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So Therion have gone and released two albums instead of just one. Now I have been a big fan of Therion's more recent works, so this sounded great to me. The question was: can they really keep it up for 2 whole albums?

To be honest, I think they should have just released this one. "Lemuria" is a pretty cool disc, but it lacks that spark that made "Secret Of The Runes" so cool, but the companion CD "Sirius B" is within an ass hair of being as good. In fact I find this album a bit catchier and more memorable after a few spins, even if it is not quite as ambitious.

"Sirius B" opens up in fine style with the catchy, crunchy "Blood Of Kingu", which is a more traditional metal tune than Therion have penned in a long time. Yes, you have the big choruses and the epic songwriting, but the main part of the song is carried by solid riffs and powerful, power-metal style vocals by some guy who sounds familiar, but I can't place where from. If it were not for the more orchestral parts toward the end, this would just be a very good power metal song. "Son Of The Sun" doesn't lose any momentum either, with a great main riff and excellent soprano vocals. Overall this is a very consistent album – there are some tracks towards the end that blend together a bit, but actually the quality level stays very high throughout. As on "Lemuria" there is a bit less focus on orchestral stuff and bit more on the guitars, so this is a more metal album than I was expecting, which I can only see as a good thing, as Therion are one of the few more experimental bands who have not forgotten about staying metal.

So bottom line: this is another great Therion CD, and if you liked their last few albums, you will like this one too. If you are torn between this album and "Lemuria", get this one first, as it is a better album, but not by much, and for epic/symphonic metal fans both albums are a treat. Recommended.