Lemuria

Track Listings

1. Longing

2. End of Time

3. The Cave in the Magic Forest

4. Guardian of the Crystal

5. Elfin Creatures

6. Lords of the Darkness

7. Somewhere is Hope

8. Choice of Weapons

9. In Jubilo

10. The Power of Love

11. In the Dome of Light

12. End and Begin

Editorial Reviews
Kathy Parsons, solopianopublications.com
"...Very enjoyable!"

Product Description
A tale in music and poems about the legend of the crystal world, the threats to its existence, and the plan to save it peacefully.

Lemuria

Lemuria,Agnus Dei,Indigo Music

Lemuria

Tracks:

Typhon
Uthark Runa
Three Ships Of Berik, Pt. 1: Calling To Arms And Fighting The Battle
Three Ships of Berik, Pt. 2: Victory!
Lemuria
Quetzalcoatl
The Dreams Of Swedenborg
An Arrow From The Sun
Abraxas
Feuer Overtometheus Entfesselt

Tracks:

The Blood Of Kingu
Son Of The Sun
The Khlysti Evangelist
Dark Venus Persephone
Kali Yuga, Pt. 1
Kali Yuga, Pt. 2
The Wondrous World Of Punt
Melek Taus
Call Of Dagon
Sirius B
Voyage of Gurdjieff (The Fourth Way)

Customer Reviews:

Majestic.......2007-01-12

My first Therion album was Theli, which sounded by all accounts as a good starting point. All I can say is if you've only heard Theli and thought the band wasn't quite your cup of tea (like I nearly did), don't forsake them until you've heard Lemuria/Sirius B.

Theli isn't a bad album, just really tough to get into and a little tedious at times. Lemuria/Sirius B is not only a better album (both of them), but also easier to get your teeth into simply because the songwriting and performances are so much stronger and more cohesive. Even the death vocals, which I usually hate, works beautifully the few times they are used here.

Lemuria is the standout album, with hardly a weak moment across all 10 tracks. Typhon is a blistering opening track, with beautiful female singing mixed with a few murderous bursts of death vocals. So often death vocals end up sounding cheesy, but here they actually manage to sound mean and scary. It's magnificently done.

I'm not going to describe every song, it's hard to describe Therion's music in words. Let's just say there's enough beautiful melodies, varied singing and great guitar solos on Lemuria to keep current Therion fans happy and win them lots of new ones.

Typhon, Uthark Runa, Three Ships of Berik, Lemuria, Quetzalcoatl and Abraxas count as my favorites here.

Sirius B continues in much the same vein. The only song that I'm finding a little hard to get into here is Kali Yuga Part 1, but that's hardly a blot on the page. Sirius B, the song, is also just a little off course, a little tedious to get through. The rest of the album rocks, with The Blood Of Kingu, Son Of The Sun, The Khlysti Evangelist, The Wondrous World Of Punt, Melek Taus and Voyage Of Gurdjieff all deserving special mention.

I don't easily give out 5 stars, but Therion has earned it with two albums that could hardly be a whole lot better than they are. The variety in the songs, like different vocalists on different songs, melodic guitar solos, well implemented and executed death growling, choirs, orchestras, it's the whole package.

Whatever genre you want to throw this in, the bottom line is it's good music, plain and simple. Really good. Choirs and orchestra mixed with opera and metal isn't exactly a new or original concept in music, but Therion executes it so much better and on a much grander scale than most of the other pretenders.

The word "majestic" describes Lemuria/Sirus B quite well and although I haven't heard any other Therion albums except these two and Theli, I can't imagine a better starting point than Lemuria/Sirus B for anyone who wants to explore this band's music.

As hard to review as it is to classify........2006-12-16

I've wanted to write a review about this double CD set ever since I listened to both, but coming up with a rating was difficult. See, I don't want to keep giving out as many 5 stars as I've given out, and while I for the most part love this music, there are a few minor niggles I have with it. In the end though, I decided that the value of getting two close to excellent CDs for just a bit over the price of one means I can't give it anything but five stars.

Ok, so with that out of the way, why should you buy it? You definitely need to like either classical music or some version of Metal. You probably need to at least be able to tolerate the other genre. If you're able to listen to Phantom of the Opera and love mid range to heavy Metal, then you'll probably like this. If you love both, you might just have found your Nirvana of music.

The history's been documented in other reviews, but basically goes like:

Boys form death metal band.
Boys add more complexity in the form of classical instruments, choirs, etc.
Boys suddenly come out with a masterpiece that more or less creates a new genre in which they incorporate classical instruments, classically trained singers, choirs and whole orchestras while retaining their Metal roots (but dropping the growls). See "Theli" (which by the way I have not yet heard.. it's currently flying my way though).

