THERION

6.09.2008 Plock, Poland

words by Georgi Georgiev, photo: Tsvetan Todorov

FinallyВ the long awaited dayВ came - to start on our 1600 km long journey to the heart of Europe and see the Swedish symphonic metal mastersВ TherionВ at their one and the only concertВ before 2010!!

Sep 05th: early in the morning we set off for Poland, it was a long distance way but in return for this we were very enthusiastic!! After more than 20hours we crossed the river Visla landing in the polish town Plock for being at the 3-rd issue of Plock Cover Festival headlined by Therion.

To be honest we weren’t the only hotheads intent to visit this event, at the meeting point we had an appointment with 30 people more coming from all Poland, Finland, Sweden, Romania, Slovakia, France, the Nederland even from Japan!! But for sure we were the only ones that set out to this trip by car, to see Europe and Europe to see us…

We were put up at a place that can be hardly called “a hotel” – a dingy, smelly etc. building.  Later on we made our way to a real HOTEL placed at the top of a hill, where the band’s conference had been set. After the Polish journalists had finished their interviews we had the chance to pose our questions to Maestro Christofer Johnsson and the ladies and the gentlemen behind the vocals.
READ THE INTERVIEWS HERE.
В 

After the conference we had the time for a beer with our multi-national company and then we got back again to the fest area. The stage was at the riverside of Visla with the traditional for such events beer-tents, grilles and other stuff. The crowd was quite heterogeneous. We saw people that it’s hardly to imagine that could be seen at a metal gig, probably provoked by the idea of having fun for free at this fest. Or may be just because the metal music is coming out of its traditional audience getting more and more new fans? …

In the meantime the Polish artists started their sets and unnoticeably the long awaited moment was drawing near…

Around 9 PM rang out the intro of 'Blood of Kingu' and Therion hit the stage leaving the fans breathless singing the songs along with them…

Here I must say that some things can not be described, they must be seen!

I saw how powerful this band was, how perfect everything was, nevertheless renovated line up. Saw one perfect machine doing the perfect show! The only drawback (if we might talk for drawbacks at all) was the lack of the theatrical scenery (known from Therion’s last DVD) but this was compensated by a lot of flam and devotion!

Setlist:
Blood Of Kingu
Ginnungagap
Schwarzalbenheim
Son of The Staves of Time
Invocation of Naamah
The Khlysti Evangelist
The Perrenial Sophia
Asgard
Typhon
Flesh Of The Gods
Muspelheim
Lemuria
Seven Secrets Of The Sphinx
Wine Of Aluqah
Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah
To Mega Therion
Cults Of The Shadow

В 
The fans had been looking forward to this concert after the drastic changes in the line up: the guitar duet Niemann brothers (Kristian – solo & rhythm & Johan – bass), the drummer Petter Karlsson and enigmatic vocalist Mats Leven left the band. On the show except the Therion founder and main brain - Maestro Christofer Johnsson played the new rhythm section Nalle Pеhlsson (bass) & Johan Kullberg (drums), the solo guitar done by Magnus Barthelsson (ex-band member in 1992-94).   

В 

The vocals were performed by already well knownВ Snowy Shaw (Рµx-Kind Diamond, Notre Dame, Dream Evil), Katarina Lilja, Thomas Vikstrom (ex- Candlemass, Brazen Abbott)В and Lori Lewis (also in Aesma Daeva).

And for us remain the hope that after finishing the new album, the next Therion world tour will not skip Bulgaria again!