Therion – Theli (Deluxe edition)

Theli is a groundbreaking album, and is deservedly getting a deluxe edition release.  Therion were a death metal band with limited success for their first two albums, but their fifth album (their third with Nuclear Blast) Theli saw a radically different style.  As the third album in the band’s three album deal, Christofer Johnsson  seeing that the deal was unlikely to be renewed decided to make an experimental album with the use of Choirs, operatic vocals, an orchestra and heavy metal.  The album proved to be their most successful yet, and in a month had sold more than twice as many copies as they’d managed to sell in total with their previous album.  The album wasn’t just commercially successful – it’s also proved massively influential as it’s hard to imagine that we’d have the symphonic metal genre as we know it today had it not been for Therion and this album.

So we’ve got a massively influential album being re-released.  The question is what do we get for our money?  Well we get the album itself – ten tracks of symphonic metal.  Then we get three bonus tracks – ‘In Rememberance’, ‘Black Fairy’ and the Scorpions cover ‘Fly To The Rainbow’, as well as a bonus DVD with the entire album performed live.  That’s a good amount of content and certainly makes this an attractive purchase even for fans who already own the original album.

For a pioneering album it certainly doesn’t show it’s age and listening to it you really can hear how many elements of it have been used by other bands since.  The use of choirs to give that majestic vocal sound, the use of orchestral instruments to give a really rich sound, the operatic vocals, the mix of male and female vocals – staple elements you’ll find most of in almost any symphonic metal album being released today.  I’d forgotten just how good this album was until I came to listen to it for this re-issue, it really is a fantastic album.

I can’t comment on the DVD that comes with the release – for review purposes we only have the tracks from the CD, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing the DVD when it’s released.

A great release and one that I’ll certainly be buying.  Highly recommended for all fans of symphonic metal.

Rating: 5/5

Theli (Deluxe edition) will be released on 21st February 2014 via Nuclear Blast records

CD:

1. Preludium
2. To Mega Therion
3. Cults Of The Shadow
4. In The Desert Of Set
5. Interludium
6. Nightside of Eden
7. Opus Eclipse
8. Invocation of Naamah
9. The Siren of The Woods
10. Grand Finale/Postludium
11. In Rememberance
12. Black Fairy
13. Fly To The Rainbow

DVD:

1. Preludium
2. To Mega Therion
3. Cults of The Shadows
4. In The Desert Of Set
5. Interludium
6. Nightside of Eden
7. Opus Eclipse
8. Invocation of Naamah
9. The Siren of The Woods
10. Grand Finale/Postludium