With most things that I hear great things about, I'm ultimately somewhat disappointed. My initial reaction is often almost fanboyish. If I'm told the music/book/movie is spectacular and it fits a genre I like, I also think it's spectacular on my first listening/reading/viewing. Usually however, after a few songs/chapters/scenes, cracks start showing and while I might still very much like the purchase, it drops to the above average-good category for me (3-4 stars here).

Well, the first time I listened to "Lemuria", I was busy doing other things. I paused for a moment to listen once in awhile, and decided that "I liked it" but I didn't just stop everything to listen to it, unlike some more recent metal purchases. A few days later, I dropped "Sirius B" into the player, and pulled out the lyrics pamphlet (and by the way, everything about this product screams quality, including the full color artwork on each page of both pamphlets). Instead of feeling less fulfilling as the tracks changed, the music seemed to only get richer and more interesting.

It's hard to describe exactly what it sounds like, but the basic point is you get a melding of Metal riffs and hooks (expertly done), classical instruments, classical singers and choirs to such an extent that it's hard to envision (enlisten?) what the music would sound like without any of the other elements present.

That said, there are a couple of niggles. If you can't stand Death Metal 'growls', they make an appearance in a couple of songs (mainly Lemuria). I don't like them as a rule myself, but they work better here in moderation than they do exclusively on other CDs. It seems that ever since Theli, the band dropped the growls, until this CD came out. So you might prefer to try "Secret of the Runes" instead as your entry point to Therion. Additionally, "Sirius B" is billed as the more 'experimental' CD and I'll agree. Some parts feel off when listened to very closely, the best example for me is the switching between vocalists from verse to verse. A couple of songs on the second CD have at least 4 vocalists, with wildly varying styles, each singing one verse only of a quarter. It's still good music, but more disjointed than the rest.

The Metal aspect of the CDs is pretty heavy in many cases, but often the heaviest of the tracks also have more balancing lightness in the form of other instruments and sopranos. There are a couple of songs that are very upbeat/catchy, along with the heavier, more melancholy tracks. Unlike many CDs, not all the songs sound the same, although if you put this in with a mix of other artists, it will be almost immediately obvious that a Therion song has come up.

I've seen a frequent comparison to Nightwish in other forums and here. While it's apt to some degree (especially the "Once" CD where Nightwish brings in a full orchestra), the two really have very different feels. Whereas "Nightwish" might be a very tasty Samuel Adams (or other ale of your choice), Therion feels much more like a Guinness or 90 minute Indian Brown Ale. You might enjoy both, and if you do, then only your mood at the time will determine which you most want to listen to. But for those times when you need something dark, complex and filling, you could do a lot worse than Therion.

Highly enjoyable album that keeps growing on me!.......2006-10-21

Nobody does symphonic hybrid metal better than the Scandinavians. And nobody does this type of metal better than Therion. Sure Nightwish's latest had a nice rounded Bob Rock-type production quality, and Tarja's voice is very cool, but the compositions were fairly bland in my opinion. Tristiana just gets a tad annoying with all the vocal growling in behind the choral vocals. There are of course bands like Rhapsody, but it's hard to get into anything that is really just power-puff metal filled with absurdly poppish style riffs, or even Thy Majestie, who do a very good job at blending more medieval elements with their unique use of their choirs... but one can only take so much double-kick! And so one is left with the truely outstanding Therion. Now this is not to say that all their albums are outstanding. Far from it. However, those that are ("Secret of the Runes", "Vovin", and this double-album) are really good. I especially like how the keyboards are layered in with orchestra samples and live orchestral elements which reduces the cheeze factor often associated with keyboards and metal music (yeah, I need some more DX7 Bells and Supersaw oscillators to really make my day [sarc]). I'm very much looking forward to their newest "Gothic Kabbalah" due in 2007 to see what they bring to us next.

A smidge overrated........2006-07-09

Ok, ok, Therion is great, symphony, opera, orhcestra, metal, it's all very nice, but it's overproduced and the guitars are oversimplified. Great album, could be better, but hey, at least they used a real orchestra.

