CD1
1.    "Der Mitternachtslöwe" – 5:38
2.    "Gothic Kabbalah" – 4:33
3.    "The Perrennial Sophia" – 4:54
4.    "Wisdom and the Cage" – 5:02
5.    "Son of the Staves of Time" – 4:47
6.    "Tuna 1613: Momentum Excitationis" – 4:23
7.    "Trul" – 5:11
8.    "Close up the Streams" – 3:55

CD2
1.    "Wand of Abaris" – 5:51
2.    "Three Treasures" – 5:20
3.    "The Path to Arcady" – 3:54
4.    "TOF – The Trinity" – 6:18
5.    "Chain of Minerva" – 5:21
6.    "The Falling Stone" – 4:46
7.    "Adulruna Rediviva" – 13:37

Christofer Johnsson - Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Kristian Niemann - Guitars, Keyboards
Johan Niemann - Bass, Guitars, Guitars (acoustic)
Petter Karlsson - Drums, Guitars, Keyboards, Percussion, Choir (on "Chain of Minerva")
+
Mats Levén – Vocals, Guitars
Snowy Shaw - Vocals 
Katarina Lilja - Vocals 
Hannah Holgersson - Soprano 
Jonas Samuelsson-Nerbe - Tenor 
Karin Fjellander - Choral soprano
Ken Hensley - Hammond organ
Joakim Svalberg - Hammond organ
Rolf Pilotti - Flute 
Stefan Glaumann – Tambourine

Sweden's Therion have been lauded the world over, just about, for their wildly influential and experimental symphonic heavy metal; it incorporates not only classical ambitions and arrangements, but the integration of European folk and even industrial elementals into their sound. Add to this guitarist, songwriter and conceptualist Christofer Johnsson and (non)performing scholar/lyricist Thomas Karlsson's collective studied knowledge of myths, arcane occult knowledge, and folklore from around the globe (East of the Atlantic anyway) and you have the very beginnings of Therion's reach and command of artful heavy music. Johnsson added an opera singer (and now two) a couple of years back to bring life to his simultaneously pretentious and operatic vision of a quadrology of Nordic myth that began with Secret of the Runes, continued in the simultaneously issued Sirius B and Lemuria, and sees its grand -- and oh is it grand -- finale in Gothic Kaballah, the most righteous vision of excess heavy metal has ever seen.

Gothic Kaballah is a double disc -- by an eight-member strong Therion -- with help from friends (one of whom is organist Ken Hensley, formerly of Uriah Heep). It is the epitome of conceptually oriented symphonic metal. It brings together melodies from the West and the East. Its orchestrations are lavish, but the attack is heavier than Odin's wrath -- check "T.O.F. The Trinity" on disc two for a small but punishing bit of evidence of the magical menace found there. Produced by the band and Mats Levén -- who also co-wrote music, played guitar and is featured on lead vocals a great deal of the time -- Gothic Kaballah makes no concessions except one: for the very first time, the band has written and sung in English. But perhaps that's no concession at all considering Americans are the only nationality who hasn't grasped the ragged glory and rugged power of Therion: as a colleague puts it complimentarily, they are the Meat Loaf of metal. The reference is the sheer wide-ranging grandeur in composition, performance, production and execution in their work. They do everything big. This is rock with a big "R." It transcends the metal genre though it is certainly a heavy metal record but it moves territorially into prog rock as well, but a prog rock that's easy to get next to. The tempo and key changes have been part of the Therion compositional mode for a long time, but here the transitions are seamless even as the traditional metal elements remain heavier than the burden of the gods. The album's story is one of intense literary scrutiny, critical investigation, and dramatic pyrotechnics. Richard Wagner would have been proud to write for Therion. Their excesses were his own: dynamics in drama for the sake of moving a story through its paces, revealing secrets, horrors, and promises and revelations of what preceded and proceeds from the Judeo-Christian apocalypse. Therion ascend the staircase of the gods on Gothic Kaballah and tells them to bring it on, while simultaneously acknowledging their ferocity, glory and power.

