Therion - Sitra Ahra review
| Band: | Therion |
| Album: | Sitra Ahra |
| Style: | Symphonic metal |
| Release date: | September 2010 |
01. Introduction/Sitra Ahra
02. Kings Of Edom
03. Unguentum Sabbati
04. Land Of Canaan
05. Hellequin
06. 2012
07. Cú Chulainn
08. Kali Yuga III
09. The Shells Are Open
10. Din
11. Children Of The Stone: After The Inquisition
"Taste the tempting Fruit and be an Outcast from the Paradise."
Therion have to be one of the acts closest to me, emotionally speaking, since they are one of the first metal bands I listened to seriously, wih Vovin being one the first albums I bought back in 1998 when it came out, playing its part in the unorthodox way I slided into metal music. Ever since they never ceased to amaze me and what I learnt from them is that if a Therion album is good, it has to captivate you from the very first listen. Of course you can't conceive everything it has to say from one spin, but it makes you highly interested into keep on spinning and spinnning until you can say that you own the album's cause of existence up to a welcome extent. Gothic Kabbalah was the first Therion album that didn't have a big impact on me, although good and a natural continuation of Lemuria/Sirius B, less heavy but metal of course, based upon the orchestrations, the symphonic passages and the operatic vocal lines. So I was really curious of what will happen with Sitra Ahra.
After oh so many years, Christofer Johnsson has mastered the patterns of the marriage of classical and metal music, presenting to the audience metal operettas and Sitra Ahra is one of them, a sounding successor of Gothic Kabbalah, but highly inspired and with this glimpse of captivation a Therion album should preserve. One can find in here the gentleness and elegiac character of Crowning Of Atlantis blending with operatic lines à la Vovin leaning towards the aforementioned album, bringing forth anatolian scriptures of Deggial the way they would sound in 2010 as a natural continuation of Therion's course alongside heavy guitars, fabulous solos and power metal vocals in the same clean but hoarsing-to-high-pitched obscure vein they seem to adore.
The Celebrators of Becoming have re-opened the gates and "Introduction/Sitra Ahra"/"Kings Of Edom" overwhelm you with their sincere elegiac aura that lead through "Unguentum Sabbati's" imposing chrism to the "Land Of Canaan". This composition unfolds piece of the grandeur this part on the map once held, a new ten-minute magnum opus by Therion, evoking mysticism and the mystery of times long gone. Multifaceted, filled with fragileness and introvert power, without repeating itself from beginning to end, leading you to a journey through anatolian might and inspiration. And you have to love the harmonica which personally reminded me of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad".
But still, the wandering would seem incomplete without the devoutness of "Kali Yuga III" and nocturnal essence of "The Shells Are Open", the ominous and violent approach of "Din"; and "Hellequin", a harlequin's seducing dance! The celebrating "Cú Chulainn", the pre-apocalyptic dance of "2012" manifesting the end of days, proclaiming the dawn of of a new era's spiritual nurishment and the hallucinating and caressing "Children Of The Stone: After The Inquisition" could not be missing. After all, every single chant which consists of Sitra Ahra is a part of a sound puzzle that fulfills another Qliphothic expedition.
What seemed easily pompous, a bit tiring in terms of duration and not a hard ride for Therion to accomplish on Gothic Kabbalah has found its ideal expression on Sitra Ahra's 61 minutes of glory due to the inspirational factor and the way the band managed to make the overall outcome blend well together thanks to the good musicianship and the atmosphere that comes forth. A solid piece of symphonic metal from its profound fathers (as for the godfathers, count in Celtic Frost), proving that they have a reason to exist and giving promises for the future.
"Drink the Emerald of will and dreams , the Stone is falling, follow us beyond the world of stars."
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
 | Written on 06.10.2010 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind." |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 71
Visited by: 603 users
| Derwood Posts: 511  |
So am I the only one who thinks that the last 1:30 or so of "Land of Canaan" is very reminiscent of Boney M's "Rasputin?" Oh well, at least it contains more actual metal than Kamelot.
---- You can't fight evil with a macaroni duck!
