I rarely respect bands that dabble in the apocryphal, mostly due to the fact that 99 times out of 100 they suck when they use such themes,. There are though some bands that when they incorporate such occult elements in their music they manage to transcend these themes through their musical acuity. One such band is THERION and with their new album they call us to continue the quest to "Sitra Ahra" towards the darker side.

"Sitra Ahra" is the fourteenth full length album and the last part of the quadrilogy, comprised of "Gothic Kabbalah", "Lemuria" and "Sirius B". After a vast lineup change THERION returns with an amazing crafted album that leads us through the ancient paths of knowledge in a time where we are bombarded with nonsenses and ambient stupidity. Apart from that the sum of the album is a great example of symphonic Metal, a solid musical work that sadly displays an ability that most of the more recent bands who follow the symphonic and gothic Metal paths are unable to meet. The songs are operatic in their magnitude, the combination of female/male vocals adds a certain epic aspect to the whole album and while listening to the album one also could discover small moments of a more burlesque mood. Maybe through these small moments THERION attempts to combine farce and drama as a message to the changes that will come and the way people perceive certain truths. "Sitra Ahra" has a more middle eastern musical flavor along with Indian musical forms, the ethnic part is subtle but strong enough to make an impression, very precisely combined with the Metal parts and the aggressive blasts that are part of the whole album.

"Sitra Ahra"  travels from the ancient lands of Canaan and Edom to the future of the much mentioned and debated 2012 and the coming of the darker age of "Kali Yuga" and the unavoidable judgment as the music take us through the Shells and reach "Sitra Ahra".A difficult album to those that maybe care, a fun album to those that do not, it takes time to grow in you, intentionally, so that the messages will find their time to reach the mind.

Avoid listening to "Sitra Ahra" if you are a fan of symphonic Metal that describes lost loves and elven kingdoms, avoid "Sitra Ahra" if your gothic curriculum is EVANESCENCE and all similar um...bands, I believe having listened to the former three albums is also a little necessary. Join if you are looking for something different, powerful, lyrical, epic and technical. An excellent album.Ah, yes, and for those that might dig a little bit deeper, eleven are the songs in "Sitra Ahra".