What...!?
Timothy R. Ellis | ca United States | 01/17/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just picked this up today, and let me say as a hardcore tristania fan, this makes "Beyond the Veil" sound like "Follow the Leader." "Beyond the veil" is my favorite tristania album, and was also my fav opera-metal band until i picked up this gem. This is simply the most amazingly constructed orchestra/opera/metal hybrid compilation i've ever lent my ears to. All the songs are great, but in my opinion, the best song is "Wine of Alvqah," track 3, it's very catchy and will energize you and make your foot tap like crazy throughout the whole song. Track 5, "The Wild Hunt," sounds like Iron Maiden kidnapped an operatic choir and went on a mescaline binge for 3 days, then wrote a song, it's crazy but in a really cool way. This CD's good. I'm talking "Blackwater Park," yes...it's possible to get that feeling again. Have you any dignity? The sooner you buy this CD the less time you'll have to think about having it, just get it now for the love OF GOD!"
Play this album for anybody who think that metal is crude.
Matthew Graybosch | Waterbury, CT United States | 11/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Therion might have started out as just another Black Metal act, but they have evolved into something much darker, and far more beautiful.The operatic metal of _Vovin_ is a true treat that evokes memories of classic 70s progressive bands like King Crimson and Renaissance, yet also invokes the hellacious fury of Black Sabbath, Venom, and Mercyful Fate. Yet in _Vovin_, Therion summons a sound that transcends both influences in a kind of auditory alchemy that left me breathless.Highlights include "Wine of Aluqah" with its stirring violin and guitar finish, the dark sweetness of "Clavicula Nox", the driving beat of "The Wild Hunt" and the sheer foreboding of "Black Sun". However, if you only listen for the highlights, you miss the greater beauty, for _Vovin_ is on the whole one of the most elegant black metal albums ever released, surpassed only by _Deggial_."
Very good music, but vocal repetition gets irritating
mysanthropyk_overlord | USA | 04/03/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I won't deny Christofer Johnsson's musical abilities and genuine skills as a composer and guitarist. The music to this piece is absolutely fabulous. The problem is the vocals. I like the idea of using choirs, although I'd have liked a more Benedictine-style male choir (a la Tristania's Beyond The Veil) in preference to the one used on here. The problem is that they don't vary their singing enough. Some more solo vocals would've helped the variety. Take the song "Birth of Venus Illegitima" for example. It's one of my favorites on the album, but the choirs keep singing the same pattern over and over. But aside from that, the voices themselves are very good, the guitars are fantastic (if you consider Therion a "gothic" band, then you'll be happy to know that the band doesn't follow the gothic trend and has no problem performing guitar solos), and the composition as a whole is top-notch. I'm still debating putting forth more funds for new Therion CDs, as I need money for my own musical ventures, but I definitely recommend this album for fans of good orchestral/symphonic metal."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1