Review by Joshua on November 16, 2004.

Therion are known for atmospheric innovation. One would assume their new album would dazzle listeners with inventive compositions, orchestrated interludes and harmonized choral arrangements, right?

Wrong.

My first reaction to this disc was, "What just happened here? I put in Therion, but I'm hearing 1995 Iced Earth. This is track three from Burnt Offerings." The structures, riffs and distortion are identical. Christofer Johnsson sounds just like Iced Earth's then-singer, Matthew Barlow. Therion's only distinguishing feature was a choir that appeared one minute into the song.

This is not what you'd expect from the band. It's progressive/power metal with some gothic and orchestral influences. Apparently, Therion spent the last three years listening to Iced Earth, Savatage, Helloween and Anacrusis. In fact, some parts even sound like old Rhapsody songs with testosterone.

The orchestral accompaniment is minimal and mixed so far into the background it sounds like a keyboard. The sound is more an appropriate sequel to Lepaca Kliffoth, rather than the ethereal goth-metal we heard on Secret of the Runes. However, parts of the record show remarkable improvement because Therion rediscovered how to play guitar. Then again, other parts sound like concepts rejected by renaissance fairs. Herein lies this album's greatest defect – double-album or not, both CDs are poorly arranged and definitely not cohesive. On Lemuria, the worse of the two, skipping forward a track is like switching to another band. However, the first five songs on Sirius-B are marvelous power/progressive tracks. "Uthark Runa," "An Arrow from the Sun," and "Typhon" are standout songs. In fact, the death metal elements on "Typhon" are almost enough to please those fans that continuously pester Therion to make another death metal record. Sadly, it's only one song!

On the other hand, some songs really suck. The worst tracks are clearly on Lemuria. It might as well be a B-side collection. "Feuer Overture" is stale German synthpop warmed over and "Kali Yuga Part 2" literally sounds like it was recorded underwater. I have no eloquent descriptor for songs that give me diarrhea. These are all atmospheric, acoustic ballads showcasing Christofer Johnsson's "profound" vocal skills.

What vocal skills? He sounds like he's singing through his nose! Whitesnake could have written these songs about their girlfriends, and that sound should have died in 1981.

Naturally, such a diverse collection of songs makes it difficult to rate this album, so I arbitrarily adopt the following system: Therion win no points for originality, as most of the concepts here were developed by earlier bands. On the other hand, Therion deserve praise for impeccable musicianship. Overall, they lose points for lacking coherency, which is this double-CD's greatest flaw.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 6
Originality: 4
Overall: 7

Rating: 6.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 14, 2024.

Double strike from the two biggest Austrian cities: Vienna and Graz. Their city coats of arms adorn the locally patriotic cover. Given the fact that Vienna is the capital of the “land of mountains”, I start with Mortal Strike. Honour to whom honour is due. But before I try to describe the musical content, let me lose some words about the format. I think it's pretty stupid to make a seemingly complete album out of four new songs that would have made a good EP by throwing in four cover songs. But well, this nonsense is not limited to Austria.

Okay, what do Mortal Strike present, the unit with the coolest band logo ever? Well, do you see my dirty teeth while I am grinning broadly? It’s pure thrash metal and especially “A Storm Will Overcome” can compete with the highlights of their killer full-length from 2014. The sharp riffs, the perfectly portioned melodic elements, the dynamic in view of the well constructed breaks and the individual, powerful and bossy vocals create a fascinating track. Even the fact that it takes a lot of time until the song accelerates the tempo does not affect its impact in a negative way. “P.T.S.D.” also has the potential to leave an unmissable footprint, only its chorus goes nowhere. On the other hand, both tracks can enjoy their mega-cool production. Everything is in a perfect balance, even the bass guitar is not neglected. The cover songs are also okay. I am almost sure that Mortal Strike’s version of the Darkfall track sounds better than the original, in particular with regard to the great vocals, and yes, I have no idea why the Vienna crew covers Gerre and friends again and again, but Tankard’s stupidity has always been entertaining. Anyway, the lead vocalist ornaments the German lyrics with some “Wiener Schmäh” and that’s somehow cool. 78% for the entire performance of Mortal Strike is an appropriate rating. (By the way, if they originate from Favoriten, it is 90%, but when they are from Hütteldorf, it is less than 0%, haha – little football insider joke.)

Now let’s put the spot light on Darkfall. Their style is described as “melodic death / thrash metal” and honestly speaking, I did not know so far that such a genre exists. Furthermore, I will never understand why adult musicians play a song of Manowar (a band whose stupidity was always just embarrassing). This silly number kills almost eight minutes of the album. Cause of death: unbearable boredom.

Anyway, their own songs are much better (no wonder!) and have a dark touch. “The Gates Are Open” does not only score with a tension-building start and “Tides of War” also houses exciting moments. Some very profound riffs cut through the ears of the listener and the instrumental parts are quite convincing. On the other hand, I cannot ignore the overuse of the double bass and the death metal vocals that suffer from the typical lack of diversity. It is no bad performance of Darkfall, but maybe it is no surprise that their best song is the one which originally originates from their partners in crime. Either way, the professional production meets the expectations and – with the exception of the Manowar quote – the Grazer boys avoid serious deficiencies. 66% from my side for Darkfall. Thus, the overall rating of 72% shows that this split is like a holiday in Austria. It is definitely nice there, but it is no “must-have” for those who have other ideas for their vacations.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 29, 2023.

