Customer Reviews

Deggial

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I happened onto this band whilst digging around looking for some new music to try. I thought I'd write this review for newcomers like myself...every other review seems to be by somebody already familar with the band.

I'd never heard of Therion before, but classical music in heavy metal is something I've always liked. The reviews looked good, so I picked it up. Two weeks later, I find myself mesmerized by this band. I can't stop listening to it. Everything else sounds bland. Note that the orchestra doesn't back up the band, its directly integrated into every song. But be assured, this is heavy, heavy stuff.

At first, the operatic voices just struck me as weird. I expected an orchestra, but not a choir! Only one song has "rock type" vocals. Everything else is choir. Strange at first, but now it just seems natural. So what is the best way to describe this CD? Intense and Mesmerizing. Play it loud, not loud for the same reasons as you would, say Iron Maiden, but loud so you can imagine you're "down in the pit" at the orchestra hall. Incredible stuff. When the drums hit in O Fortuna, you just can't help but be blown away. Musically, each track is very complex - light years away from 3 chords and simple time signatures. Faves so far - Deggial, Enter vr-ja, and the oh-so-complex Via Nocturna. Flesh of the Gods is a quick break from the orchestration and rocks very hard - starts with a return to straight-a-head rock vocals, but quickly the choir quickly returns. Its a very strange sensation to find yourself headbanging to a choir.

So is this CD dark? Because it was described as as "black/death metal" I almost didn't get it. Yes its lyrically dark, but the beauty of the orchestra and voices takes it light years away from the unintelligible screaming of cliches common in "death metal" (which I don't really like). Its no more "death metal" than Bruce Dickinson's The Chemical Wedding or Blue Oyster Cult's Imaginos (two of my favorite albums). Get it, try something distinctly different.

OPERATIC METAL! Sounds like a contradiction of terms, doesn't it? Well, I suppose it was until January 21st of 1997 when, to the best of my knowledge, Operatic Metal was born, created, invented, whatever with the release of Theli. The album Theli was the fifth by the DEATH METAL band known as Therion.

This review is about Deggial the fifth release by the reconstituted Therion and the tenth overall. Deggial was released in March of 2000 and is tied with Vovin as my second favorite Therion album. Things are moving along swimmingly. Christofer Johnsson is happy, the record company is happy, the band is happy, the fans, well most anyway, are happy. Of course there had to be a few from the Death Metal days that think, what's that cliche, they sold out. God I wish we could get a few American bands to sell out like this.

As you might suspect, with the cash registers chinging and clanging away that the budgets keep getting bigger and the productions are getting more elaborate. Now instead of classical ensembles, full orchestras are used. The Choirs have also grown in size and prestige. Therion (Greek for Beast)is indeed in a state ascending popularity and that is with a minimum impact from America.

With an Egyptian theme "Seven Secrets Of The Sphinx" is heavy guitars and choirs with a nice balance between Classisal and Metal. "Eternal Return" being seven plus minutes long, goes through several style and tempo changes including an IRON MAIDENsk sounding portion in the middle which sounds really British, even though the rest again is very tranquil and august.

One of the more popular songs on the album, "Enter Vril-Ya" is intriguing because of its simple, but very effective guitar structure and great choir-arrangements, well implemented classical elements and that guitar, which also fits in very well. After that it gets more mellow and classical, with "Ship Of Luna", which has a nifty acoustic guitar/choir part in the middle and toward the end. Next the "Invincible" is a song heavy into the choirs with metal undertones. Then the title song "Deggial" starts out with a twangy distorted guitar before the choir and everybody jumps in. It has a medium slow tempo until the last 90 seconds which is double time.

"Emerald Crown" is a medium speed number which has it's moments but seems like standard fare after the other songs. It does have a nice guitar solo at the end. Then we have a short but interesting instrumental. Track 9, "Flesh Of The Gods" sounds almost traditional, with BLIND GUARDIAN's Hansi Kürsch guest singing on vocals accompanied by a Ritchie Blackmore sounding guitar.

"Via Nocturna", Parts 1 & 2 begins with slow placid classical passages, the pace increasing and varying between integrated guitars and a variety of arranged choirs, it offers a microcosm of what THERION music is about. And for the end, no make that the pinnacle, we have yet another great highlight, a cover-version of probably the most recognizable classical composition ever "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff, part of his cult-cycle "Carmina Burana", with everything, guitars, keyboards, orchestra and choirs, played with real feeling and equaling the class of the original!

Summary: This is a must for all Therion fans and for anyone who has an interest in Classical and or Metal music.

After having bought Vovin and Theli, the two parts of the trilogy, I was expecting to hear something very similar to these after I bought Deggial. I! had guessed wrong. Though Christopher Johnsson has not taken any formal studies in music, he has the ability, or better the talent to write amazing songs, which have the same quality both in Classical and Metal. Well, he combines these two in a way, from which Deggial came out. Here, one can enjoy the power of Metal, which he has always achieved, and the wonderful melodies of the Romantic era.

I believe Deggial signals the beginning of a new path for Therion, which continues with Johnsson's masterpiece The Secret of the Runes.

I have a hard time deciding whether I prefer "Deggial" or "Theli." "Deggial" retains the slow-ish pace of "Vovin" with an attention to making the symphonic melodies poignant and tasteful. It lacks the manic speed of "Theli," but it is definitely a heavy metal album throughout, which might not be said of "Vovin." I really like the guitar tone on "Deggial," which has a crunchy stomp. There are some great riffs on this album too: take for example the scorching intro to "Flesh of the Gods." If this doesn't get you banging your head, I don't know what will! Therion is to be commended highly for combining tasteful symphonic arrangements with original, interesting heavy metal riffs. To this date, "Deggial" is a strong contender for my favorite release of 2000.

