THERION - Les Épaves

March 8, 2016, 8 years ago

(Self-Released)

Mark Gromen

Rating: 7.0

review heavy metal therion

THERION - Les Épaves

Special, limited edition (1000 copies) and now apparently completely sold-out, 5-track EP from mercurial Swedes, acknowledged "leftovers" from the Les Fleurs du Mal session. Recorded back in 2012, it was just resurrected and mixed by mastermind Christofer Johnsson, last winter. Originally available via their website, or on tour, each tune is a French language cover version, although only the most open-minded (read, other genre delving) metalhead would have any idea how the originals sound. 

Actually Vicky Leandros' Sixties mini-hit, “Love Is Blue” (here entitled “L'Amour Est Bleu”) is presented twice (thus just four new songs), the opening "heavy" (female vocals, electric guitar, with prominent drums) and concluding "mellow" (acoustic tinged, male sung) versions bookending this short disc. Most of the songs are just two & a half minutes in duration! Apparently something of a hit for 1965 Eurovision champion France gall, “Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges” employs trilling operatic female vocals atop a backing chorus of dual sex voices and shuffling ‘70s melody, sort of an updated ABBA. Electric guitar returns to the fore on an alternating cooing/operatic “La Fermeture Éclair” (meaning: zipper), while a vintage psychedelic-era vibe inhabits the Hammond organ accompanied “Ah-Hem-Ho-Hu-Err”. As the band states on their website, "It is not meant as a new regular release. Something for die hard fans who loved Les Fleurs du Mal and for collectors."



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