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Therion Concert Review
After the countless times my theory of bad weather and metal shows coinciding has been proved, I really should stop getting frustrated when it happens. Last Friday, the elements conspired against me once again on my way to The Pearl Room, making for a stormy, bumper-to-bumper exercise in patience. At the end of the road, though, awaited a fine reward in the form of Sweden’s Therion, who are making their second Stateside tour, this time in support of ‘Gothic Kabbalah’, their 11th studio LP. I had seen the band back in 2005 when they played ProgPower USA, so I spent the onerous commute this time around wondering how this year’s version would stack up. That first performance had been one of the festival’s most memorable, featuring a five part choral ensemble alongside the firebrand Mats Levén on lead vocals, in addition to the band’s core members. Oh, me of little faith….
I finally arrived at the venue after the two and a half hour ordeal, just as the rain was beginning to let up. I met Richard, Therion’s tour manager, and he led me up the back stairs for my interview with Johan Niemann, the band’s bass player for the better part of the past decade. Although Johan was eating dinner when I we met, he dismissed my offer to wait until he was through and promptly led me to a dressing room for our talk. The food, he says, “isn’t that good, anyway.” Small surprise, there. From what I could see it was the same quasi-meatloaf and salad combination I’d seen back in June during Summer Slaughter, when it had met with a similarly lukewarm response. Such is life of a touring artist, I suppose.
Although I hadn’t expected to speak with Johan, our interview turned out to be quite a success. Our discussions were both obvious (their new album, ‘Gothic Kabbalah’, Therion’s unique place in the metal world) and tangential (our shared love of King Crimson, the Swedish grindcore band Splitter, whose shirt he was wearing), and by the time I ran out of questions nearly an hour and a half had passed. And while most of our topics ultimately turned back to Therion, the last 15 minutes or so were spent on Demonoid, a side project of the Niemann brothers’. Back in 2004, they released one of the year’s finest (and most overlooked) death metal albums in ‘Riders of the Apocalypse’, which featured Therion’s own Christofer Johnsson in the last performance of his to be published before his retirement from vocals. Now, years later, the band is working with new material as well as a new singer, who will no doubt bring the band much more well-deserved attention: Emperor Magus Caligula.
Needless to say, both Johan and I (as well as the rest of Demonoid, I would imagine) were thrilled with this development, so we spent perhaps a little more time than necessary basking in the glow of this forthcoming album. The timing of our interview ended up being perfect, though, with the opening act Aesma Daeva taking the stage just as I got back downstairs to the floor.
Prior to this tour I was entirely unfamiliar with the band, but they turned out to be a surprisingly apropos opener for Therion and a respectable group in their own right. Based out of St. Paul, this quintet combines elements of traditional, symphonic, gothic, and doom metal, with the classically trained voice of Lori Lewis as their lead soprano and occasional flutist. Aesma Daeva is no Nightwish or Epica clone, either—far from it. While Lori’s voice is the focus of every song, the rest of the band packs a hefty, plodding punch that occasionally will show some progressive arrangements and structures and ranges far beyond the cookie-cutter backdrop many Gothic metal bands favor.
Between songs, the band had a very casual, conversational attitude and bantered lightly with the crowd. Lori also commented on some of their lyrics, as well, which turned out to be much more cerebral than their music’s visceral atmosphere would suggest. Some songs were about the expected topics (‘The Loon’: gloomy Minnesota winters) but others were more academic, such as ‘Artemis’ and an expansive new song from a concept album on Orwell’s ‘1984’.
The crowd was of a middling size at this point, respectable for an opening group but not quite what one might hope for a headliner’s lead-in, with Aesma Daeva being both at once. Still, the people who were there were more receptive and supportive than I would have thought, especially for a group with so little name recognition in the area.
After ‘The Loon’, they closed with two covers. The first was Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, which many people didn’t seem to recognize or get too into, despite Lori’s comment that we all would. Their final song, though, brought us all back and left them on a high note. After hinting at her range for the past 40 minutes, Lori finally showed off her real skills in the band’s arrangement of a Mozart aria, ‘D'Oreste, d'Ajace’ from his opera Idomeneo. With her voice and the band’s lively (but prudent) arrangement, this was the best offering in their set and left us primed for the symphonic majesty to come in Therion.