As the crackling guitar and bass riffs open "Die Mitternachslöwe" on disc one, and keyboards and blastbeats enter with sinister force, a soprano sings "In the end of time, in times of revelation/Lion from the north will appear in a dark nation..." Petter Karlsson and Levén add a chorus to further the tale "...Read the forecast/fear the eagle/See the wonders, trust the lion/Read the prophecy, the savior of midnight..." without a trace of irony; guitars play in counterpoint then a single bass chord carries the menacing tension until the tune ends. The listener has entered the netherworld of Gothic Kaballah, where light shines through punishing guitar forms, a murky smoke and mirror-adorned cave of fact and fiction, elliptical storytelling, pronounced thematics, changing keyboards and introductions and disappearances of characters from gods to animals to mortals and sprites of every stripe. Oh yeah, there are numerous killer dual guitar leads to top it all off. The title track, with its low-tuned guitars and basses playing in sharp counterpoint, ushers in sledgehammer cadences that Metallica could never have imagined, let alone pulled off, and they give way to folk melodies -- that really are melodies -- and booming tom toms that offer the melding of tribal expression, gritty keyboard sounds, and classically oriented harmonics. The way the story is told and the different musical landscapes used to move it along offer the argument that Therion have created the first great rock opera of the 21st century. Not that you have to pay attention to the narrative to appreciate it: this is the metal that disappeared aboveground in the U.S. a decade or more ago.

Gothic Kaballah is the first shot from the Therion canon on the American market in earnest. Aimed squarely for the Yankee heart, it conquers with theater, menace and above all a stellar Nordic stoicism which rebels while it assumes the mantle of control. Currently there is no one on the scene that can come close to Therion's ambition or ability ( the conviction, spiritual devotion, and maniacal pummel in "The Perennial Sophia" or "Son of the Staves of Time" should shut up all but the most cynical metalheads). Therion have the money, the promotion, the chops, and the sheer vision to make this happen without a smirk or a nod to kitsch. This is the right introduction for America (though all their records are available here); those who come to Gothic Kaballah as their first taste of this band would do well to pick up the rest of the quadrology and listen in order. Gothic Kaballah is brilliant, disturbing, grandiose and very listenable -- those who thought metal was for knuckleheads and the ignorant should pay heed and give this baby a spin. It possesses both bone-riffing thud and bell-ringing clarity, orchestral strings and bass throbs that sends the dials spinning into the red. It is destined to be a classic. This is Euro-metal at its zenith; it moves the entire heavy metal universe a giant leap forward. It may be early in 2007, but already Gothic Kaballah is the gold standard to beat. ---Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

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1.Ginnungagap (Prologue) - 6:09
2.Midgård - 5:03
3.Asgård - 4:07
4.Jotunheim - 3:43
5.Schwarzalbenheim - 5:17
6.Ljusalfheim - 3:54
7.Muspelheim - 2:14
8.Nifelheim - 4:35
9.Vanaheim - 4:03
10.Helheim - 3:18
11.Secret of The Runes (Epilogue) - 5:30
12.Crying Days - 4:31
13.Summer Night City - 4:54

The band

    Christofer Johnsson: Rhythm guitar, Keyboard, Percussion
    Kristian Niemann: Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
    Johan Niemann: Bass guitar
    Sami Karppinen: Drums, Percussion

Vocal and string solists:

    Marika Schonberg: Solo soprano
    Erika Andersson: Solo alto
    Carl Rahmqvist: Solo tenor-baritone
    Anna Rodell: Solo violin
    Asa Akerberg: Solo cello
    Thomas Karlsson: Whispering voice
    Piotr Wawrzeniuk: Lead vocals

Choir

    Kristina Hansson: Coloratura soprano
    Anna-Maria Krawe: Soprano
    Anna Artursson: Alto
    Marika Schonberg: Alto
    Henrik Holmberg: Tenor
    Patrik Forsman: Tenor
    Carl Rahmqvist: Tenor-baritone
    Joakim Berg: Bass-baritone

String ensemble

    Anna Rodell: Violin (1st)
    Josef Cabrales-Alin: Violin (1st)
    Malin Samuelsson: Violin (2nd)
    Johan Moren: Violin (2nd)
    Linda Svedrup: Viola
    Niklas Sjunesson: Viola
    Asa Akerberg: Cello
    Monica Jonsson: Cello

