiful guitar solos I’ve heard in my life – sparingly applied to great effect – and lyrics in (at least) English, Swedish, and German – probably old Norse somewhere as well. What an interesting piece of work! I’ll have to get the CD I think, sit down with it in front of the stereo, and turn it a little louder.

There is also a bonus track that deserves to called thus: “Summernight City”, originally by that other talented Swedish band, ABBA. Always liked it – makes me think of drifting through Stockholm all Midsummer night (if the weather were good and the bars didn’t close at midnight), and being, as the lyrics say, “loose and fancy free”. Five days till summer solstice here in Sydney, and I do not want to sleep!