After they departed, I settled in to do a bit of crowd-watching during the half hour layover. From what I saw in those front few rows, this show had a remarkable age range, from young teens to weathered grey-hairs. And even so, everyone seemed to be getting along with one another, with Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ over the loudspeakers contributing to the conviviality.
Up on stage, the crew efficiently dismantled Aesma Daeva’s drum kit and removed their amps, as usual. They did not, however, bring on any more amps, banners, backdrops, or anything else of the sort. The only thing that came on stage was a pair of floor toms set up in front of the drum riser, leaving plenty of room for Therion’s many members, and hardly an amp to be seen anywhere.
The lights dimmed as soon as 9:30 hit, and the first members of the band emerged: Petter Karlsson on drums, Johan Niemann on bass, his brother Kristian on lead guitar, and then finally Christofer Johnsson on rhythm guitar. They had begun to play even before they took the stage, laying down the chugging intro to ‘Der Mitternachtlöwe’, the opener from their new album, and each of the band’s four new vocalists arriving in succession thereafter. First was Lori, returning for her second set of the night, in a sleek black dress that was matched by her counterpart, Katarina Lilja, though Katarina’s was a little more frilly and playful. The first of the men was Snowy Shaw, one of Sweden’s most charismatic and splendid heavy metal exports. With experience as a drummer in Mercyful Fate and Dream Evil, among others, the veteran now lends his diverse voice and talents as a frontman to Therion, both on tour and on ‘Gothic Kabbalah’. For the show, he wore an outfit that fit both his and Therion’s dramatic style, with a Renaissance-style hood and shoulder covering, bracers with affixed blades, dark breeches, and shaggy leggings. His chest and arms were bare, showing his numerous tattoos and completing the image (albeit a Romanticized one) of an ancient Gnostic. The fourth vocalist was Thomas Vikström, slightly less showy but no less of a talent, whose leather jacket and glittering ‘T’ belt buckle were relatively mild, compared to Snowy.
With each vocalist’s spotlit arrival came another round of vibrant cheers as each was celebrated in turn. However, it was once all eight members were together that Therion showed their real strength as a live group. Where most groups will feature one or two lead members and gloss over the others, Therion is a true ensemble. Johan on bass may not have seen too much of the spotlight, but nearly every other member was featured prominently throughout the set, and often in tandem with each other. Since this year’s touring line-up doesn’t have the choir of 2005, the four new vocalists acted as substitutes for all the choral arrangements and did a remarkable job sharing the spotlight. Despite the oversized personas they adopted for some songs and the set’s inherent operatic flair, each member readily deferred to the other when the time came and seemed to enjoy watching the others succeed.
This dynamic, combined with the members’ phenomenal chemistry, made Therion’s set one of the finest I have ever seen. Metal is an inherently dramatic genre, but never have I seen a band embrace that energy so fully or so well. Each song was a story, told by the expressions, interactions, and garb of the members as much as by the music itself. ‘The Perennial Sophia’, for example, paired Snowy and Katarina for a romantic duet that was capped with a kiss. ‘The Blood of Kingu’ had Snowy wielding a oversized book that he ‘read’ from as if it were prophecy, and Thomas traded in his leather jacket for a flowing black cape that he flourished in ‘Son of the Staves of Time’.
Songs from ‘Gothic Kabbalah’ were heavily featured, but not without reason. It is their latest release—quite a good one at that—and also matches directly with the vocalists they brought on tour. With that said, though, there were quite a few songs from other albums that had more choral arrangements, even including a handful from ‘Secret of the Runes’. The orchestration couldn’t be reproduced live, obviously, but the band did an outstanding job on their own, distracting from what few backing tracks there may have been.
The wide diversity of the setlist also allowed each vocalist to show off their respective talents. We had already seen Lori’s skill, but Therion’s sweeping arrangements and melodies allowed her greater range than Aesma Daeva had, and she was more than up to the task. Katarina, in turn, had a more modern style with fewer high-ranging parts and was critical in blending Lori’s highs with the men’s lower registers. The men were similarly paired, with Thomas having the higher, cleaner voice and Snowy following up as the baritone and lending some rougher edges to more insidious tracks like ‘Ginnugagap’.
