Getting Into Mega-Therion
Stumbling Through The History of Symphonic Metal
Stumbling Through The History of Symphonic Metal
As I was discovering symphonic metal, I did run into Therion early in my notes and bookmarks (see previous posting: Music From The Others II - Doom Crossovers). I had found lots of live videos mostly from their Live Gothic DVD which I found odd in the mixture of Gothic imagery and very classical song structures. I wasn't thoroughly convinced in fact. As I began to scour deeper into the history of symphonic metal, it became evident that Therion did pave the way for the majority of what I was listening to. I was impressed by the fact this band has been around for so long, so I assumed I would eventually come across some stuff that I would enjoy, and in that process I began to notice a few things of interest.
Therion takes their name from the classic Doom/Black metal originators, Celtic Frost and their release, To Mega-Therion. I grew up on metal such as Celtic Frost so it was interesting to me to be able to hear where their gothic/doom influences came from. Another thing I notice, they are from Sweden and take on Greek and Nordic themes, some satanic imagery and overtones. Their brand of metal is a very straight doom-based form of metal with some flourishes of Thrash, Progressive and Speed included, and the classical portion includes Italian classical lines, feeling at times like borrowed melodies from the archetype of massive over-the-top operas, like Wagner. There has been lots of experimentation in the realm of metal to fuse neo-classical elements into the phrasing for example, of the guitar solo or short vocal, chant-like intros for atmosphere. But that in no way compares to the direction that a band like Therion takes. Its really like a night at the opera, but a cool one with vikings and warlords and magical enchantresses, but along with the sweeping vocals of the gifted opera star, you have essentially a talented metal band showing all the underscoring of Doom Metal.
The examples I share in this update are simply a group of songs that have lasted well on my ears from the time I heard them, and are decent examples of the ambiance, the atmosphere and talented songwriting, which must be quite a difficult thing to pull off, in studio and even more so live. Perhaps these next 4 songs will be the key in you getting "In To Mega-Therion" as they have for me.
Therion Sweden (1989 - current)
Therion - To Mega Therion (1996) Theli
You catch the feeling of this one really quick as it starts right off with the main melody, sang in choir, with the percussive accents supplied by the band. Then the rhythm kicks in and the melody is mimicked by strings. It's a form of phrasing like question and recall. This sudden aggressive attack is in your face and so different to the casual metal listener, but might feel less unusual to the classical listener. Which poses the question, are Therion fans essentially classical fans who don't normally listen to metal, or are they metal fans who wouldn't listen to classical music otherwise, maybe closet classical metal fans? Anyhow whatever the case may be it is obvious there aren't that many Symphonic Metal bands even today who do this that well, mix the 2 worlds together so well. Another thing to note is the male vocals that trade off, and the different tones they have. You start to get the feeling, as quick as the song hits you, that this is definitely a talented band.
The middle section does not tail off neither. What I don't care for in some of the Symphonic Metal (specially the more X-treme type), that some sections that aren't classical-based really have a feeling of cut-and-paste, one metal section, one symphonic-styled section, and back and forth. At times the 2 don't have much in common. Here you get the complete opposite. You have the continuation of the question and recall phrasing but it goes between the symphonics and distorted guitars. The progression is straight metal, albeit a loose low key metal song, then graduates to a choir of triumphant vocals. Which is a little cheerful in a song that certainly has Satanic overtones. Another rephrasing section is followed by a few progressive refrains before jumping back into the galloping main rhythm and vocals. The exit has an anthem theme to it as guitars and keys trade off between each other to the finale. Cool and fun song but if you are a little uptight regarding its lyrical content, oh well, it's your loss.
Therion - Summernight City (2001) Secret of Runes Bonus Track
I would love to just NOT tell you the secret behind this song, but the truth is far too good to just meh it, so I'll drop a few hints as you should be letting it play...
