Therion has released their biggest project to date in the form of a three-hour long metal opera. While Beloved Antichrist (Nuclear Blast) has been in the works in various forms for years, it has finally come to completion as a triple album with forty-six songs, and the band hoping to bring it to actual opera houses. The story was initially based on Vladímir Soloviov A Short Tale Of The Antichrist, but has since been adapted and had characters changed and added, ending up with twenty-seven characters performed by fifteen vocalists, along with a full choir.
The first problem arises quite quickly: I have no clue what’s going on. The vocals are heavily classical, especially in the first couple of songs, and the lyrics are mostly unintelligible, and therefore spend the entire session wondering what it going on. Even later, when many vocals are closer to a musical style and are understandable, there is no way to put the new information into a framework. With all these voices singing in a classical style, it is at times even impossible to be sure when one character ends and another begins. In opera proper, this problem is easily solved by the visuality of the medium, and operas, as well as musicals, often feature musical themes to remind the audience of recurring characters. On the purely aural side: the wildly successful progressive rock operas of Ayreon put the story at the centre of the experience, and regardless of one’s opinion on the content, the plot is generally clear. The vocalists are also chosen specifically for their contrasting powers, lending individuality to their characters and therefore to the storytelling.
With regards to the ‘opera’ section of this project, the decision to have each song represent an individual scene might have worked, but wholesale lack of transitions between songs makes for a jarring experience. Forty-six individual pieces of music do not an opera or musical make. While they are divided into three CDs, there do not seem to be true ‘acts’ with a defined and spectacular beginning and end. In fact, the climactic sections are spectacular but feel randomly placed at the end of a song without a musical arc of tension.
There are certainly Metal elements, though they are sparse at the onset of the album, but the Power Metal madness of ‘Anthem’ really does come out of nowhere and does not support the choral arrangements. The more modest elements of ‘The Palace Ball’ really fit better, but still do not mesh at all with the super slow over-enunciated musical-vocals that overlay them. It is a shame the vocals and music are not matched throughout because when they do come together it is spectacular; take for example the subdued unisolo in most of ‘Hail Ceasar’, and the wonderful differentiated church-style chorals of the ‘Bringing the Gospel’.
Some songs are short or uninteresting, feature clunky melodies or sport only the crudest of endings. On the other hand, there are songs which highlight the incredible potential of the project. ‘Shoot Them Down’ is deliciously, powerfully cheesy. ‘Temple of Jerusalem’ has a catchy chorus delivered by a phenomenal tenor, while ‘Forgive Me’ is a full display of good vocals. The best-crafted song on the album must be ‘Pledging Loyalty’, where music, solo vocals, choir, and lyrics come together to spectacular result.
While there is undeniable talent in the performance of the songs, the album as a whole is unbalanced, and the story impossible to follow. Unlike successful operas and musicals, there seem to be no themes, no red line to follow, and no distinguishable construction of highs and lows, full orchestrations and intimate moments. Add to that the lack of transitions between songs and we’re left with what seems to be a grandiose building with no discernible entrances or even mortar between the bricks: not displeasing to witness but without real purpose. While most of it is not terribly gripping, it must be emphasised that the music is a lot better when not given undivided attention.
6.5/10
LORRAINE LYSEN