LEMURIA

With the turn of the millennium, Therion changed from an inventive and creative force into a stale opera-metal merchandising unit, tossing out double albums crammed with formulaic song writing that may have boosted them to the top of the metal charts but also to the bottom of my 'exciting music' list.

The only thing they prove for me is their inability to come up with anything new and inspired. Most of the 4 minute songs here wear thin by the time they get halfway; the few exceptions that you might live through are sure to bore you to death after 3 listens. The song writing is really poor, sticking to unimaginative hard rock and metal riffs that have been around for 35 years.

Therion aren't capable to come up with anything interesting anymore. Every note on this album has been played before, either by other bands, or by Therion themselves, as they do not shy away from self-plagiarism. This album sounds completely uninvolved. It's sterile, polished, monotonous, dull and flat, operatic metal at its most cliché and hollow impersonation.

The only reason I've been able to churn out two stars is because Serius B is even worse. Here, at least the opening tracks Typhon and Uthark Runa still offer a hint of what Therion used to be.