Entry 096 - Therion - Deggial

 

The 90's were a very formative time in my musical journey. I found my love for metal and the multitude of sub-genres that fall under that banner. One of the bands that stood out in that time period was Therion.

While I normally tend to enjoy the more extreme end of the metal spectrum, with Therion its the opposite. Their early work is death metal, and for whatever reason I have not been able to get into it. The more they moved away from that sound, the more I seemed to enjoy their music. The peak of that would be Deggial and Vovin.

Deggial takes a string quartet and a small choir and mixes it with heavy metal. This album shares many similarities with the 1998 release Vovin, however the metal is a bit more forward here.

The defining feature of Therion at this point is the choir. The vocal lines and their interactions are what puts Therion in a class all their own.

Do other bands use stringed instruments? Yes. Do other bands use choirs? Yes. Do other bands do it as well as Therion at this point in their career? No.

While I don't love all the songs, there is more than enough here to make me come back for multiple listens - especially in the second half of the album. On the whole, this album is a joy to listen to.