Author: Primož Novak
Photos: Sebastijan Videc
Location: Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Concert date: 04.03.2018
Ticket price: 24€/28€
Symphonic metal legends Therion have been pretty much off the radar in recent years. When their album of chanson covers came out in 2012, it seemed like Therion were doomed. The ideas were really gone, and the band logically retreated into silence. After years of quiet, bandleader Christofer Johnsson announced he’d been busy with a huge project, a long-planned rock opera called Beloved Antichrist. The triple album saw the light of day not long ago, and Therion naturally hit the road on a promo tour, which once again made a stop in Slovenia.
The turnout made it clear that Therion are no longer in their glory days, when they’d sell out the odd show, and of course the live lineup was bigger back then too. The long absence took its toll, and symphonic metal doesn’t enjoy the reputation it once did. As a fun side note, back in 2007 the now-famous Sabaton played before Therion. Today Therion could be Sabaton’s opening act, which says nothing about quality. This time around Therion again brought along young, promising bands that may not quite fit the genre, but there’s always room for some new discovery.
The kickoff with English band The Devil wasn’t exactly promising. The masked band relies on fairly simple atmospheric music, using important historical speeches by assorted politicians instead of vocals. The Devil’s concept is interesting for about two songs, and then the whole thing gets pretty dry.
A better picture emerged with German alternative metallers Null Positiv, who stood out mainly thanks to their wild frontwoman Eli Berlin, who could both sing beautifully and scream. Nothing new, though. With no melody to speak of and a more straightforward approach, the band reminded me a bit of Ukrainian Jinjer, except Null Positiv didn’t venture into any more demanding groovy territory. Still, Null Positiv are worth catching for Berlin alone, who’s proof that Arch Enemy aren’t the only ones with a powerful female voice.
With Russian band Imperial Age, the music came stylistically closest to Therion. They weren’t reinventing the wheel, but the Russians confidently delivered songs that, instrumentally, even recalled some well-known Dutch band. Imperial Age, with songs that were fast and punchy too, made it clear they weren’t into frills. Less flirting with syrupy rock, more power metal. Maybe nothing outstanding, but as a warm-up they were more than decent. Plus, the male half of the crowd got to give their eyes a proper rest on the two vocalists.
Therion have a rich discography behind them. At one point they could play for 3 hours and still not run out of material. The years have done their thing, so it all had to be trimmed down into a sensible best of set with some new stuff. The new album Beloved Antichrist is a whopping three hours long, and Therion naturally played a few new tracks, though not that many considering the size of the album. The response was solid, but people were more eager for the songs the band is known for. That is, from the era of Theli through Gothic Kabbalah. Therion’s golden age is already behind them, which was also visible in the stripped-down lineup. The pompous keyboards and all the orchestrations were pre-recorded, which cost the show some authenticity. Male vocals were handled by just one singer, longtime member Thomas Vikström, and female vocals by Linnéa Vikström and Chiara Malvestiti. So, a smaller vocal lineup, but it didn’t hurt, especially since the two vocalists were perfectly in sync.
Christofer Johnsson deserves serious credit: after severe back problems he wrote a triple album, and he still lasts over an hour and a half on stage. He always has a good supporting crew behind him, though you can tell the Niemann brothers, who left a solid mark on Therion, are no longer in the band. Current guitarist Christian Vidal is well drilled, but he seemed to enjoy posing more than anything. Therion played their set correctly; besides the new material there were quite a few well-known songs, such as Ginnungagap, Wine of Aluqah, the Rise of Sodom and Gommorah, Lemuria and the eternal To Mega Therion. Johnsson, who seemed reserved at first, loosened up nicely by the end, and before the close he also explained why there were no shirts on sale. You can read Johnsson’s statement and the discussion HERE. All in all, Therion put on a pretty decent show and made a promising comeback.
Therion’s golden age is over, but that doesn’t mean the band is a write-off. With a more than solid show at Kino Šiška, Therion announced a new era and gave us some hope for the road ahead.
Photo Gallery
