Sirius B (album)
Encyclopedia
Sirius B is the twelfth full-length musical album by symphonic metal
band Therion
. The album title refers to the star Sirius B. It was released simultaneously with Lemuria
. Cover artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard.
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
. The album title refers to the star Sirius B. It was released simultaneously with Lemuria
Lemuria (album)
Lemuria is the eleventh full-length musical album by symphonic metal band Therion. The album title refers to the name of a hypothetical "Lost Land" called Lemuria. It was released simultaneously with Sirius B. Cover artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard.-Track listing:#"Typhon" – 4:36#"Uthark Runa" ...
. Cover artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard.
Track listing
- "The Blood of KinguKinguKingu, also spelled Qingu, meaning "unskilled laborer," was a god in Babylonian mythology, and — after the murder of his father Apsu — the consort of the goddess Tiamat, his mother, who wanted to establish him as ruler and leader of all gods before she was slain by Marduk. Tiamat gave Kingu the 3...
" – 5:45 - "Son of the Sun" – 5:35
- "The Khlysti Evangelist" – 5:38
- "Dark Venus PersephonePersephoneIn Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
" – 4:02 - "Kali YugaKali YugaKali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
, Pt. 1" – 3:27 - "Kali Yuga, Pt. 2" – 5:48
- "The Wondrous World of PuntLand of PuntThe Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...
" – 7:19 - "Melek Taus" – 5:31
- "Call of DagonDagonDagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and fish and/or fishing...
" – 4:14 - "Sirius B" – 3:43
- "Voyage of Gurdjieff (The Fourth Way)" – 5:56
Concept of lyrics
- KinguKinguKingu, also spelled Qingu, meaning "unskilled laborer," was a god in Babylonian mythology, and — after the murder of his father Apsu — the consort of the goddess Tiamat, his mother, who wanted to establish him as ruler and leader of all gods before she was slain by Marduk. Tiamat gave Kingu the 3...
was a monster in Sumerian mythology. According to Enûma ElishEnûma ElishThe is the Babylonian creation myth . It was recovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1849 in the ruined Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh , and published by George Smith in 1876.The Enûma Eliš has about a thousand lines and is recorded in Old Babylonian on seven clay tablets, each holding...
, all human beings were created from his blood after he was killed by MardukMardukMarduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi , started to... - Son of the Sun was the title of PharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
AkhenatenAkhenatenAkhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
, who preferred to worship AtonAtenAten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. The deified Aten is the focus of the monolatristic, henotheistic, or monotheistic religion of Atenism established by Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten in worship in recognition of Aten...
, god of the sun, over all other gods. His reign was unsuccessful, and people believed that other gods has cursed him. - Khlysti was a controversial Christian sect in Russia. Grigory Rasputin, the major character of the song, is believed to be its member
- PersephonePersephoneIn Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
is wife to HadesHadesHades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, god of the dead in Greek mythologyGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. - Kali YugaKali YugaKali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
in HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
is dark age of suffering, the final era before the end of the world. - Land of PuntLand of PuntThe Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...
was a mysterious lost kingdom in ancient east Africa - Melek TausMelek TausMelek Taus , the Peacock Angel, is the Yazidi name for the central figure of their faith.In the Yazidi belief system, God created the world and it is now in the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sirr...
is the supreme deity of yazidiYazidiThe Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
, his common shape is peacock's - DagonDagonDagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and fish and/or fishing...
is ancient SemiticSemiticIn linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
god of the sea. He also features in many H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
books of Cthulhu mythosCthulhu MythosThe Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
. - Sirius B is a part of SiriusSiriusSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
double star system. - Georgy Gurdzhiev was an Armenian mystic philosopher and traveller, an expert in yazidiYazidiThe Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
culture.
Credits
- Christofer JohnssonChristofer JohnssonChristofer Johnsson is a Swedish musician. He is a founding member and the guitar player for Therion and used to be in Carbonized, Liers in Wait, Messiah and Demonoid. He is a member of the magical order Dragon Rouge and founder of the defunct Dark Age Music label...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
("The Wondrous World of Punt"), classical and choir arrangements - Kristian NiemannKristian NiemannKristian Niemann is a guitarist, ex-member of Therion, Lithium and Demonoid bands. He studied jazz at Musicians Institute. In 1996 his song "Industrial Type Thang" was featured in JSR Records' compilation Hottest Unknown Guitarists. His style of playing mostly centers around legato, sweep picking,...
- rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
("The Wondrous World of Punt") - Johan NiemannJohan NiemannJohan Niemann is best known for being the actual bass player for Evergrey and co-founding the band Mind's Eye, for membership of Swedish heavy metal band Therion and as a member of the Scandinavian theatrical metal band Evil Masquerade.He is also currently live guitarist for Tiamat...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
("The Wondrous World of Punt")
Guest musicians
- Richard EvensandRichard EvensandRichard "Ricky" Evensand is a Swedish drummer and contributed for several music bands: Therion , Chimaira , Ebony Tears, Sorcerer, Dog Faced Gods, Soilwork, Demonoid, Southpaw, Stardown....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, gongGongA gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
("Kali Yuga part 2") - Steen Rasmussen - Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Lars Sømod Jensen - church organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
- Mats LevénMats LevénMats Levén is a singer. His most notable recent collaborations have been with symphonic metallers Therion and doom metallers Krux.-Biography:...
- lead vocals ("The Blood of Kingu", "The Khlysti Evangelist", "Kali Yuga part 2") - Piotr WawrzeniukPiotr WawrzeniukPiotr Wawrzeniuk is a Polish vocalist and drummer. Best known for membership in symphonic metal Therion, but also member of Serpent, Carbonized and The Robots.-Music career:...
- lead vocals ("Dark Venus Persephone", "Kali Yuga part 1", "Melek Taus") - Orchestra: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Adam Klemens and Mario Klemens)
- Choir: Kūhn Mixed Choir (conducted by Mario Klemens)