THERION

Therion stands as a groundbreaking Swedish symphonic metal ensemble established and steered by multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist Christofer Johnsson. Beginning as a death metal group, Johnsson derived the name from Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion. With the third release, 1993’s Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas, Johnsson stood as the sole remaining founder while the band’s direction shifted toward doom metal incorporating electronic and vanguard components. The 1996 album Theli saw the quintet incorporate classical and global traditions as well, employing two classical choirs, a simulated orchestra, and numerous keyboards to explore Persian modes and scales together with the Lydian. On 1998’s Vovin Johnsson worked with an entirely separate group of studio musicians from those appearing in live settings, whereas 2001’s Secret of the Runes drew its lyrical content from Norse mythology. The simultaneous 2004 issues Lemuria and Sirius B enlisted 171 musicians for the sessions, among them the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and a 32-voice choir. The conceptual 2007 release Gothic Kabbalah presented five vocalists—three females and two males—within the ensemble’s most expansive arrangements and prog rock production traits to that point. Sitra Ahra from 2010 achieved a seamless fusion of Therion’s classical aesthetics with doom metal. Les Fleurs du Mal in 2012 comprised covers of French chansons and pop songs rendered in the band’s symphonic manner. Therion delivered the three-hour rock opera Beloved Antichrist in 2017, then issued the opening installment of the Leviathan project in 2021. Each collection aimed to evoke distinct sonic periods across the band’s history while presenting fresh material. Leviathan II surfaced in 2022, and Leviathan III completed the trilogy in December 2023.

Johnsson launched Therion as a first-wave Swedish death metal act in 1987, drawing the name from Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion. Greek in origin, the term translates as “beast” and carries occult associations, as Aleister Crowley often applied it to himself. The original roster included lead guitarist Peter Hansson, bassist Erik Gustafson, and drummer Oskar Forss; the unit debuted in 1990 with the album Of Darkness. Gustafson departed shortly thereafter, and as a trio Therion returned in 1991 with Beyond Sanctorum. By Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas in 1993 only Johnsson remained from the founding lineup, now supported by guitarist Magnus Barthelson, bassist Andreas Wallan Wahl, and drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk. That recording signaled the start of a more experimental direction as Johnsson added greater orchestration, pseudo-classical ambitions, and industrial textures.

Barthelson and Wahl had both exited before the 1995 EP The Beauty in Black; bassist Fredrik Isaksson’s arrival restored Therion to a trio. The same configuration recorded the subsequent full-length Lepaca Kliffoth, which extended the experiments begun on Symphony Masses, yet Isaksson had also departed by the time of 1996’s Theli, clearing the way for guitarist Jonas Mellberg and bassist Lars Rosenberg. Theli received near-universal praise as the peak of Therion’s output up to that moment, fully realizing Johnsson’s vision of elaborate, operatic grandeur.

Mellberg did not appear on 1997’s A’arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming, and by the following year’s Vovin Johnsson performed with an entirely new supporting cast of second guitarist Tommy Eriksson, bassist Jan Kazda, and drummer Wolf Simons. Crowning of Atlantis followed in 1999 with the same personnel, though Johnsson replaced that lineup for early 2000’s Deggial by bringing in guitarist Kristian Niemann, bassist Johan Niemann, and drummer Sami Karppinen. Therion issued Secret of the Runes in 2001, a conceptual work featuring heavily orchestrated tracks each depicting one of the nine planes of Norse mythology. Live in Midgard appeared the next year, documenting the band’s 2001 tours across South America and Europe. Therion took 2003 off before commencing work on their most ambitious undertaking to date, Lemuria and Sirius B. Originally planned as separate releases, the sprawling 21-track fusion of classical, choral, and heavy metal elements emerged as a two-disc set in 2004.

Therion proceeded with the 2007 release of the critically acclaimed two-disc Gothic Kabbalah on Nuclear Blast, then toured Europe, North and South America, and Japan. The Warsaw performance was captured for the live audio-video package Live Gothic, issued in 2008. Therion also staged concerts accompanied by local symphonic orchestras and choirs. In Miskolc, Hungary, on June 16, 2007, the first half of the program presented orchestral pieces by Dvorák, Verdi, Mozart, Saint-Saëns, and Wagner, while the second half drew from the band’s own repertoire. That concert and the Bucharest performance—later broadcast on Romanian television—were subsequently issued as the DVD/CD box set The Miskolc Experience in 2009. The 18 shows from November and December 2007 were treated as a 20th-anniversary tour, with portions of the set list chosen by fan vote; several dates also featured former singers Piotr Wawrzeniuk and Mats Levén. The Budapest concert was recorded and eventually released in February 2014 as part of the DVD Adulruna Rediviva & Beyond.

In 2008 Johnsson announced on the band’s website that the core members would part ways and that Therion would continue with new personnel. Thomas Vikström was engaged as the new lead vocalist. The ensuing studio album Sitra Ahra also introduced guitarist Christian Vidal and featured Snowy Shaw on vocals, after which the band undertook a European tour. In March 2011 Katarina Lilja departed permanently, having taken an earlier break. Before year’s end a board game titled “011,” based on Sitra Ahra, was released. In February 2012 Johnsson revealed plans for a new studio album and a 25th-anniversary tour. Les Fleurs du Mal appeared that September; regarded by Johnsson as an “art project,” it encompassed not only music but inlay graphics and video clips, consisting of covers of French chansons and pop songs delivered in the band’s signature style. The 25th-anniversary European tour commenced on the album’s release date, with contributing keyboardist Stefan Jernståhl in the lineup.

The band commenced work on a metal rock opera in 2013 and largely suspended touring and new studio releases. The following year a deluxe edition of Theli was issued, adding three bonus tracks from A’arab Zaraq Lucid Dreaming along with a DVD of Theli’s live performance and the DVD set Adulruna Rediviva & Beyond, which compiled the 2007 anniversary concert in Budapest and a 2011 Atlanta show, serving as interim releases for fans. Lewis ceased touring with Therion in 2014 yet stayed part of the studio roster; she was succeeded on the road by Sandra Laureano for a short period, then Isa García Navas, and later Chiara Malvestiti.

In 2015 Johnsson began another side project, Luciferian Light Orchestra, which released a self-titled album that same year. Drummer Johann Koleberg exited Therion owing to musical differences and was replaced for the 2017 tour by former Amon Amarth drummer Fredrik Andersson before Sami Karppinen rejoined in November as a permanent replacement. In August of that year Johnsson confirmed that the rock opera had been finished. Drawing from Vladimir Solovyov’s Tale of the Antichrist, the work received the title The Beloved Antichrist. Spanning more than three hours across 46 tracks and featuring 29 vocal characters, the monumental collection appeared on Nuclear Blast in early February and earned the strongest reviews of the band’s career.

In January 2021 Therion released Leviathan. Written by Johnsson and Vikström, the album was conceived as the first part of a trilogy intended to supply fans with a continuous sequence of “Therion hit songs,” all newly composed. The lineup included Koleberg, who had returned to the drum chair, and featured a guest vocal appearance by Nightwish bassist and vocalist Marko Hietala. Leviathan II, issued in October of the following year, revisited the mystic, melancholic sonic atmosphere of the landmark 1998 album Vovin, while the planned third volume, scheduled for 2023, was to emphasize the band’s “braver orchestral songs.” After the album’s announcement Therion issued the symphonic metal track “Twilight of the Gods” as the first single from Leviathan III, followed by “Ruler of Tamag,” spotlighting soprano Lori Lewis, and later “Ayahuasca,” incorporating chugging riffs, male and female choirs, and psychedelic production. The full-length appeared in December 2023.