Album Review:  Therion – Con Orquesta

Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM

Swedish symphonic metal pioneers return with new live album Con Orquesta

After 17 years Therion are back with a full orchestra behind them and also for their very first arena show, captivating a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Mexico City Arena

Therion are very much a band I have dipped in and out with over the years and with like all bands, I have my favourites and then there are ones I just don’t get on with so with a live album its always intriguing as to which way a band will go. One of the many things Therion have is an extensive discography and obviously you do take a peek through the track list to see what’s on and well, it doesn’t disappoint as throughout the 20 tracks they very much do a great job of covering every passage of their carer in way that will cater for every fan of the band.

Therion have always managed to have that cinematic flair on studio recordings whether that be in a fantasy realm of which big, brash choral numbers they have always demonstrated such great musicianship and very much like Romania in 2006 and Hungary in 2007 that song structure really suits this type of setting as each element is refined to then give not only the live audience in attendance an unforgettable night but also the people listening to this cd a real treat as this is truly Therion at their absolute best. 

There are some heavy hitters on this list that are timeless and it does not matter how many times I have listened to The Blood of Kingu, Lemuria, The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah and of course the anthemic To Mega Therion. Having the songs presented in this way completely changes the listening experience an almost makes you feel as if you are discovering the tracks for the very first time.

“In the past, our concept was more likeTHERION going classical, with the band and the symphonic orchestra meeting on an equal basis. Thus, we did a fully orchestral version of one song, and it was divided almost 50/50 between playing THERION songs
and classical excerpts being rearranged for band and orchestra “_, reflects Johnsson. _ “This time, however, I wanted to take a different approach. I invited a renowned conductor and composer from Mexico to reinterpret our songs by adding new arrangements and expanding the originals with the orchestra. They also wrote some new intros and small interludes, making this a truly authentic Mexican interpretation of
THERION live with orchestra.”

Also included along with this is the Blu-ray of the full Mexico City which is fantastic as you really see Therion in full swing and as someone who has seem them live a fair few times I have to say that visually this is one of the best therion performances I have seen and how I wish I could’ve been there – the crowd enthusiasm and energy was off the chain and after watching the live performance later the same day I went a listened to the album and again it changed my listening experience for the better as I had that visualisation of the live show at the forefront of mind and felt that the live setting seemed to translated in much grandiose way. The Blu-Ray has an extra bonus of rehearsal footage which shows a great sight into the inner workings of the band and how they pulled off such a spectacular show.

Con Orquesta Track listing:

CD 1

1. The Blood of Kingu
2. The Ruler of Tamag
3. The Birth of Venus Illegitima
4. Tuonela
5. Twilight of the Gods
6. Mon Amour mon Ami
7. La Maritza
8. Via Nocturna
9. Asgård
10. Draconian Trilogy

CD 2

1. Ginnungagap
2. Ten Courts of Diyu
3. Litany of the Fallen
4. Siren of the Woods
5. Son of the Staves of Time
6. Lemuria
7. Sitra Ahra
8. Quetzalcoatl
9. The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah
10. To Mega Therion

Blu-ray/DVD

1. The Blood of Kingu
2. The Ruler of Tamag
3. The Birth of Venus Illegitima
4. Tuonela
5. Twilight of the Gods
6. Mon Amour mon Ami
7. La Maritza
8. Via Nocturna
9. Asgård
10. Draconian Trilogy
11. Ginnungagap
12. Ten Courts of Diyu
13. Litany of the Fallen
14. Siren of the Woods
15. Son of the Staves of Time
16. Lemuria
17. Sitra Ahra
18. Quetzalcoatl
19. The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah
20. To Mega Therion
21. Bonus Material: Rehearsal

Therion Lineup 

Christofer Johnsson – Guitar
Christian Vidal – Guitar
Christopher Davidsson – Bass
Sami Karppinen – Drums
Thomas Vikström – Vocals
Rosalia Sairem – Vocals
Lori Lewis – Vocals
 

Therion online:

https://www.therion.se

https://www.facebook.com/therion

Tweets by _Therion

https://www.instagram.com/therionband

9/10