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Morgana Lefay > The Secret Doctrine > Reviews
Morgana Lefay - The Secret Doctrine

Dark, powerful and ramarkably theatrical - 89%

Agonymph, May 3rd, 2020
Written based on this version: 1993, CD, Black Mark Production

Possibly topping my list of metal bands that never got the recognition they deserved because the nineties happened is Morgana Lefay. Being mislabelled is part of the problem, as the Swedes were always lumped in with their country’s power metal scene, which doesn’t do them any justice. Morgana Lefay’s music was always darker, generally slower and much more contemporary than that of their peers. Also, Charles Rytkönen is one of the most amazingly expressive lead singers in metal history. While the band would get even better, ‘The Secret Doctrine’ proves they had most of their strengths figured out early in their career.

In a way, I understand the mislabelling issue. Morgana Lefay isn’t the easiest band to categorize. There are vague similarities to Crimson Glory and ‘Into The Mirror Black’-era Sanctuary, but Morgana Lefay isn’t quite as proggy. The riffs of Tony Eriksson and Tommi Karppanen are significantly heavier as well, which combined with the moderate, almost doomy tempos of most of their material makes the music feel like a bit of precursor to the later groove/thrash trend. Those bands never had the degree of theatricality the Swedes have though, with Rytkönen’s clean, but raw vocals often drawing somewhat justified comparisons to Savatage’s Jon Oliva.

Whatever this type of metal is called, however, it’s excellent. Eriksson and Karpannen kick in your teeth with their thick riffs, which despite their obvious thrash influence get quite a great deal of their power from the slow tempos. Their palm mutes are incredibly punchy, but they don’t overpower the mix. Because of these subdued tempos, the somewhat faster tracks like ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Dying Evolution’ immediately feel like ripping thrashers without interrupting the overal bleak atmosphere. Elsewhere, the steep contrast between bright-sounding acoustic guitars and crushing heaviness justifies the “power” in power ballads ‘The Mirror’, ‘Alley Of Oaks’ and ‘Last Rites’.

Another reason why ‘The Secret Doctrine’ is the best early Morgana Lefay record is the relative lack of filler. Sure, ‘Last Rites’ and the title track are remakes from their (extremely limitedly distributed) debut album ‘Symphony Of The Damned’, but they fit the overall atmosphere here. Only the juvenile ‘State Of Intoxication’ is a bit shallow, but that is abundantly compensated for by excellent mid-tempo crushers like ‘Rooms Of Sleep’, ‘Nowhere Island’, ‘What Am I’, ‘Cold World’ and the vaguely oriental-sounding ‘Soldiers Of The Holy Empire’. Even the unimaginatively-titled ‘Lord Of The Rings’, which literally quotes the opening poem of ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’, is a surprisingly entertaining stomper.

Though ‘The Sacred Doctrine’ is not quite as good as the band’s 2004 masterpiece ‘Grand Materia’, it is an early highlight in Morgana Lefay's discography and without a doubt the best album to pick up if you want to know more about the origins of the Swedish band. Ulf Petersson’s (and the band’s) production is a clear product of the early nineties, but not unlike Scott Burns’ Morrisound productions, I actually think that works in the music's favor. It gives the guitars a claustrophobic, pulsating feel that fits Morgana Lefay’s downtuned riffing perfectly. If you like your metal darker and more aggressive than the average European power metal band without sacrificing any of the theatricality, there are hardly any better options than Morgana Lefay.

Recommended tracks: ‘Rooms Of Sleep’, ‘The Mirror’, ‘Dying Evolution’, ‘What Am I’

Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog

Great but uneven - 82%

mak28, March 7th, 2005

Morgana Lefay remains to this day, a hidden gem of a band in the heap of turds that often over run what is called power metal these days. With super heavy riffs, raspy powerful vocals and shredding solos they are paralleled by few.

This album, The Secret Doctrine, is the third from the band and shows them improving on their sound but running long on ideas in the end. Starting with another doomy mid-paced opener in "Rooms of Sleep" the album doesn't light a fire to begin with but begins at a high level regardless. Much like their debut the album has it's ups and downs but here we find more highlights along the way. Some of their best material lies within and Soldiers of the Holy Empire, Nowhere Island, and Dying Evolution are certainly highlights. Of course, Paradise Lost is the kicker and the whole reason for the existence of this album in my opinion. Definitely one of the best songs ever. Super thrashy with absolutely shredding solos. Talk about unrelenting power! This song epitomizes everything that power metal could and should be.

Overall the album goes on a bit too long. With 13 tracks there are a few to ignore but with the highlights being as bright as they are, this is still a recommended album and certainly a recommended band for those into heavy/thrashy/doom laden power metal..

Power metal with actual power - 80%

Pallando, July 13th, 2004

This is what people should be referring to when talking about power metal. Morgana Lefay’s music is catchy, heavy, a little doomy at times – to sum it up in one word: powerful.

Guitarists Eriksson and Karppanen focus on evocative, slightly downtuned riffs, more often than not staying clear of speed in favour of aforementioned heaviness. The solos are good in that they fit very well in their respective songs, ranging from short and atonal in the heavy opener ‘Rooms of Sleep’, to slow, drawn out and eerily melodic in the ballad ‘Alley of Oaks’.

The guys in the rhythm section manage to keep up the pace admirably well in both faster and slower songs, and the drums do a good job of accentuating the heavy guitar riffs. The bass lines are hard to pick out but ensure that the sound remains bottom-heavy at all times.

Charles Rytkönen’s vocals are without a doubt the band’s strongest asset. The closest comparison would be to Savatage’s Jon Oliva, but Rytkönen sounds at times more powerful than the mountain king himself. He possesses one of those voices that’s undeniably metal, combining power, sense of melody and a flair of his own into something unique.

The only faults I see in this otherwise damn good album are that some songs sound somewhat the same, and the silly lyrics of ‘State of Intoxication’. They may seem like minor points, but the sameness, along with lines like “Drain your balls into the pussy you feed” do keep me from enjoying this album to the fullest.

Still they don’t keep me from recommending this gem to all fans of heavy power metal, classic metal or melodic thrash. Get the other Morgana Lefay albums (apart from the self-titled) as well as all releases by Lefay while you’re at it.

Tracks to check out: ‘Soldiers of the Holy Empire’, ‘Cold World’, ‘Last Rites’.