"When you watch the sky/You feel a longing for the stars".......2006-06-27

Where to start on something so complex? First the simple and obvious: for the price of one CD you get two, with 21 tracks running a total of 99 minutes. Then the performers involved. Therion consists of only three individuals but no less than 170 people are involved in this music, including 9 performing guests, 7 classical vocal soloists, the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kuhn Mixed Choir. Next the subject matter: every song is related in some way to a mythical or legendary being, place or thing, some purely mythical and some real with legendary overtones. And they cover just about every corner of the globe, extending over nearly the entire record of human history, from Rasputin to Quetzalcoatl to Typhon (a 100 headed monster that nearly destroyed Zeus) to Kingu, a Babylonian god involved in their creation myth, and on and on. I don't know how the lyric writer came up with all these, many of which I had never heard, but they can all be investigated on the internet. If done, you will find that the words describe the subject very accurately, with a feeling of mysticism, which is enhanced in all cases by the music itself. So finally to the music, being the hardest to relate. Every song is different, every song combines many types of music and many different performers and every song rates somewhere between very good to excellent, my favorite being Lemuria, which I can listen to about 20 times in a row and still want to hear once more.

Actually, the subject matter covers more than just the Earth. Sirius B is a white dwarf companion to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and located 8.6 light years away in the constellation Canis Major. Does that mean this one song has no connection to legend/myth like all the others? No. Basically an instrumental, the song Sirius B has only two words, Po Tolo, repeated over and over. Po Tolo is what the Dogon people of Mali call Sirius B and the myth/legend involved here is that they knew about details of Sirius B prior to contact (supposedly) with "the white man", who discovered Sirius B telescopically in 1862. So, either the Dogon were visited by aliens from Sirius sometime in the past or they were visited sooner than recorded by an earthman with astronomical knowledge. Choose your legend. And the track previous to Sirius B, Call of the Dagon, probably refers to the Phillistine god of that name, which may be the derivation of Dogon. Also this track, the source of my review title, ends thusly: "Dagon sing/Stargoddess/Sothis dance." Sothis is apparently the Egyptian name for Sirius, so yet another little known mythical/mystical connection woven into the framework of the music. Totally amazing!

One more thing, every page of both inserts features artwork, all being of cover quality, that, like the music and the lyrics, descriptively matches each song's subject. To say the least, I am overwhelmed by the complexity of this work and by its beauty. In fact, it does not seem humanly possible. Hmm, I wonder; were there any UFO sightings in Sweden about 3 years ago? (Please see my profile for a brief discussion of my rating philosophy.)

Average customer rating:

Same old therion

Lemuria
Therion
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0003HHOW2
Release Date: 2004-11-22

Tracks:

Typhon
Uthark Runa
Three Ships Of Berik Pt. Calling To Arms & Fighting The Battle Pt.2 Victory
Lemuria
Quetzalcoatl
Dreams Of Swedenborg
An Arrow From The Sun
Abraxas
Feuer Overture / Prometheus Entfesselt

Customer Reviews:

Same old therion.......2007-03-12

This album is yet another typical Therion album, different to the others yet the same old sound, which is not to be critical at all, personally I don't love Therion except for the Vovin album, yet I can't resist buying every album, as there is something about their unique sound. The tracks on this album that stand out for me are Lemuria, The dreams of sweden borg ,An arrow from the sun and Feuer overture. This is yet another consistant product from the band, if you like Therion you will like this.

Average customer rating:

Great Music!

Darcana

Manufacturer: Lemuria Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAJH4S
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Customer Reviews:

Great Music!.......2006-09-24

I have been so bored with contemporary music for the past few years, well, the past decade even, and then I found this D'arcana CD and was so delighted to hear something not only new, but good. Really good. I then searched for anything else from these artists and found (on another site) "As Worlds They Rise And Fall" CD and it is even better. Finally, good new music.

Average customer rating:

not yet Bal Sagoth
early orchestral death/black metal hybrid

A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria
Bal-Sagoth
Manufacturer: Cacophonous Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Power Cosmic
Battle Magic
The Chthonic Chronicles
Atlantis Ascendant

ASIN: B00005YC6G
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Tracks:

Hatheg Kla
Dreaming of Atlantean Spires
Spellcraft & Moonfire (Beyond the Citadel of Frosts)
Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria
Enthroned in the Temple of the Serpent Kings
Shadows `Neath the Black Pyramid
Witch-Storm
Ravening
Into the Silent Chambers of the Sapphirean Throne (Sagas from the ...)
Valley of Silent Paths

