It’s difficult to introduce a discussion of this double CD from the largely Swedish musical group Therion without some understanding of the concepts upon which it draws. You just can’t appreciate one without at least some knowledge of the other. And that can be a problem. Therion doesn’t do easy music, neither the music nor the themes that are addressed in that music. This is pretty esoteric stuff and probably beyond the understanding of many who will just appreciate the music and let the message float by like a soft summer breeze. And that is a terrible loss. Knowledge is something to be treasured, something to be pursued and something to cherish, just like anything else of value in life. So, let’s begin with a short introduction to what Gothic Kabbalah means, where it comes from, and why it’s important.

The key term is Kabbalah. The Gothic may be the more generic term for the music; Therion was doing Gothic long before they got interested in Kabbalah. But Kabbalah is an important term to many with an interest in the Left Hand Path. And the Therion lyrics come from an individual very comfortable with that direction; Thomas Karlsson. Karlsson is a leader of the Northern European mystical occult sect Ordo Draconis et Atri Adamantis and, for many who study this direction, the Kabbalah is an important concept. It is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. However, those lyrics focus on the particular thinking of the Runic scholar, Johannes Thomae Bureus Agrivillensis who developed thoughts on the subject during the 17th Century, during the Gothic ages and that may also have something to do with the "Gothic" in the title. Addressing this theme is the basis for the two CD product discussed here, and one can be excused for a lack of familiarity with it. However, for many of us, the "I sure do love ya, honey" lyrics that drive much of the contemporary music scene, and have been doing so for centuries, can begin to become a little drab. I hit this plateau about 20 years ago and welcome music that takes me in new and interesting directions, and Gothic Kabbalah is about as interesting as it gets. We’ll consider some of the ideas as we take a closer look at the music in general.

The two CD set opens with Der Mitternachtslöwe, a guitar based number with the trademark Therion vocals that introduces us to the complex musical delivery that we encounter throughout the work. It’s interesting to note that individual Therion songs often appear in more than one product. They do a lot of live performances, captured on DVD as well as on the more limited CD musical format. And, given the tendency of Therion to use a lot of people, you can get a lot of different interpretations of a song with vastly different groups presenting them on various titles. However, Gothic Kabbalah is the original source for many of these songs, it’s a BIG work, and generally well received for the monumental effort it represents. You can get a lot of interpretations of the work on YouTube, it’s full of Therion videos, probably because there’s just so much material out there. The title song can be found here. The lyrics are, of course, somewhat difficult to follow, but they introduce the direction that defines the work:

From ancient days the Sibyl speaks to me
through the northern wind
the Talisman of Gothic Kabbalah (she) reveals to me
The staves and runes are written in the sky
Read the book of Gog
The Talisman of Gothic Kabbalah (will) unite your soul

There are a few videos where the lyrics are included and this can make it a little easier to understand what’s being said but it will probably still be difficult to interpret the meaning unless you’re a little more familiar with the mystical directions from which they are derived. The Wand of Abaris is one of these and it uses some of the visuals from the CD booklet as background material. It’s also clear relatively early on that there are a lot of musicians and vocalists on this work. The CD booklet specifies 15 main performers, which may seem like a lot until you recognize that Therion is very comfortable working with massive symphony orchestras and choirs with multiple vocalists, both operatic and metal based. Consequently, this is not a large number of performers by Therion standards.

Therion’s music is not exactly traditional, by any standards. They are somewhat defined by what we often refer to as the symphonic, operatic Gothic direction, but even this would be somewhat limiting. There are male vocals, sometimes classically oriented, sometimes metal oriented. On this work there are both. This can also be said about the female vocals. And it is often this interplay between vocalists that is most interesting about their music. And, again, these songs can take various directions depending on the setting, the mood and the individual performers. Falling Stone is a popular song from Gothic Kabbalah that has seen numerous performances on other works, it’s hard to decide which one is best on many occasions. The live interpretation on Live Gothic is exceptional, especially if you favor Lori Lewis as one of the vocalists. Again, it’s a matter of style. The lyrics remind us that the music is a little deeper than the average rap babble:

It's about to crack the crystal sphere
Let a flake of heaven fall to Man
(The) falling stone
Do you want them to read just like us, all the signs?
Fifteen runes on the cube, all of the keys above
Yes, let us give them Abaris wand
Fruits of wisdom make them all ascend to the sun
But they may be sunblind from the light of the stone
(the) burning crystals of light, the gem of Lucifer
I will bring them keys to eternity, on this ladder (they) all will come back to me
When they rise up, soon they will fall again like the angels, waiting for a descent

This diversification in style is also found throughout individual CDs. Gothic Kabbalah has the harder sounds, like Falling Stone, and they have the more ethereal moments, like the beautiful The Perennial Sophia. Others can go in either direction. And of course, those that feature the male vocal, especially when that vocal is Snowy Shaw, can become especially dark. But even then, like in Wisdom and the Cage, you move effortlessly from that sound to a hauntingly beautiful soprano, and Therion knows soprano. However, the titles that show up on multiple products are clearly there for a reason, they are the ones that sell the tickets to the many live shows Therion does all over the world. Son of the Staves of Time meets this criteria, it’s on a number of productions and is rarely, if ever, not covered in live shows. It begins with a heavenly female vocal, Hannah Holgersson here, Lori Lewis since about 2008. And either is about as good as it gets, not many voices can do this intro. However, the song is largely sung by male metal vocalist Mats Levin who has served in that capacity for Therion now for a period of time and is a crowd favorite. The female vox makes several appearances as well, and the guitar work makes this a metal moment to remember.

Therion pretty much sets the standard for Gothic music in its broadest interpretation. Strong symphonics, often provided by a full symphony orchestra, outstanding choral components, absolute top quality female vocals, strong metal where required, and the message. The entire package, one CD after the next.

10 / 10 

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