Tina Turner is dead and honestly speaking, musically this is no loss. Humanly, it certainly looks different, but that doesn't matter here. Either way, one of her song titles came to my mind when I heard the first tones of the opening title track. In terms of death metal, Vomitory are simply the best. Although I have to admit that my horizons are limited in this restricted subgenre.

Back in 1984, Rob Halford (not Tina Turner) sang about how some heads are gonna roll, but here we jump headfirst into the deadly genre and therefore it is a matter of honour that “some” heads are not enough. The reborn Swedish institution decapitates everybody. I will never understand the strange aesthetics of their stylistic niche and the video for the title track sucks. But the music… fat and feisty an express train rolls over the listener. Right from the start, Vomitory embody maximum brutality, gruesome mercilessness and hellish speed. They still have the instinct for the most effective combinations of low-tuned riffs, flattening lines and a hinge of morbid harmonies that build something like a melody from time to time. Moreover, the each and every song shines with an immaculate flow. Don’t worry, the smoothness is never at the expense of the material’s violence. Vomitory just have some recipes, formulas or whatever that enable them to find the key for the creation of songs that are far out of reach for their competitors. Forget its (and all other) lyrics, but 'Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead' marks a prime example concerning the successful mix of massive guitars, beats and a growling voice on the one hand and an extremely catchy yet brute on the other. Even the jagged instrumental part with its blast beats serves the flow of the song perfectly.

Vomitory haven’t modified their style. This is still pure Swedish death metal of the old school, only very small influences of other styles are identifiable. Okay, the mega-aggressive 'Decrowned' offers a Napalm Death part (but without pig squeals) after the first verse and the outstanding, partly “melodic” 'Ode To The Meat Saw', the title is a case of unintentional comedy, sends very discreet greetings to Bolt Thrower at the beginning. Flickering guitar lines create a deadly groove, while the intensity grows stronger and stronger. The chorus opens the gates and gives the song an even better aroma. Not to mention the melancholic yet tear-free guitar lines after the second chorus. However, all songs make a very good or even absolutely excellent contribution to the album with their grindcore-affine thunderstorms, their generic metallic, driving guitar lines and rhythmic precision. And Vomitory so not retreat a millimetre. They deliver top quality during the entire album. Don’t be fooled by the almost cosy first sequences of the closer. 'Beg For Death' turns into another brutal, straightforward beast, driven by a compact rhythm section. It’s great to experience how the maximum density leads to maximum pressure.

The flawless production adds the final touch. No death metal ingredient is missing, neither the low-tuned, voluminous guitars nor anything else. The vocals of Erik Rundqvist still sound brutal and the technical level of the musicians seems close to perfection. No doubt Tina Turner's miniskirt would fly off if she could listen to this fanatic comeback. I don't wear such a skirt, to the delight of my neighbours, but I am also extremely impressed. Maybe Bolt Thrower were on a par with Vomitory, but if we only take active bands into consideration, these Swedes (and, by the way, my girlfriend) are what, Tina? Simply the best, a distant voice says.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on May 27, 2023.

Finally, it’s time for some good old “Svensk Döds Metall“ and I will be covering none other than Vomitory from Sweden! Vomitory is a band that I caught up a bit later from Sweden’s rich catalog of classic death metal bands, even though I have already been quite familiar with bands like Nihilist/Entombed, Unleashed, Grave, Dismember, At The Gates etc. Nevertheless, I did end up being very much a fan of this band thanks to their bloody, raw and savage death metal sound which still continues to rip flesh to this very day, even with their ninth full-length All Heads Are Gonna Roll, released on May 26th via Metal Blade Records.

The famous savage flesh-ripping sound of Vomitory is still very much present on this album, expressed through aggressive death-thrashing tremolo riffs, heavy metal-like guitar solos, double-bass drumming, d-beats and blast beats, and Erik Rundqvist’s guttural growls. Although you’re able to quickly familiarize with the album’s overall template, you will still come across rhythmic changes in songs, where fast tremolo picking and blast beats might switch to mid-tempo drumming and downpicking before switching back. To add icing to the cake, there are instances of hardcore-influenced moments with punk/d-beat drumming and riffing you’ll come across in 'The Deepest Tomb', 'Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead', 'Dead Man Stalking' and 'Beg For Death', which add nicely to the blast beats that serve as a follow up. Although this might be just something that only I experienced, there are times when I felt that certain tremolo riffs in songs would come very close to sounding melodic. Although that would have been interesting to hear, I think that personally Vomitory would definitely not even dare to do so because it would automatically stray off from their musical path for the past 30 years. The songwriting in general is pretty simple and straightforward, but still on point, never being anticlimactic or lifeless where a certain section in a song could have been completely left out or at least should have been better thought-out. The sound production for All Heads Are Gonna Roll is very high quality but still damn heavy. The guitars and bass, along with the drums and vocals are altogether really powerful and definitely on the verge of blowing your speakers.

Although I am personally very much attached to their classics such as Raped In Their Own Blood, Redemption and Revelation Nausea, which I would still prefer listening over this album, I think that All Heads Are Gonna Roll is overall a very headbanging and crushing album that is not kidding or bullshitting like other death metal bands tend to do in this day and age. Vomitory clearly knows how to “talk the talk” and “walk the walk”, and yet their ninth album proves that they are still angry and bloodthirsty as before. Whatever people may think of this album, you can’t deny that Vomitory sticks to their death metal formula which hasn’t let anyone down or caused them to lose interest in the band. 

Rating: 8.4 out of 10