Customer Reviews:

not yet Bal Sagoth.......2004-03-08

This early album points out the flaws in the Bal Sagoth approach, most of which they have corrected to a large degree in later albums, but not yet quite to the degree that they should. First, this is a true black metal album, the only one Bal Sagoth ever created. That means the following: hideously ugly screaming vocals, lousy production, and a dull, droning guitar sound backed by keyboards. In later albums, the band realized that they are a keyboard band with guitars, not vice versa, and moved the main themes to the keyboards. This is exactly what they should have done, but it would be even nicer if they would stop pretending to be black metal at all and go with a higher, cleaner guitar sound, and send the synthesized trumphets all the way to the front of the mix, all the time. Also, Byron's malevolent narrator voice improved dramatically after this album, and he toned down the death metal squawking. Again, a good move, but it would be even better if he would just eliminate the black metal junk altogether and replace it with some melodic choral vocals, in the Therion style, for example. Third, this album does at least have something closer to traditional song structures. This is the only area in which Bal Sagoth has gone backwards. Later albums are just so heavy on the "concept album" side that the songs make no sense without reading the lyric booklet, and very little sense even if you do. Bal Sagoth needs to grow up and realize what they are: an evil version of Rhapsody. As soon as they do so, they will skyrocket in popularity, because as Rhapsody has shown, there's a hardcore fan base out there for that kind of music and the fantasy genre in general. After all, who has sold more records: Iron Maiden or Cradle of Filth? Which movies are more popular, vampire flicks or Conan and Lord of the Rings? Black metal is just the European version of rap: an excuse for no-talents with some phony ideas of rebellion (in thier case, Satanic and vampiric) to pretend they're musicians and talk (or screech) their way through lousy excuses for songs. Bal Sagoth is better than that. They're a true fantasy-soundtrack-metal band, with the sole exception of Luca Turilli and crew, the most talented out there. (However, Byron doesn't have to go out and hire Saruman, Christopher Lee, to do his narration for him, because he sounds like Lord Sauron himself!) This record is of interest only to hardcore fans, to show what this band's roots are, and exactly why they need to abandon those roots and become what they can be, what they truly are, if only they would abandon the whole cult-band thing and take the next step up towards greatness. In summary: more symphonic elements, more catchy, upbeat guitar sound and riffs, add melodic choirs if not even some clean vocals, and move a little closer to traditional songwriting formats. As soon as they do this, they'll lose a few hundred black-metal goofball fans who will call them sellouts, and add about fifty thousand new fans who actually know good music when they hear it. So don't support this album, especially if you're new to this band. Get their latest, Atlantis Ascendant. That's more like it.

early orchestral death/black metal hybrid.......2003-02-09

This is the reissue of the hard-to-find imported album originally released in 1995. For newcomers, Bal Sagoth is a British band that commits itself to exploring fantasy with witches, warriors, wizards and the like. They're LOADED with imaginative imagery and have very elaborate songwriting that is uncommon for the genre of black/death metal. This album was an incredible debut for the darker side of metal, and was the first album I heard by the band which immediately turned me on to seeking more of their future works. A little heavier and rougher than the future albums, the vocals on this album range from guttural death (unfound on later releases) to black metal rasping, to the low James Earl Jones voice which became more of a signature for the band in their following albums. With the exceptions of the title track and the final track, the keyboards are a little darker and more maniacal than the later albums which sport a prettier, majestic sound. The guitar riffing on this album is also a little more akin to death metal...the rhythm guitars are low-tuned and sporadically it's chunk, chunk, chunk, but still catchy and well integrated into the song structure. Lyrically, the songs on this album are more like conventional song lyrics with rhymes and stanzas instead of staight-out epic storytelling. I think this album currently stands as Bal Sagoth's most different endeavor b/c "Starfire burning..." refined the signatures which were then elaborated into prettier keyboards with sudden speed bursts. Structural highpoints of "Black Moon..." are the title track (still one of my favorite songs ever) "Spellcraft and Moonfire", and the last song "Into Silent Chambers..." which has to be one of the greatest finales to any heavy metal album... So should you buy the album? Hell yes! Good roar and grind for the unquiet mind.

Average customer rating:

As Worlds They Rise & Fall

Manufacturer: Lemuria Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAKNXC
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Average customer rating:

Lemuria
Lemuria
Manufacturer: Dreamsville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Disco | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Hawaii | Pacific Islands | International | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

Quiet Storm | R&B | Styles | Music

International | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005OAMS
Release Date: 2001-08-30

Tracks:

Hunk Of Heaven
All I've Got To Give
Dreams
Mister U
Get That Happy Feeling
Moonlight Affair
Mystery Love
Making Of You
Lady And The Dude
Don't Say Their Ain't No Heaven
Somebody's Talkin'
Who Do You Love

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring Three Bonus Tracks: 'don't Say There Ain't No Heaven', 'somebody's Talkin' and 'who Do You Love'

Average customer rating:

Michael Truckpile
Michael Truckpile
Manufacturer: Art of the Underground
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000831NJQ
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Tracks:

Rescue Me
Prop Me Up
Girl on a Bicycle
I Don't Expect Nothin'
Stay Right Here
Incidents
Just Be Near Me
Always
Burnin' in the Light
Busted Lips and Soil Stains
Riverbed
Photograph
Buttered Toast

Product Description

This is a folky solo project from Michael of The Kiss Ups. Awesome songwriting and production. This lies somewhere between Woody Guthrie and Elton John in sound, and lyrical subject matter ranges from living and loving to more deep-rooted political issues. This record is very fun and may make you want a slurpee.

