"I don’t even play guitar in my spare time! I read books, I like to go to the opera. I’m renovating my house in Ireland…"

We are in Poland for the thirdВ edition of Plock Cover Festival headlined by THERION.

There is a pressВ conferenceВ with the band andВ ffter the Polish journalists had finished their interviews we haveВ the chance to talk to the band.

anВ interview conducted by Georgy Georgiev, photos by Tsvetan Todorov

Christofer Johnsson

HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT BULGARIA?
Yes, I’ve heard something about Bulgaria: my parents were making honey moon there, they saw a lot- the Black sea, the sunny beaches; I know the political history, I know you have a lot of Turkish minority… I know you have wine district called Plovdiv, if I have to be honest they are far from my favorites but at least I remember.

You went the European Union in 2006, still have a lot of problems with catching up in a corruption and you get a reprehend from the Union for that; you can enter the Union monetary with the euro earliest 2012…

WOW, IT’S IMPRESSIVE! AND TALKING ABOUT DRINKS- HAVE YOU TASTED OUR NATIONAL DRINK, IT’S CALLED RAKIA (GRAPE BRANDY)?
No, I haven’t but I would really like to try your domestic stuff…

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE MEMBERS, EXCEPT YOU ARE NEW?
Yeah, but they’ve learned 17 songs just from scratch. What I mean is that when you work with people in this level it always sounds good. When we did the first rehearsal sounded like we played together from years…

IS THERE A CHANCE THE SESSION MUSICIANS, MEANING THE SINGERS, TO BECAME PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THERION?
We’ll see, nothing is impossible but you should see some sort of the meaning behind it, if that would be better in that way. The more people you have there permanent the more talking about things.

And you also have to see in long prospective like for instance with Lori, it would maybe make sense because we are always gonna need a good soprano. And we worked fabulously over this time but she lives in USA and it makes the things complicated. So I mean if she’d move to Sweden for instance, that would definitely make her a permanent member.

And maybe people like Snowy and Thomas would make sense here as probably we are always gonna need a tenor like Thomas. And Snowy is a good song writer…I mean if you can make sense you can make sence but it’s a difference you know, if you are just a hired singer, you can always say these advantages and these advantages.

Advantage is you can always say if something is troubling, you can always stop –you are just hired! As a hired singer you don’t need to take responsibility for other things than your own performance. A lot of people are kinda convenient with that. They know how much they’re gonna get paid, no risk, nothing…you know- to take the cherry out of the cake. And on the other hand it’s nice to be a permanent member because you have a little bit more to say.

They are given very free hands - the singers. But then it’s within their own little area, but if you are a permanent member then… you are entitled in opinion in all areas. I mean if you are a permanent bass-player then your opinion counts as much on the vocals or anything else! But if you are hired singer then you are singing- that’s what the people have to care about, what we say about it… It’s a matter of advantages…

DURING THE YEARS THERION DID A BIG CHANGE FROM OLD-SCHOOL DEATH METAL TO THE NOWADAYS PROGRESSIVE SYMPHONIC STYLE. HOW DID IT COME THAT YOU ARE KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE, EVERY NEXT ALBUM TO BE A STEP FORWARD FOR THE BAND?
Well, first of all old-school death metal wasn’t old-school back then, it was just death metal. We never tried to play like bands in the old times because we were there in the old times; it just had been natural development.  I think this is something that a new band has when they get signed that sometimes lost for few. And then it comes to point to get into convenience when, they lay back, they make classic albums and only continue to produce records.

Best example ever is Saxon. You know anybody on the planet that would say the latest Saxon is best album they did. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Saxon fen, I love Saxon but people go to the shows to see classics from 20-25 years old songs, they have the same set list for the last 20 years. There is kind of difference from that because when we build something up we risk it every time, bands usually save, you know-“we’re sounding like this- so let’s hold on to that”. Sometimes they risked making some more commercial, there are a lot of examples like that – like Celtic Frost tried to do (Cold Lake album).

But then they turn themselves - “it didn’t worked so let’s get back to the safe stuff”. We always tried different things and risked all the time and sometimes the records sales were up and sometimes the records sales were down but we always did what we wanted to do - no matter how this affects to the records sales. I am very proud that I made the record that I would like to buy, I was thinking: "What would I as a fen like to buy?"-and this is what I do. Or even for myself I was thinking –“What is missing in the record store? Ok, the record I did is missing, ok- then I make it”.