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| TyrannicalGOD Posts: 8  |
Everybody Complaining about this album need to stop living in the past and comparing...only retards compare shit....take it for what it is as a Whole  ....99% of the retards on this site dont even have the albums they bitch about or just have it downloaded to thier piece of shit Ipod...cuz you know you get the best quality sound out of a shitty pre-amp.. 
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| Opethian Posts: 1729  |
Written by TyrannicalGOD on 11.10.2010 at 01:04 Biased reviews and 'Comparing' is what FAILStorm has been all about since day 1  
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| KwonVerge Odysseus Elite Posts: 5068  |
If it is Failstorm as you say, then why are you here? Everyone has an opinion and he states it, whenever it is a review or a post underneath or a post somewhere in the forum or anything, even in a good or bad manner, but what is good or bad in what you express is subjective, like the term opinion.
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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| MeTalRea|istiK Posts: 170  |
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
Written by KwonVerge on 11.10.2010 at 13:01 I agree with you. Problem is fanboys are offended as soon as someone doesn't praise an album they like and give it a 9+ rating. Fanboys/fangirls never learned to deal with criticism or simply ignore it when they disagree.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by TyrannicalGOD on 11.10.2010 at 01:04 It is perfectly normal to compare the new albums of a band to their old ones and expect at least the same quality or better. That's also how we measure musical evolution. Because there's a huge difference between change and evolution. A difference lots of people miss quite often nowadays. As for "taking it for what it is", some albums just suck, no matter how you look at them. If you push this reasoning too far, it becomes a way to encourage mediocrity by saying crappy albums are good.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| ponderer Posts: 153  |
Quote: Is this a direct quote from the lyrics or something? One of non-native speakers biggest difficulties is the proper use of THE. "THE" isn't used for things that are general like locations including PARADISE. Unless this "paradise" which is mentioned loosely in that particular set of lyrics has been mentioned before more specifically as being a special paradise related to the song and or story, THE is being used improperly. You wouldn't say I'm going to The New York, The Hell, or The Mars. Hopefully that's the only mistake otherwise I'd be a bit apprehensive about listening to something grammatically flawed throughout.
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| MeTalRea|istiK Posts: 170 |
Written by Guest on 11.10.2010 at 17:00 yeah me too!! 
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| Opethian Posts: 1729 |
This site should have an article on Encyclopædia Dramatica because of all the LuLz it brings...HAHAHAHA
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| advent Posts: 268  |
Written by Opethian on 11.10.2010 at 08:19 So what are you still doing here? 
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| SKELETOR Posts: 21 |
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| Vonpire Posts: 469  |
Written by ponderer on 11.10.2010 at 16:52 You are wrong here : "Taste the tempting Fruit and be an Outcast from the Paradise" has a different meaning than Taste the tempting Fruit and be an Outcast from Paradise, at least in my language (Portuguese) Check google translation 
---- Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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| KwonVerge Odysseus Elite Posts: 5068 |
Written by Vonpire on 18.10.2010 at 15:40 Same works in my language as well, it gives a more specific meaning with emphasis on THE paradise, or something like that.
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
That mght be the case for a lot languages but it still is incorrect in English.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061  |
Written by ponderer on 11.10.2010 at 16:52 so is the Passive Voice of the Present Continuous Tense in this sentence.
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| ponderer Posts: 153 |
Wrong, wrong and extra wrong across the board. Regardless of how well it translates into your own language and then translates into English, THE PARADISE is an incorrect use of THE in the English language. I'm an English teacher and do professional translations in my spare time. Asking me to check Google translation is fucking laughable at best. Daniell, nothing you said makes any sense considering everything I wrote is grammatically correct. Therion's use of "THE" is being used improperly. Go wrestle with that one. Any time you non-native speakers want to step up and test me feel free. I get paid R$50+ an hour for this shit and accept payments via PayPal. Thanks for stopping by and please come again.
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| Vonpire Posts: 469 |
Send a mail to google then, you found (another) bug there! Congrats! You're a English teacher? Ohh.... I see checking google Fucking Translate made you laugh! And you thought i was a warlock to guess that, nice one!!... Duh ! Your arrogance is kind of displaced also, btw Thanks for sharing. No money for you, you native! (ever  )P.S. - Anyway i give you credit, and i do believe you are totally right, just 4 u to know. ""THE" isn't used for things that are general like locations including PARADISE." - Hmmmmm Gimmie the directions to Paradise! "Unless this "paradise" which is mentioned loosely in that particular set of lyrics has been mentioned before more specifically as being a special paradise related to the song and or story" - And it isn't ???
---- Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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| Jason W. Razorbliss Staff Posts: 3523  |
So much drama for an album that still not even available in the US . I feel like I've grown up with the album already, watched it mature, and then became bored with it. I'm skeptical about the review, since the samples sound monotonous online and I haven't cared much for this band since Deggial and a few random songs after, but I'll still check it out. That is, when Nuclear Blast decides to stop holding it hostage.
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| KwonVerge Odysseus Elite Posts: 5068 |
Written by Jason W. on 18.10.2010 at 23:12 In a few years you will get 15 new therion albums all together at the same time
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061 |
Written by ponderer on 18.10.2010 at 17:33 You are one arrogant tosspot, I'll give you that. You are of course right about that paradise problem, but you're wrong here: Quote: The present Continuous Tense has the following uses: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentcontinuous.html You used it incorrectly in the sentence I quoted. Go, read, learn. Do all that before spitting your arrogance on people. Oh, also give back the money you take from people for teaching them, because your English sucks. Since this anyway pointless discussion is completely off-topic, please limit your imminent hateful response to a PM. I implore you.
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| ponderer Posts: 153 |
I'm done with this fucking retard. It's not worth the time or energy even replying.
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| vadgros Posts: 1 |
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061 |
Vadgros, it gets even better. He is a really nice guy! Below is ponderer's PM to me about this subject: Quote:
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| Vonpire Posts: 469 |
Written by ponderer on 21.10.2010 at 03:54 MAN! What a stupid SON OF A B****!!!!! I hope you drown soon on your own feces for that sentence! Stupid fucking retard ! You're a teacher? Of what? Stupidity and arrogance? You're simply the most retarded / arrogant guy I've seen online, And i really do hope they ban you, you son of a pathetic person! Don't even try to insult me. You are ignored so far, you nazi bastard! Olha, e já agora seu asno, seu grandessissimo imbecil, ser execrável, quero ver-te a ensinares-me Português! E tens tu 40 anos? Jesus... ....
---- Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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| KwonVerge Odysseus Elite Posts: 5068 |
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
To all those who have a problem with Ponderer: He's indeed arrogant and retarded. So hopeless there's nothing to do with him. I realized this after some discussion and stopped replying to him. And he said after a while that "it should be continued on PMs". I told him to fuck off. He doesn't worth the attention. He's ignorant and hopeless anyway. He's stuck in the past and should have stayed in the 80s, where he belongs. There's nothing worse than those people stuck in the past who believe they know everything better than others and refuse to accept that things change with time. All they do is spitting their bitterness on boards because they try to fight changes, a fight lost in advance. That's why I despise and hate traditional Heavy Metal lovers in general (though many of them are fine - but you also get lots of unpleasant people like Ponderer from fans of this genre).
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| ponderer Posts: 153 |
That's right everyone, I'm old. I'm obviously the worst of my kind. My BEING old is my biggest fault as a human being and my BEING rude to daniell the Polish troll is me just BEING an asshole. THE lunch is ready so I need to go eat THE lunch. Feel free to perm ban me from THE Metalstorm for having my own opinion and not bowing down to some guy who can barely construct a coherent sentence in THE English.
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| KwonVerge Odysseus Elite Posts: 5068 |
I never thought a Therion line would cause such disharmony
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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| Vonpire Posts: 469 |
Written by ponderer on 21.10.2010 at 19:48 Don't be a jerk, anyone with a brain would notice that people are against your arrogance and SPECIALLY your "nazi" sentence. It has nothing to do with English or your age. At least from my pov. The Paradise can be a entity also. At least i think it can... You can call some island a Paradise and refer to that as " I wish i'll go to paradise". (the island) or "I wish I'll go to "the Paradise"" (entity). Am i wrong? Possibly I am (I am not "native", and I know I have my limitations) C'mon, tell, i'll give ya 5 cents
---- Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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