Label : Adalruna
Review by Tony Cannella
Whether you like the avant-garde metal band Therion or you don’t, there is no denying that they have done things their own way since they were founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. Going back to their debut EP “Time Shall Tell” in 1991, Therion has morphed from a Death Metal band to an experimental symphonic metal juggernaut and with their latest opus “Les Fleurs Du Mal”, the band marches on. 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Therion and “Les Fleurs Du Mal” is part of commemorating such a milestone. The album title is based on Charles Baudelaire’s writings and poems and the title “Les Fleurs Du Mal” (English translation is “Flowers of Evil”) is the title of a collection of poems from Charles Baudelaire. Therion’s avant-garde approach is happily intact throughout this 15-song 45-minute effort. As always Christofer Johnsson has surrounded himself with some top tier musical talent, including vocalists Lori Lewis (she sounds amazing as always) and metal veteran Thomas Vikström. Some of the strongest moments are: “Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son”, “Initials B.B.”, the hypnotic “Mon Amour, Mon Ami” and “Lilith”. The whole thing is quite grandiose and is simply huge in sound and scope. One thing Therion has proven over the years is that they are not afraid to take chances and they do exactly what they want. For better or worse, “Les Fleurs Du Mal” is another shining example of this.
Rating – 83/100
Tracklist
- Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son
- Une Fleur Dans Le Coeur
- Initials B.B.
- Mon Amour, Mon Ami
- Polichinelle
- La Maritza
- Soeur Angelique
- Dis-Moi Poupee
- Lilith
- En Alabama
- Wahala Manitou
- Je n’ai Besoin Que De Tendresse
- La Licorne D’or
- J’ai le mal de Toi
- Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son
Line Up
- Thomas Vikström – Vocals
- Lori Lewis – Vocals
- Christofer Johnsson – Guitar
- Christian Vidal – Guitar
- Nalle Påhlsson – Bass
- Johan Kullberg – Drums
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site