Therion
Therion is a very unique band in many respects. It began in 1987 as a death metal band named Blitzkrieg, then Megatherion and finally Therion in 1989. While the band has gone through MANY line-up changes the heart and soul of the band is Christopher Johnsson.
Johnsson is a self-taught musician, but more importantly a Neo-Pagan. He joined a neo-pagan order in 1991 established by Thomas Karlsson (more on him in a second.) Since joining Karlsson's cult Therion's music underwent interesting changes. Starting in the early 90's the band began experimenting with orchetrations, different vocals and musical styles gaining plenty of critical praise. Johnsson goes on to explain that while the band was loved by the critics and it was definitely great to have his work acknowledged, the album sales were just not there and so Therion's 1996 release was to be a big send off to recording music and he was going to focus on his record lable. Thus for "Theli" Johnsson went all out (for the time anyway), with opera choirs, ochestrations, epic/bombastic tracks (To Mega therion became the bands closing staple for live shows and to date a VERY good track
).
Ironically, what was to be Johnsson's goodbye to recording music begins to sell and the Lable talks him into touring and Therion's jump into Symphonic Metal is complete.
From 1996 on most of the lyrics are written by Thomas Karlsson. Karlsson is a Swedish ocultist and esoteric author and the lyrics he writes for Therion usually revolve around, what else, his cult. So yeah, Therion is religious pagan music. Now, not ALL the lyrics are about Karlsson's cult. He has written lyrics about other occult traditions found in Islam, Christianity, the ancient world etc. This is a theme that most of the band has gotten around and the few songs written by other members (like Son of the Sun by Kristian Niemann) are about religious figures/traditions FAR removed from the iron grip of "The Big Three"(Christianity, Judaism, Islam).
The band continued to explore and expand the symphonic realm and with Vovin (1998) they focused on mellower pieces centered more around the orchetrations. Deggial (2000) according to Johnsson was a return to roots type of record where there was more focus on a 1980s metal/rock writting. Deggial was unique in another respect. Therion has undergone TONS of line-up changes, but finally in 2000 their more stable line-up to date was formed. One can't really call it the "classic" line-up, but they come close to that as they remained togethre for 9 years. It was comprised of Johnsson on vocals and guitar, Kristian Niemann on lead guitar and his borther Johan on Bass, drummers have come and gone.
Each subsequent album ever since Theli has just been an ever growing experiment. After Secret of the Runes (2001) the band toured and after they were done realized they had too much material as they are a very productive bunch. The decision was made to releas Sirius B and Lemuria as a double CD package with a combination of "rockers" and symphonic pieces while saving the more "progressive" pieces for the follow up. Sirius B/Lemuria (2004) are brilliant albums with the band at their best with rockers like "Blood of Kingu" which also showcases death metal grunts by Johnsson as well as softer pieces like "Lemuria." The "progressive" follow up, "Gothic Kabbalah" (2007) was VERY different. A double CD seeing the band downsizing to two sopranos, two lead vocalists Mats Levin (who was also lead vocals on Serius B/Lemuria) and Snowy Shaw who has done A LOT of work in the rock/metal community. It's a difficult album to describe, but if you listened to the link above for "Mega Therion" and check out these two from Deggial (Via Nocturna Pts 1&2
and the one I mentioned before from Sirius B, Son of the Sun
and then listen from material from Gothic Kabbalah (The Perenial Sophia
) You will see the change. Interestingly enough the drummer, Petter Karlsson, has a hand in many of the songs for this album.
After Gothic Kabbalah Johnsson anounced that due to artisitic and direction differences in the band, they all decided to part ways amicably, but the "classic" line-up had one more album in them. "The Miskolc Experience"
The Miskolc Experiance is a live album in Miskolc, Hungary in which the band FINALLY plays with a full orchestra. It is an odd album in that the band has been a "symphonic" for over a decade, yet is doing what is now a cliche move by many other Metal bands which is to play with a full orchestra... or so it seems. In the booklet Johnsson explains that more often than not, when a metal/rock band plays with an orchestra the bands arrogance gets in the way of the orchestra being "disrespectful" to the orchestra and powering through the entire tracks. Essentially he says bands usually treat the orchestra like their bitch, and "rock out" for the sake of rocking out even when it is not needed. (Metallica's S&M came to mind...) Johnsson says that the Metal/Rock band has to be respectful of the orchestra and give it it's proper place and space and at times the best the band can play is... silence, with it's purpose being that of accentuating sections of the pieces.
With this in mind the first CD is classical pieces by Dvorak, Mozart, Verdi and Wagner played by the orchestra with the band as their "guests." The second CD is Therion pieces played with the full orchestra. I have to say I was not happy with the setlist, but after listening to it I can understand why Johnsson when with the particular pieces that made it on to the setlist, but I'm not 100% satisfied. To Mega Therion, the band's staple, would have been AMAZING to hear with the full orchestra and it was left out. I can think of other pieces, but oh well. All in all this one is for serious fans only.
The band is set to release their next album, "Sitra Ahra" later this year in September.
