Therion

Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word 'therion' comes from the Greek therion (θηρίον), meaning 'Beast,' i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation. However, the band's name is a homage to the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion. Beginning as a death metal band, they later turned to combining orchestral elements with their metal music, employing heavy use of choirs and classical musicians, not only as additions to but also as integral parts of the composition. Therion is the first metal band with fully live orchestra featured. It is also the band which originated, popularised and influenced the symphonic metal genre, cited as 'the most adventurous metal band at present'. Because of these extents they take in conducting their music, they have been dubbed as 'Opera Metal'.

There aren't too many bands out there that can say they have been around for a decade, let alone a quarter of a century. For those few that manage to hit the twenty five year mark, some sort of celebration is usually in order. Some might go on a world tour and appeal to their aging fanbase, while others may record an album or release a collection of shelved demo tracks for the diehard followers to eat up. Of course, Therion have never been known to follow in the footsteps of others. Although the operatic symphonic metal style is all-too common in current metal culture, Therion carved out their own niche, unshackling from their death metal roots and taking a more sophisticated and experimental approach to the symphonic style. With that in mind, it's no surprise that Therion didn't decide to celebrate things the regular way; instead, they went ahead and did an album of 1960's French pop song covers…

This is Therion's perhaps most essential release other than their brilliant 2004 releases of Lemuria/Sirius B. This live dvd consists of over 4 dvds and the live audio cds of the main live performance which was shot in Mexico City in 2004…

Therion's "Live Gothic" is a full length CD/DVD release recorded in February 2007 in Warsaw Poland. It proves that while Therion continues to change over time they are still one of the top prog-metal acts and capable of delivering this rip-roaring good time…

The Great Beast known as Therion has been around for a very long time, leaving a solid mark within the metal world. Commanded by leader and mastermind Christofer Johnsson, their musical output has been in constant evolution to the point that they have explored a wide range of subgenres and musical approaches. They have gone from death metal to being considered symphonic metal pioneers, showing an inexhaustible will to search for new sounds and ideas…

Hailing Symphony Masses – Ho Drakon Ho Megas as the first genuine Therion release may appear at first glance strange. After all the two preceding straightforward death metal efforts aren’t less legitimate. It isn’t either the big watershed Theli will be. The lineup is completely different than on Beyond Sanctorum, however Therion lineup has always been anecdotal and no musician here will last long anyway, even while remaining conscious Piotr Wawrzeniuck has been an important figure in Therion’s own little world…

THERION have always been a band that have challenged themselves to explore new paths, while remaining true to their musical core values. For their 17th studio album, “Leviathan”, mastermind Christofer Johnsson and his collaborator Thomas Vikström have created something that has been previously unthinkable to the guitarist and the singer. "We have done the only thing that was left of all the different angles to explore", explains Christofer. "We have decided to give the people what they kept asking for. 'Leviathan' is the first album that we have deliberately packed with THERION hit songs."