It took 15 years for Christofer Johnsson, the mastermind behind Therion to have the courage to decide to play with a symphony orchestra and of course if there was a place in The world in which the band could achieve this is undoubtedly Mexico, that country that has supported the Swedes since its beginnings and that - according to data from Johnsson himself - accounts for almost a quarter of Therion's total listeners. strong> on streaming platforms worldwide.
So, the Mexico City Arena was the perfect venue for the titanic task, which meant months and months of preparations and rehearsals between Therion and the Mexican symphony orchestra, which had the task of filling the shoes. that a band of this size needs. And the truth is that he achieved it, although not perfectly, but demonstrating an enormous level.
Before a packed arena, Therion began a journey through the length and breadth of his already extensive musical career, from the beginning of the group to the songs of his most recent studio album, 'Leviathan III', starting with 'The Blood of Kingu', sharply at 9 pm. Both the members of the band and the members of the orchestra and the choir were received with shouts and applause.
The Mexico City Arena is a first-class venue, no one can doubt it; However, it has one point where it falters: the audio. The sound in the venue always tends to be a problem at the concerts that take place there and Therion's show was no exception, especially at the beginning. From moments in which the orchestra could not be heard, sections where nothing could be heard or simply complete songs where the music did not sound the best. If the administration of the Mexico City Arena took the initiative to fix it, it would undoubtedly be a very important plus for everyone.
A pesar de este detalles, los fans gritaban, cantaban y se emocionaban conforme pasaban los temas. ‘Ruler of Tamag’ del nuevo álbum, la clásica ‘Birth Of Venus Illegitima' and 'Tuonela‘ de la primera parte de la trilogía Leviathan siguieron calentando los ánimos de los miles de asistentes, quienes no pararon de aplaudir.
One of the most striking points of the show was the return of Lori Lewis after a decade of absence in Therion, demonstrating that she continues to have a high level and achieve a magnificent collaboration with Thomas Vikström and Rosalía Sairem with whom he excelled when performing a couple of covers, 'Mon amour, mon ami' and 'La Maritza'.
Unlike many other bands in the genre, Therion doesn't need a big staging behind them, nor a flashy stage. It was just them, their music, some lights, the orchestra and the choir. And that was more than enough to make the thousands of fans who gathered at the place take away a memory that will surely last a lifetime.
After the performance of 'Draconian Trilogy', the band took a long break that most of the attendees took advantage of to take a brief breather, before continuing with an epic night, which restarted just over twenty minutes later with 'Ginnungagap', another classic more than twenty years old.
One of the great points to highlight is that the audience was very respectful of the request to leave cell phones aside, a problem that becomes more common every day at concerts. This time, people preferred to concentrate on what was happening on stage instead of watching the actions through a screen to record a video that they will surely never see again. In fact, the show was recorded for later release via BluRay/DVD/Streaming, so it was also unnecessary.
Approaching the end, 'Quetzalcoatl' made its appearance, achieving maximum impact with the audience who got tired of cheering the musicians, 'The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah' with a great arrangement by the orchestra and the finishing touch with 'To the Mega Therion'.
Without a doubt, for the fans who had the opportunity to be present it will be a show to remember for a lifetime. Both at the production level and the musical quality presented were first class and puts Therion within the spectrum of bands of a special category within the genre and that they gave to their most loyal followers in the world, a spectacular night.
