Brisbane progressive metallers Therein throw all convention out of the window, brazenly infusing Celtic undertones with jazz, blues, heavy metal, death metal and 70s progressive rock to create a uniquely infectious sound that is undeniably their own. Therein's second full-length album Aramitama is a testament to this.
Aramitama features songs that were gigged from the bands inception in 2012 all the way through to songs that were written during the recording of the album. It not only showcases the music they have created, but the artwork of the album holds a very special place in their hearts. "The artwork comes from a painting that was done for us by Fuyou Nagashima. We were playing the last show of our very first international tour in Japan, at TOKYO BEYOND Festival. Fuyou was doing live painting during the performances, and I believe she started this at the same time we started playing. After our set, we saw that she had painted us and we knew we had to buy it from her right then and there! It's a pretty impressive painting when you consider that it was done roughly in 30 minutes,” Cameron Whelan, guitarist and composer of Therein explains.
"We knew instantly that this was the artwork we had been looking for. Everything about it worked. It was spontaneous, organic, and really felt iconic to us”. The painting, titled Four Souls by Nagashima, also holds the inspiration for the name of the album - Aramitama - which loosely translates to ‘rude soul’ and is part of the ‘Mitama’ or four souls. "Aramitama" represents to turbulent, rough, or even violent side of the soul.
Following the re-issue of debut album Nobelium in 2015, Therein released the Pink Floyd Sessions EP, a 25-minute medley of Pink Floyd material torn apart and reupholstered with added flair. The piece was conceived for an opening performance at a screening of Pink Floyd's The Wall, and later taken into the studio and committed to tape, exploring sounds both true to the original songs and re-imagined.
In 2015 Therein unleashed The Triune Brain, a hard-hitting death metal number with a sound that falls somewhere between the frantic sounds of Death and the relentless grooves of Gojira. The Triune Brain is the third in a string of singles that have found a home on the re-issue of Nobelium. The first was Samual’s Reel - a Celtic instrumental tale of fishing and fighting inspired by Al Petteway’s Spindrift, followed by progressive metal tune Comprehension, incorporating the talents of Anuradha Keerawella’s flute and Indian classical singing into the musical tapestry that is Therein.
2017 saw the release of the single Divide, further cementing Therein's growing reputation as a band who refuses to be labelled under one banner.
After performing five sets at the prestigious Woodford Folk Festival 2018/2019 - a first for a band incorporating many heavier elements of the rock spectrum - Therein were invited to play at Progfest 2019, further illustrating their diverse and widespread appeal. To coincide with the Woodford appearance, Therein released a 22-minute EP entitled The Raucous Rigmarole of Therein. Prior to the pandemic of 2020, Therein spread their wings on their first international tour to Japan to glowing reviews of their performance.
"I had venues emailing me telling me how impressed they were with Therein - and that was BEFORE they had actually finished their set! It isn't often a band draws universal appraisal from venues, but Therein seemed to fit in with every crowd and every band they played with. Managers are already asking if they can pencil them in for future tours!" - Apryl Peredo, Inter Idoru Management Japan.
"This album will not only be the defining point of Therein's musical career but also act as a launchpad to a new legion of fans. From the jazzed up funkiness of 'Piece of Shit' to the instrumental metal take on blues in 'Wrong Dunn Blues' to the rollicking acoustic nature of 'Slainte', Therein have boldly twisted stereotypes and genres out of shape. The progressive power metal dwarfed by death growls of 'Divide' to the all-out thrash metal of 'The Crawling Chaos' stretch the parameters even further until you are forced to submit to Therein's musical will or risk being crushed under the falling debris. Purists would argue that some genres should never be entwined but Therein push on regardless, intent on proving music is just that. Music. No boundaries, no limitations but the ones you place on yourself and in a music age that is becoming increasingly sanitised this is a welcome breath of fresh exuberance that comes relentlessly at you from all angles." Kris Peters - HEAVY Magazine
Aramitama features songs that were gigged from the bands inception in 2012 all the way through to songs that were written during the recording of the album. It not only showcases the music they have created, but the artwork of the album holds a very special place in their hearts. "The artwork comes from a painting that was done for us by Fuyou Nagashima. We were playing the last show of our very first international tour in Japan, at TOKYO BEYOND Festival. Fuyou was doing live painting during the performances, and I believe she started this at the same time we started playing. After our set, we saw that she had painted us and we knew we had to buy it from her right then and there! It's a pretty impressive painting when you consider that it was done roughly in 30 minutes,” Cameron Whelan, guitarist and composer of Therein explains.
"We knew instantly that this was the artwork we had been looking for. Everything about it worked. It was spontaneous, organic, and really felt iconic to us”. The painting, titled Four Souls by Nagashima, also holds the inspiration for the name of the album - Aramitama - which loosely translates to ‘rude soul’ and is part of the ‘Mitama’ or four souls. "Aramitama" represents to turbulent, rough, or even violent side of the soul.
Following the re-issue of debut album Nobelium in 2015, Therein released the Pink Floyd Sessions EP, a 25-minute medley of Pink Floyd material torn apart and reupholstered with added flair. The piece was conceived for an opening performance at a screening of Pink Floyd's The Wall, and later taken into the studio and committed to tape, exploring sounds both true to the original songs and re-imagined.
In 2015 Therein unleashed The Triune Brain, a hard-hitting death metal number with a sound that falls somewhere between the frantic sounds of Death and the relentless grooves of Gojira. The Triune Brain is the third in a string of singles that have found a home on the re-issue of Nobelium. The first was Samual’s Reel - a Celtic instrumental tale of fishing and fighting inspired by Al Petteway’s Spindrift, followed by progressive metal tune Comprehension, incorporating the talents of Anuradha Keerawella’s flute and Indian classical singing into the musical tapestry that is Therein.
2017 saw the release of the single Divide, further cementing Therein's growing reputation as a band who refuses to be labelled under one banner.
After performing five sets at the prestigious Woodford Folk Festival 2018/2019 - a first for a band incorporating many heavier elements of the rock spectrum - Therein were invited to play at Progfest 2019, further illustrating their diverse and widespread appeal. To coincide with the Woodford appearance, Therein released a 22-minute EP entitled The Raucous Rigmarole of Therein. Prior to the pandemic of 2020, Therein spread their wings on their first international tour to Japan to glowing reviews of their performance.
"I had venues emailing me telling me how impressed they were with Therein - and that was BEFORE they had actually finished their set! It isn't often a band draws universal appraisal from venues, but Therein seemed to fit in with every crowd and every band they played with. Managers are already asking if they can pencil them in for future tours!" - Apryl Peredo, Inter Idoru Management Japan.
"This album will not only be the defining point of Therein's musical career but also act as a launchpad to a new legion of fans. From the jazzed up funkiness of 'Piece of Shit' to the instrumental metal take on blues in 'Wrong Dunn Blues' to the rollicking acoustic nature of 'Slainte', Therein have boldly twisted stereotypes and genres out of shape. The progressive power metal dwarfed by death growls of 'Divide' to the all-out thrash metal of 'The Crawling Chaos' stretch the parameters even further until you are forced to submit to Therein's musical will or risk being crushed under the falling debris. Purists would argue that some genres should never be entwined but Therein push on regardless, intent on proving music is just that. Music. No boundaries, no limitations but the ones you place on yourself and in a music age that is becoming increasingly sanitised this is a welcome breath of fresh exuberance that comes relentlessly at you from all angles." Kris Peters - HEAVY Magazine
