Therion
Vovin
Nuclear Blast
Non-stop heavy metal opera! With extra emphasis on the opera part. This is Therion’s seventh release, in as many years, I believe and it’s on the same lines as 1996 (and only other Therion album in my possession) album Theli. In other words, it’s death metal set to a full orchestra with operatic chorus. Vovin features, from the look of things, the collaborative efforts of two chamber orchestras and a full opera company.
The effect is nothing short of amazing. Imagine, if you will, Wagner’s powerful operas incorporating death metal. Fire would leap out of the orchestra pit, the Valkyries would really fly, etc. For anyone who has the desire to prove the unlimited ground death metal can cover, use Vovin, the philistines will be silenced.
Then, however, there’s the question of the lyrical content. Sure it sounds like heavy opera, but what opera contains songs like “The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah,” “Birth of Venus Illegitima,” or “Raven of Dispersion”? These and other songs beckon forth pagan earth deities and other Satanic entities, making Vovin one of the year’s most evil releases. “Black Sun” in particular praises the coming of the Antichrist. Boo! Nuclear Blast America, P.O. Box 43618, Philadelphia, PA 19106; http://www.nuclearblast-usa.com
