As with all of Therion's later work, Secret of the Runes (2001, Nuclear Blast) is a lush, exquisitely-crafted piece of art. Guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist, lyricist, songwriter and former vocalist Christofer Johnsson shows an ambition to look at Therion's albums as less a collection of songs, and more like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. In the case of Secret of the Runes, the puzzle is an intricate and vivid picture of Norse mythology, from creation of the world to its destruction. While this is lofty enough in its own right, Therion do the improbable and make music to match.

Typical of everything post -Theli (1996, Nuclear Blast), the songs on Secret of the Runes run the gamut of straightforward rockers like "Schwartsalbenheim" to the more reflective "Ljusalfheim". Through all the changes of tempo, acoustic guitars, orchestral flourishes, imposing choirs and stirring solo sections, the musicianship and the songwriting shine through like a lighthouse on a perfectly clear night. Every element complements the other, with the balance only rarely wavering. Check out the chugging guitars and solo of "Ginnungagap (Prologue)", a captivating and powerful opener to the album, or the off-time duals between the choir and a solo violin, accentuated with a classical guitar and pounding electric guitars in "Muspelheim".

For all the content, concepts and contexts, there are no gimmicks with Therion albums. Listening to the choir (which sounds doomy most of the time, but prove as light and as graceful as butterflies in "Nifelheim" and "Midgård"), you never get the impression that this is sound cheesy or clichéd, which is a very easy trap to fall into when you combine classical music with heavy metal. If anything, there might be a tad too many choral parts in Secret of the Runes, and with every track offering something epic, the album begins to burst at the seams. "Too many notes," one might say. While I am definitely an advocate for pushing the envelope when it comes to concept and creation, sometimes less is, in fact, more.

That shouldn’t - and doesn't - detract from what is otherwise an exemplary piece of work from Therion. Every listen of Secret of the Runes will offer something new, from the delicate and restrained to the powerful and the magnificent. For most bands, music of this scope - marrying lofty thematic visions with audacious musical orchestrations - is a deviation, an experiment, a forage into the unknown. For Therion, it's par for the course.