Customer Reviews

A'Arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

when i first bought this cd because i thought the digipack version was cool, little i knew about therion, about change in their style, about theli or their other cds. neither did i know then that i'd use this cd as a guide to my initiation to good music.

anyway, let's take from the beginning, i didn't notice anyone writing here that cd is special in one other way, it was supposed to celebrate the 10th birthday of therion, that's why it's a bit different than the other releases, it is supposed to be a treat to the fans!

the cd has 3 parts : the covers, the soundtrack & the "therionized" versions of picks from this soundtrack

the soundtrack is the weakest part of the cd, it gives a hint though of things to come & of what to expect in the next releases

the best tracks off the soundtrack are given a special therion treatment, heavier & more enjoyable they become as a result, all are favorites of mine

the covers though are awesome. what can one say of these covers? my favorites are fly to the rainbow (uli jon roth is cj's fave guitarist after all) & here come the tears, incredibly beautiful songs with nice lyrics as well as great music

in the covers section, there are two leftovers from the theli sessions which could have been included to it as they are great songs & one reprise of the symphony of the dead, one of my favorite instrumentals to this day

so, what i'm trying to say here is that this cd should be on everyone's collection, either for the covers, the soundtrack or the rarities (leftovers). if you find the digipack version, grab it immediately, a real beauty it is

Yet another great CD from Therion. They have geniously combined a metal band line-up with an orchestra, choir, and musical brilliance. Just when I thought I've heard it all, they throw in a set of horns to back up a rythm guitar solo. Incredible...

No, this isn't the album to buy, unless you really want to spend the money. Comparing it with the other works of Therion, this is a major disappointment. I don't even know what happened. There still is some of that beloved mix of metal and classics, but many things have gone wrong. The songs that are good (yes, there are some), sound like a mere repetition of "Theli". Indeed, if I were you, I'd definetly go for Therion, but not for this album: it's just not the best. Instead, buy "Vovin", or "Crowning of Atlantis". And if you already own those, don't even bother, rather consider their earlier works.

Another Swedish metal band.Best thing about 'Arab Zaraq...' is that it features some decent covers,like the Scorpion's "Fly To The Rainbow",Iron Maiden's "Children of the Damned" and Judas Priest's "Here Come The Tears".As for the band's originals,most of the CD here is okay.More like goth/metal.Nothing great,but then again it doesn't suck either.Might appeal to fans of Iced Earth,Kreator,King Diamond,Edge Of Sanity and Fates Warning.See what you think.

These are songs that didn't make the cut onto the "Theli" album. Along with several fairly lousy covers of Therion's influences (Iron Maiden etc.). It was rushed out to fill in the gap while Therion was working on their master piece "Vovin". A lot of the songs on it are good, but nothing amazing. The whole album is very hard to listen to unless you are a hardcore Therion fan, with one exeption. "Symphony of the Dead" actually turned out to be one of Therion's big hits. It represents one of the gems of their early work.

Overall though I like the album because I'm a big Therion fan. Though I don't listen to these songs nearly as much as I do the other Therion albums. Probably the most interesting aspect of this album is that a lot of the songs and lyrics don't sound like Therion. Even though Therion does every album different and has a wide variety of influences this particular album still doesn't fit into them all that well. It is a glimpse at the material written during Therion's transitional stage from death metal into symphonic metal. Interesting piece of history for fans...

I just bought this cd a couple days ago, but it is already one of my most favorite cd's of all time. This cd, although repeating a couple tracks, is magnificent. The eighth song, Enter Transcendental Sleep is one of the best songs on it. Get it, and treasure it, and if you are really out-going, buy the movie, which this cd is a soundtrack to.

If this album were to stand on its own, apart from their other work, it would get 3-4 stars from me. However, compared to their other work, it's really only worth 2 at best. This album doesn't have the true metal feel of the other albums - I would recommend Deggial, Vovin, or Secret of the Runes instead of this one.