Average customer rating:

from Solo Piano Publications

Lemuria

Manufacturer: Indigo Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000077DDT
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Tracks:

Longing
End of Time
The Cave in the Magic Forest
Guardian of the Crystal
Elfin Creatures
Lords of the Darkness
Somewhere is Hope
Choice of Weapons
In Jubilo
The Power of Love
In the Dome of Light
End and Begin

Album Description

A tale in music and poems about the legend of the crystal world, the threats to its existence, and the plan to save it peacefully.

Customer Reviews:

from Solo Piano Publications.......2003-12-17

"Lemuria" is one of two albums released back-to-back by Austrian duo, Agnus Dei. Like "Merlyn", "Lemuria" is a package of original music composed and played by Gerald Krampl and a booklet of poetry written by the late Hilde Krampl, Gerald's wife, who sadly died of cancer shortly after the albums were released. The poems are to be read while listening to the music, and tell the legend of the crystal world, the threats to its existence, and the plan to save it peacefully. I enjoyed "Merlyn" a lot, but I like "Lemuria" much better. The music seems more evocative and substantial. I also felt that "Merlyn" would be improved with a grand piano and real strings, but the keyboard instrumentation on "Lemuria" suits the music perfectly. Gerald Krampl was the founder of and keyboardist for two progressive rock bands in the 70's and 80's, and the influences are heard but updated into more of a neo-classical/new age sound. "Lemuria" works really well as a concept album, and most of the music is soothing and relaxing. "Longing" opens the collection with a wistful, dreamy mood conveyed with piano and synth woodwinds - a very beautiful piece. "The Cave In the Magic Forest" is a lighter but still bittersweet piece - just a little mysterious. "Guardian of the Crystal" is more stately and reverent, and has more of a symphonic sweep. "Somewhere Is Hope" hints strongly of Erik Satie, and is very dark and somber. My favorite track, "In The Dome of Light," is much more upbeat and describes the joyous victory celebration while the heroes produce a dome of light and love over the city to protect it forever.

Still Kissing Last Night's Smoke Stained Lips

Average customer rating:

Truly an original in a monochromatic landscape
wonderful!

Still Kissing Last Night's Smoke Stained Lips
Robert Blake
Manufacturer: Art of the Underground
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000832GH4
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

Hackensack Bar
One Monday Night
Kitchen
Salt and Lemon
Idaho
Forgiveness, Again
Last Night's Party
10th Street
Farm in New Hampshire
Reeks and the Wrecks

Product Description

The third solo album from this legendary Bellingham, WA folk singer. These are some of the most beautiful and moving acoustic songs ever written, with production that makes it sound like he's whispering the words right into your ear. Intense and beautiful, this album is an instant classic and a must-have for anyone who likes music. Robert is definitely his own animal. But a few decent reference points would be Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, and Roky Erickson. From wild to mild, this record is an emotional roller-coaster with guitars, dobro, harmonica, and fiddle riding shotgun. This is ESSENTIAL!

Customer Reviews:

Truly an original in a monochromatic landscape .......2006-09-09

If you have the chance to see Robert Blake play live--RUN--do not walk, to see this genius. He is a troubadour, a storyteller, a poet, a wandering minstrel in the ancient sense. His songs are modern yet traditional, and are about perfectly ordinary things and the sublime moments in life at the same time. When others say its a roller coaster, they mean it. He takes you from the gutter to the heavens. His voice, music and energy will captivate and move you. If you can't see him live--buy this CD. It won't be quite the same, but it is damn fine music! Beyond his brilliance as a lyricist, he can rock--and make you want to dance using nothing but a solo guitar. Too bad there are no music samples in this listing. His music is all recorded by people in the same room at the same time. And he finds some great company in that room!

wonderful!.......2005-04-05

this album is an emotional roller coaster. each song contains a story that grabs my attention and locks it to a seat! Robert Blake's voice is one of the most unique voices out there, and very recognizable for his authenticity. i would recommend this album to anybody who is a fan of a great love story!