Therion - Beyond Sanctorum
Review: Staging within dynamic spatial pattern a sequence of tonal transitions to familiarize the listener with range of tone and shape of motion, the second death metal offering from Therion defines its locations to be manipulated through the ongoing descriptive narration of inter-evolutionary riff progression as motifs variegate with dark power chord riff and its counterpart in melodic and agile lead playing which shows the recent crowd of Göthenberg clones how an open and passionate mind sees the creation of sequence in tone. Its study in metal anchored in recurrently synchronistic cyclic riffing using muffled chords to punctuate sequenced phrases, begetting a technology of pattern logic which allows its narrative strength to reveal in music a cerebrated theory of the dark emotions and their existential relevance.
Celtic Frost and Obituary allusions exist as interwoven parts of songs encompassing a narration of distinct textures which deliver through tonal and rhythmic convergence on structural narration a satisfying depth to both aural distance and abstract parsing within mental recombinations of the repeated interchanged symbols of this work. In lyrics and concept in sound and symbol, a mystical interpretive facility suggests harmony with the architecture of each song breathing a transfer of fundamental creation between darkness and motion. Its thick but flexible riffing, percussive shading and accentuation hybridized with a tendency for melodic resolution by way of introducing motif alteration, provide a basis for the experimentative layering of melodies that, with similar techniques also in use by Godflesh, became an important technique for black and death metal to come.
1. Future Consciousness
2. Pandemonic Outbreak
3. Cthulhu 
4. Symphony of the Dead
5. Beyond Sanctorum
6. Enter the Depths of Eternal Darkness
7. Illusions of Life
8. The Way
9. Paths
10. Tyrants of the Damned
With practiced musicianship illustrating a deft but non-technically-obsessed sense of timing, melody and endlessly inventive gentle articulations of alterative treatment shadowing metal traditionalism, this offering of epic majesty in the artistic revelations of great journeys in solitude survives time for appreciation of its uniqueness and natural vision of power derivations from creation and its opposite. Of note among musical additions to metal are a wiry sonorous soloing that carefully manages its energy to minimize needless drama, and a deft inventive bass accompaniment. Rough vocals merge with textures of tremolo and abrasive timbral strumming.
As in other albums, the passionate voice of emotional contrast gives rise to an unfettered embrace of the world in light and dark, coming close to Burzum in its seeming desire to stimulate fantasy and thought above any form of polarized action. In romanticist metal combine consistency and narrative intensity asserting the distinctive naturalism of this classic of the Swedish death metal from the early nineth twentieth century decade.