Woodwinds (solo and ensamble)

    Fareidah Hildebrand: Flute, Alt flute, Piccolo
    Erik Rodell: Oboe, English
    Horn Henrik Blixt: Bassoon, Contrabassoon

Brass ensemble

    Mikael Sorensen: Trumpet, Fluegelhorn
    Ayman Al Fakir: French horn, Wagner tuba
    Kristina Borg: French horn
    Rune Bodin: Trombone

The concept of this album is based on the ancient Nordic tradition. In this tradition exists a world tree called Yggdrasil. This tree consists of nine worlds on which the album is focused around. The songs describe each of the worlds. However, there are also a prologue and an epilogue. The prologue, "Ginnungagap", is the void of creation, where the world was once shaped. The giant Ymer was slayed and the land was created from his body and the seas of his blood. The epilogue is the title track, which is the quintessence of the whole concept: Odin's journey when he was hanging himself from Yggdrasil fornine days and nights. He then received the knowledge of the runes. The word "rune" (or "runa" as it is called in Swedish) means "secret" and therefore the meaning of the title is "The Secret of the Secrets". The secret hidden in the concept of runes is that they are more than just letters to write with; they are also magical signs and each has an esoteric meaning. Runes have existed in various forms and in different traditions. The Nordic tradition is based on the "Futhark" or more rarely the "Uthark". The Nordic tradition is the most known and today it is basically the only one used among serious occult groups and pagan believers that are using runes; it should not be mixed up with the other existing ones, even though a few of the rune letters in the different rune alphabets may be the same or look a bit similar. The themes Librettos of Richard Wagner were based on the myths and legends from the Nordic-Germanic tradition. Wotan is just another word for Odin. So as the musical influence from Wagner is huge, it is very suitable using related lyrical contents on this album. ---chris, megatherion.com

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1 	- The blood of king II 	5:45 	
2 	- Zon of the Zun 	5:35 	
3 	- The Khlysti evangelist 	5:38 	
4 	- Dark Venus Persephone 	4:02 	
5 	- Kali yuga [Part 1] 	3:27 	
6 	- Kali yuga [Part 2] 	5:48 	
7 	- The wondrous world of punt 	7:19 	
8 	- Melek Taus 	5:31 	
9 	- Call of Dagon 	4:14 	
10 	- Ziriuz B 	3:43 	
11 	- Voyage of Gurdjieff (The fourth way) 	5:56

    Christofer Johnsson - rhythm guitar, mandolinclassical and choir arrangements
    Kristian Niemann - rhythm and lead guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin 
    Johan Niemann - bass guitar, mandolin 
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    Richard Evensand - drums, gong 
    Steen Rasmussen - Hammond organ
    Lars Sømod Jensen - church organ
    Mats Levén - lead vocals 
    Piotr Wawrzeniuk - lead vocals 
    Orchestra: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 
    Choir: Kūhn Mixed Choir 
    Mario Klemens – conductor

Released simultaneously with Lemuria in 2004, Sirius B demonstrates Therion’s ability to take their distinctive sound and craft a dynamic, beautiful, and cohesive listening experience brimming with creativity and adventure. It provides all of the aspects of a Therion album that the initiated would expect: Lyrical themes include the standard discourse of mythology, philosophy, and the occult; the atmospheric presence of orchestral instrumentation include strings, low brass, french horn and oboe; and very diverse vocals, mostly choral and operatic deliveries with mixtures of male and female talent. All of the elements in this eccentric concoction take form convincingly around a strong metal backbone and masterfully avoid what would seem to be the recipe for a trainwreck.

Throughout its nearly hour-long duration, this record evokes a feeling of adventure laced with nostalgia. Listening to Sirius B is like witnessing the recounting of an epic journey in which the protagonist travelled far and wide through many soundscapes, meeting many interesting characters, and seeing many breathtaking sights before finally returning home. Take, for example, the middle section of “The Blood of Kingu”, the chorus of “Son of The Sun”, or the entirety of “Call of Dagon”, “Kali Yuga Part 2” and the album’s closer “Voyage of Gurdjieff”. These moments serve to establish, evolve, and resolve an aural narrative from beginning to end.