First off, it is a cover song, and its not from a Metal band. Its a slow groove but a nice arabesque melody floats overhead. The first lyrics come through as a full choir. The style, definitely Swedish. The vocals shift from choir to male to female to full chorus. The catchy melody, is almost... danceable?? There are a few lyrics here I really catch onto and at some point gave me an AHHA moment. Therion plays a lot of festivals and as noted in the awesome documentary of the metal festival Wacken "A Headbangers Journey", the fans aren't just paying patrons, they are a unit, there is unity, there is Brother and Sisterhood. The line in the song "I love the feeling in the air.. My kind of People everywhere..." Somehow that connected to me and is probably the main reason why they chose to cover this song, besides from both being from Sweden. Its kinda weird jamming out to an ABBA song, isn't it? Great covers are usually ones that fit the band so well, it feels as if they themselves wrote it. As this one does you closet "I wish Abba were metal" fan. :-)
Since I have found this song, and began to listen to it repetitively, it has become the top link for Therion searches, I think perhaps since its quite non-threatening. Its actually beautiful, doesn't hurt to have the beautiful and gifted singer Martina at the helm. Shes is enchanting. This is the period of time where Therion dropped off the majority of the male-only vocals and left in only choral and female vocals.
I have no idea what the song is about though. Maybe its about some gruesome tale, the title bearing Venus's name again points to how Therion mixes just about whatever imagery, even Greek into their own Pantheon of storytelling. For me its the huge layers of vocals riding perfectly over a heavy groove that I like. Most bands today mimic this sound, but with multi-tracks and vocal settings on keyboards. So its nice to hear Actual gifted singers do the soaring.
Therion - Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah - (1998) Vovin
This one is from the majestic DVD set Miskolic Experience: Therion Goes Classical. In the song set they play amped up metal versions of what could be considered the who's who of who that influenced Therion. But that is not the truth. Band founder Christofer Johnsson didnt really like classical music so there goes that. But here they are, with a full symphony and full choir and them in full metal form, playing live. Its so majestic I dont have many words to describe. Just note that Lori Lewis is one of the vocalists. At times you hear the symphony lagging but it must be near to impossible to hear everything completely and be perfect with so many playing at once. The song is from the 1998 Vovin and the Live DVD is from a concert in 2007 and was released in 2009. Too bad it wasn't one of the concerts that was accompanied by a belly dancer, which they did later after the first 2 Therion Goes Classical shows had spawned off a tour.
The band has since released their (as far as I can count) 13th release, Sitra Ahra, in 2010. That's 20+ years of basically flying under the radar, but doing so brilliantly, and in grandiose manner. Whenever I do mention Therion to a fellow metal fan they usually say they Love Old Therion. But the Old Therion didn't last long enough and their progression towards the band they would still be today was set well in motion back in the days of Old Therion.
I hope you can find something to enjoy amongst this posting and maybe add it to your playlist. When one of their songs come up, you can't help to notice how much these guys stand out. From what I've read, they tend to totally outplay most bands at those huge festivals they play (even if they dont bring the whole symphony) it seams an unfair advantage they have, experience, songwriting and talent. Yeah- you tend to notice that.
Next posting: The Final Set of MyEndlessSearch, VOL I. I don't know how yet, but the next posting will bring about some changes to my blog as I amp it up for my Second Season, VOL.II if you will, and that will be titled "Thanks to Pandora"
I hope you enjoy the second season of my blog as much I enjoyed writing the first season. Looking back I have a few favorite postings which are:
Attack of Velcra
The Others III - Play Violins
Return to Finland II - The Future of Metal
Return to Finland III - The Chameleons
After Forever Blows my Mind II
And from writing my blog I re-discovered a few songs, as I researched or wrote about, which I began to constantly listen to repetitively as if I had fallen in love a second time, which are below and linked to their postings:
HB - It is Time
Octavia Sperati - And the World Froze
The Gathering - The Shortest Day
After Forever - Follow in the Cry
Velcra - We Must Start Again
Give them a re-listen if you haven't yet. Very worthy songs.
