SECRET OF THE RUNES

One of Therion's best albums, "Secret of the Runes" delivers brilliant metal and opera vocals, lots of heavy classical influences, and all the Viking lyrics one could possibly desire. Christofer Johnsson and Thomas Karlsson do all most of the songwriting. A team of three vocalists, a choir, and quite a few classical performers contribute.

Vocals are often the make-it-or-break-it point for how much I like an album, and here they're simply astounding. There's room for guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards--sometimes even prominently--but they're not the main attraction here; the vocals are. Often, where a typical metal band would throw in a guitar solo, Therion throws in a cello solo, or something else unexpected. The classical influences are abundant.

Despite being a long-time progressive metal fan, I'm a bit late to Therion, having just discovered them a few months ago here on this website. I'm still digesting their music. A lot of their albums are good--or even great--but have elements I don't care for. "Secret of the Runes," though, is pretty much perfect. 5 stars.