"Therion" is a Greek word that means "Beast". It is used in the phrase "To Mega Therion" ("The Great Beast") in the New Testament, Book of Revelations.

Here, it is a reference to the English occultist and prophet Aleister Crowley who formed a religion known as Thelema, which I presume this band follows. The cd shows a familiarity with Thelemic concepts, and previous work also shows a familiarity with Qabalah, a form of Jewish mysticism used in much present-day mystic and occult religion/philosophy.

...Possibly the greatest operatic metal I have ever heard in my life. Blending metal with orchestral arrangements and opera singing, Therion creates a beautiful sound that is truly haunting. Some people might find the more pronounced orchestral section a bit disappointing. If you're looking for more powerful metal, you might want to pick up some of Therion's oldest albums. If you want more of a balance between the two, their legendary, godlike "Vovin" would be a good choice.

I, however, enjoy orchestral music *and* intense metal. I view this as a beautiful combination of the two, and a demonstration that they are not incompatible in the least, as many people seem to think.

Buy this album and you'll never regret it.

The band Therion has touched on pieces of music made popular by Metallica's S&M, long before its time. Therion is your standard heavy metal group, consisting of a lead and rythmic guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. The twist is that the vocals are filled in by an eight piece operatic choir. If this wasn't enough, there is also an eleven piece orchestral accompanyment. The band manages to blend opertic vocals, classic orchestral arrangements, and heavy metal guitar riffs together to make a truly riveting aural experience. One particular favorite is the song "Via Nocturna," which manages to capture nearly every kind of music style (with the exception of rap, thank god) and jam them together into one seamless opus. There is even a part that sounds similar to a marching band chord. Another great song comes in the form of a cover of the opera classic "O Fortuna." A song many can recognize by melody, rather than title. The song has a genuinely creepy sound until the main chorus. This CD is simply enthralling if you're a fan of heavy metal, opera, or even classical music. Also check out Therion's superior (even to this) CD, "Secret of the Runes."

The other reviews are fairly accurate, but the one thing to note on this album is that Therion is going even further in the classical direction. More operatic vocals, more orchestral interludes, but a little less metal as well. If they keep going this way, they'll be a full blown Symphonic Orchestra in another couple releases, but with interesting classical music! If you want pure chunking guitars with operatic and classical tendencies, get Theli or Vovin. If you want Opera and Classical with some chunking guitars, get Deggial. Still love 'em.

Where Vovin fails, Deggial succeeds. Except the first three tracks, which are very reminiscent of Vovin-esque mediocrity, Deggial marked a new peak for the Swedish gothic-metal band. Continuing to use genuine strings and horns, songwriter Christofer Johnsson also continues to enhance the epic nature of his choir arrangements.

Songs such as the infinitely chilling "Ship of Luna" are fit for a horror movie, with choirs accompanying harrowing strings. Male choirs dominate "The Invincible", the most memorable (or catchy) song on the release. The title-track, "Deggial" combines gothic choirs and a spacey wah-wah guitar line in its opening movement. Ungodly? Hardly. Blind Guardian's Hansi Kürsch makes a strangely fitting guest appearance as the only male vocal soloist on "Flesh of the Gods", whose guitars can only be described as restless. Now, the two-part, 9-minute "Via Nocturna". This song has absolutely everything that Therion has come to coin. The song opens with an ominous organ and continues with rapid guitars and drums. The choirs range from apocalyptic to sinister to angelic (especially on the song's second part "The Hexentanz", where every single dynamic of the choir is exhibited in full glory - male, female, solo, group). The song's symphonic interludes are reminiscent of medieval villages on the brink of an incoming attack or soldiers marching down a grassy field. Every possible Therion-esque mood is explored in the song to maximum effect, including an upbeat, soothing ending. As a bonus treat, the band covers Carmina Burana's "O Fortuna" (which, put shortly, is the original song with added distortion and drums).

Deggial is a masterpiece after the third track. "Ship of Luna" begins the intense and astounding journey through gothic and medieval landscapes, redeeming Johnsson and pleasing fans and critics alike. Metal at its best.

See also: Therion -Vovin, Therion - Sirius B, Therion - Lemuria

May I chime in to say that for the first week or so not only did I have it on repeat all day long, but couldn't bear to turn it off for bed and so slept to it?

This band (or megalomaniacal guy who hires other musicians, as the case may be) has been getting better and better, and now the 'Different World Orchestra And Choir' is up to eight vocalists and eleven (!) instruments, including strings, horns, and an oboe...
This is, of course, what is known as 'progressive' music: tempo changes are the norm, and if you just need something to "Bob" your head to, you will only be confused by an embarrasment of rich beauty (and yes, deep-dark-arcanity; some folks sing 'Crowley-this, Crowley-that'... This band has actually studied The Beast (A.C.), among other sources, refering to their scholorship only in such a way that unless you have, also, you won't get it. Which is (was? shall be?) very much A.C.'s style.)
Last word: I have seen Therion credited for re-inventing the bass-riff for death metal, and they continue to surpass themselves.

Perhaps Yngwie Malmsteen was one of the pioneers in bringing the power and beauty of classical music to the heavy metal genre. But he doesn't hold a candle to today's classical-metal bands like Therion! This album is not for the faint of heart, either -- this isn't the happy, upbeat, cheerful, and danceable "neoclassical power metal" played by many bands today. Therion is a thousand times darker and more operatic than such music, with themes like ancient temples and forgotten cities. They even use a choir for their lead vocals! Listening to this album gives me the feeling that they sky is about to crack open and explode. This music is that powerful!

I highly recommend this album to heavy metal fans who love Romantic-era classical music as well.