As excellent as they all were, though, the band’s instrumentalists were not to be overlooked. Petter and Johan were the two quietest members, ensconced in their respective corner. Each, though, performed with great confidence and skill, and were the foundation of the band’s towering sound. On the opposite side was Kristian on lead guitar, still wearing his Scott Ian look with the shaved head and long beard. His playing is no imitation, though—since I saw them last in ’05, I’ve been convinced that he is one of our generation’s finest and most overlooked guitarists. He showed it once again here with a gorgeous performance of both tight rhythm riffs and his signature style of sweeping, fluid solos. Last but never least was Christofer in center stage, who showed a great amount of energy that one wouldn’t usually expect from a 20 year veteran. He actually seemed to gain energy as the set went on, and was flashing a couple guitar hero poses by the end. Still, he spent less time in the spotlight than the vocalists, and was quite adept at slipping into the background when the others were up.
Late in the set, the majority of the band disappeared, leaving Petter for a brief drum solo. His kit was not an extravagant one, as Therion’s drum duties aren’t too demanding, but he used it well and reminded us that a drummer doesn’t have to blast to be a metal talent. Presently, Thomas and Snowy reemerged and moved the floor toms towards the front of the stage. Then, backed by Thomas, they faced one another in a ‘drum-off’. They traded back and forth, improvised a little, and then ended up on a faux swordfight that ended in Thomas’s demise.
The rest of the band then reemerged and launched into their closing salvo, ‘Muspelheim’, ‘The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah’, and the thundering ‘Ginnugagap’, which saw the entire band at its fever pitch of intensity and drama. When they left the stage, the cheering and chanting began immediately and did not stop until they all returned for an encore soon thereafter. Following a brief tease from Lori, (“So, do you want one song? Oh, you want more than one song?”) they gave us another trio in ‘Lemuria’, ‘Muspelheim’, and then the perennial favorite, ‘To Mega Therion’, where all the crowd was singing its apocalyptic chorus.
At one point Snowy leapt up upon the drum riser, took one of Petter’s sticks, and handed him the microphone for a verse while the two combined to keep up on the kit. Despite the potential for disaster, the maneuver was pulled off perfectly, and it was fitting to see Petter getting some extra time in ‘center stage’, so to speak, considering how involved he was in the writing of ‘Gothic Kabbalah’.
Alas, all too soon the band had but one song left. Snowy raised his hands over his head, making a fist with one and grabbing the wrist with the other, and asked us if we knew what it meant. Others in the crowd were already raising their arms while some shouted, “Manowar!” Snowy smiled and nodded, and the band launched into their final song of the night, ‘Thor (The Powerhead)’. With the other vocalists as backers on the chorus, Snowy took the lead and really did it justice, giving a raw performance that Eric Adams himself would have approved of.
Finally, they were through, nearly two hours after they had begun. The crowd, while not the biggest I’ve seen at the venue, was once again outstanding with its energy and response, and cheered the band through their curtain calls and beyond. Once the lights were up for the last time, many still lingered afterwards in hopes of grabbing a setlist or another drumstick, which I myself was lucky enough to snag.
Only a few minutes later, Kristian, Lori, and Thomas could be seen mingling with the crowd in the back, signing autographs, chatting, and taking pictures with the fans. Kristian was even kind enough to take it upon himself to find a Sharpie and the rest of the band so they could all sign the drumstick I’d caught. And although I tried, I couldn’t resist asking him as well about Demonoid. Snowy, too, made it downstairs, and spent a good half-hour talking with me and another fan, who had an entire bagful of things for Snowy to sign. By the time we finally wrapped up with many thanks, the venue was empty but for security and the lone man mopping the floor.
And of all of that night’s efforts, these after the show I found the most memorable. Despite the stresses of worldwide touring, the long cross-Atlantic flights (two within the past week), lost passports (Snowy’s had been nabbed in California), and beyond, these performers were still willing to come down and mingle with their fans. Random strangers would dash up, interrupt conversations, snap candid photos and dash off again without another word, but it didn’t seem to faze or bother any of them. As Snowy said—while he signed the superfan’s 20th booklet—“that is why we are here.” And I can only wonder how we are so lucky.
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