Like any lengthy and sophisticated tale, Sirius B effectively utilizes the beginning of the record to introduce the story’s themes and set the tone for what is to come with the pounding “The Blood of Kingu” and the uplifting “Son of the Sun”. The middle of the album, while perhaps not quite a strong as the beginning or end, evolves an engaging narrative while introducing new ideas, characters, and places without losing momentum or sacrificing the overall tone and focus. The final tracks, “Call of Dagon”, “Sirius B”, and “Voyage of Gurdjieff” bring the journey to a meaningful and dramatic conclusion, authoring a strong sense of resolution and inducing the tug of nostalgia that comes with seeing an epic journey come to an end.

Therion embrace and effectively apply their orchestral elements, as they provide an eerily mystical and shimmeringly magical quality to the songs that feature them. Strings come and go to soothe between galloping displays of Therion’s metal roots, and entrancing oboe solos introduce new themes with captivating effect. This, along with vocal diversity, is perhaps the most defining feature of Therion’s sound, and provides a crucial element to how they convey emotion and maintain the cohesiveness of the album.

The vocals of Sirius B are both dynamic and distinctive, providing the other essential element to Therion’s sound. Even within a single song, vocal deliveries may move quickly between an ethereal all-female choir to the bombast of a single operatic male voice, only then to slip into a combination of powerful lead female vocals accompanied by a mixed male and female choir. As the album progresses, different vocalists arrive and depart with varying vocal deliveries, much like characters in a story are introduced and fade to the background, only to later come to the fore once again.

Sirius B is an adventure in aural form, thrusting the listener into a story that takes them on a winding journey through space and time. When the adventure comes to an end, a feeling of nostalgic connection to an experience, with characters and vistas heard but never seen, washes over, much like when finally coming upon the final page of an enthralling novel. It’s the relief of resolution, but the empty feeling that the story continues on without you. It’s the bittersweet feeling of happiness pierced by sadness, of fulfillment leading to emptiness, of meeting ending in departure. It elicits these powerfully conflicting feelings without an explicit narrative, and it does so without all of the relatability and tangibility of a film or the details and complexity of a novel. If a well-packaged, rewarding, and cohesive experience is at least as good as, if not better than, a mere collection of great songs, then you should certainly give yourself a chance to experience Sirius B. --- Dylan Longstreet, sputnikmusic.com

Taki Therion to jest Therion!!! Tak mniej więcej brzmiał mój pierwszy okrzyk po odpaleniu Sirius B. Już od pierwszego kawałka pt. "The Blood Of Kingu" w cudowny sposób wracamy do czasów Vovin i Theli a nawet wcześniej. Świetny metalowy wokal i te gitary. Tutaj nasuwa się skojarzenie z Iron Maiden i Judas Priest, zresztą sam pan Johnsson przyznaje się do tych klasycznych heavy metalowych wpływów. Oczywiście nie może zabraknąć partii chórów, które wspaniale kontrastują z szybką metalową pracą bębnów. "Son Of The Sun" to kolejny bardzo dobry utwór, z niezłym melodyjnym riffem i genialnym refrenem. Tutaj mogą pojawić się również skojarzenia z Nightwish. Oprócz tych kompozycji zachwycają również: "Dark Venus Persephone", obydwie części "Kali Yuga" oraz "The Khlysti Evangelist". Niestety Sirius B posiada też kilka mielizn a tą największą jest chyba "The Wondrous World Of Punt", który prezentuje się dość nijako.

Zastanawiacie się pewnie drodzy czytelnicy dlaczego zdecydowałem się oddzielić Sirius B od drugiej wydanej w tym samym czasie płyty Lemuria. Powód jest prosty, te płyty, mimo że nagrane przez ten sam zespół i w tym samym czasie różnią się, i to znacznie. Sirius B to Therion bardziej heavy metalowy, bardziej melodyjny a tym samym łatwiejszy w odbiorze. Ta łatwość powoduje, że już po drugim przesłuchaniu nucimy refreny i przytupujemy w rytm zwrotek. Podsumowując - świetna metalowa płyta. --- Dominik [Nehamod], metal.pl

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