A'ARAB ZARAQ LUCID DREAMING

Although officially listed as Therion's sixth album, this strangely named release is closer to a compilation than a coherent album. Timed to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary, the set draws in tracks left over from the previous "Theli", a number of cover versions, songs from a soundtrack project of band leader Christofer Johnsson and Therion's re- interpretations of songs from that soundtrack. As such, there are a number of different line ups on the album, with only Johnnson and drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk being ever present. This should not then be assessed in the context of following on from "Theli", but more as a bonus set for fans of the band. Choirs and orchestras do appear, but they are generally much less in evidence than on "Theli".

The tracks are neatly grouped together for ease of listening. The first three of these are recorded by the "Theli" line up, with Dan Swano (who appeared on that album) taking lead vocal on the first two. "In remembrance" is a fine, fairly commercial piece of light metal. It is largely devoid of operatic vocals, presumably leading to its omission from "Theli". The overall sound is close to that of bands such as The Mission and Sisters of Mercy. "Black fairy" continues in the light metal style this time drifting towards the sound we now associate with Ayreon; one gets the impression it could have been adapted to suit the operatic voices quite easily, but in this form it is an enjoyable if largely anonymous piece of pop metal.

The first of the covers, still played by the "Theli" line up, is of "Fly to the rainbow", a Scorpions song from 1974. This 8+ minute number sees drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk giving the first of two lead vocal performances on the album. While the track is decidedly un-Therion like, being far more pop orientated than usual, it does illustrate that Wawrzeniuk is actually a much better singer than Johnsson. The following two covers were recorded during a session in Germany in December 1996. "Children of the damned" is an Iron Maiden song again sung by Wawrzeniuk, while "Under Jolly Roger" was by an obscure band called Running Wild. The vocals here are by Tobias Sidegard with Peter Tägtgren playing additional lead guitar. Both songs are as much as anything a chance for the band to have a bit of fun.

The next two tracks see the line-up pared back to just Johnsson and Wawrzeniuk. The first of these is an abbreviated instrumental version of "Symphony of the Dead", a song which first appeared on the band's "Beyond sanctorum" album. This version brings out the symphonic nature of the music. "Here Comes the Tears" is a cover of a Judas Priest song. This version retains the JP feel, while adding a slightly Gothic style to the song.

The remainder of the album is handed over to Johnsson's soundtrack for the obscure film called "Golden Embrace" (not listed on IMDB!). First we have four songs (of which two are combined into a single piece) re-recorded by Therion (or at least Johnsson and Wawrzeniuk in the Therion style). These four tracks have much more in common with the "Theli" album, featuring operatic vocals and symphonic sounds. As such, they represent the high point of the entire album.

The final section of the album is the original orchestral soundtrack to "Golden embrace" sub-titled "A'arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming". Some choral vocals remain on the 7 tracks which make up this part, but the main emphasis is on orchestration, devoid of any rock instruments or influences.

In all, an album which should not be taken too seriously in terms of the Therion career path. Heard for what it is, this is an enjoyable collection of songs conveniently brought together to form a decent compilation.

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