I think a lot of bands especially when they start to make money and before fulfill the dreams of being a full time professional musician and to play in big places and everybody tell them how big they’re- they are so afraid of losing that! So that they lose focus on the artistic part. For me I am ready to risk it all every time I make a record and if it sells like shit I'd still stand up for that record!

You know, a lot of bands one day have the sells dropping, then when they promote that specific album they would say "Oh, it is the best album we ever did" and buy any record, it's so great... And then if it sells like shit, next year they'd admit like "Oh, maybe that was not that good". You will never catch me doing that, like 'Secret of the Runes' was huge drop in sales. I think it was definitely the best album untilВ  that point, actually 'Gothic Kabbalah' lost also sells but I still think it's the best album we did until now!! And I would have done it again!

That's the big attitude difference -keeping the spirit alive. The second thing is since we've worked with so many new musicians that came from nowhere - like Petter and Niemanns for instance (that were in the last line up). They came from nowhere, they haven't make a record before - Peter was almost 30 years old when he made his first record which was Therion! And when you have all these people that are so talented i.e. I mean that they are excellent instrumentalists, they are all good song writers. I mean - Petter is also a good guitar player and singer and all this... and still he never managed even to make a record! You can imagine what kind of vitamin injection this is for a band- when you have this creative talented person that finally is able to express all these things!

That's one of the reasons that he wrote so many songs for 'Gothic Kabbalah' - he wrote songs from 10 years and nobody wanted to release! So we had treasure of songs that we could take from. And this of course as giving me a great support in my will to always create something new, that was high vitamin injection of people that make their first record- this "fire" of a new band that just get signed....

And this is one of the reasons why the last line up didn’t  work- they became like every other band, they made 5 albums with Therion, made world tours, being there… I mean still being with very professional and creative attitude but somewhere this fire was becoming a glow rather. I am sure we were gonna make another record that were gonna be fantastic together –maybe one or two or three… 

But I think instead of making good staff but still going downhill it is better to end it when it’s still on the top of our creativity…

IT SEEMS THE BEST SOLUTION FOR EVERYBODY…
Everybody made their decision – if you write something on a web page, people seem to always think that you’re lying and in reality everybody hates each other. But we’re from the few bands that are very straight – if you write this on the web page how it is then it is how it is!

I SAW AN INTERVIEW WITH MATS LEVEN AND THEY ASKED HIM IF YOU ASK HIM TO JOIN AGAIN TO THERION AND HE SAID- YES, OF COURSE- WHY NOT? ...
Well, I don’t think that would work. The reason why we stopped worked with him was because we’re becoming very theatrical band and he didn’t feel convenient with that. I mean- he did fantastic job as a singer but… he really is a lead singer. And suddenly he was one of the four lead singers, he had to step back.

You know - he didn’t feel comfortable with that so after the European tour we sat to see whether we can continue work with him. He lost “fire” to do this because, you know - to be a lead singer you need to be on front of the stage, being rock’n’roller… and then he was playing some guitars behind that church fence. He said this is the best concept Therion ever had, seeing it from the outside it hadn’t been better but it’s not my cup of tea. So we just did the shows until the summer and then the rest of the world tour with Thomas instead. I wouldn’t say never… but I can’t imagine touring with him again because of this theatrical concept that wasn’t for him.

But he has a fantastic voice, I mean if there would be some sort of song that his singing would be suitable for- of course I would pick up the phone and call him, there is no bad blood…

WHAT IS MR. JOHNSSON IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE OUT OF THE STAGE?В 
Boring… (laughing), I don’t know- workcoholic and probably for most people boring, barely I don’t drink alcohol… Probably never do anything that would be found interesting. I don’t even play guitar in my spare time! I’m just picking it up two weeks before the tour! I read books, I like to go to the opera. I’m renovating my house in Ireland…

FAVORITES BANDS AND ALBUMS OF ALL TIME?В 
I like so many different bands for different reasons… Speaking about metal- Voivod has always been one of my favorite bands. Killing Technology & Phobos would be among the best metal albums.

AND FROM THE CLASSIC ONES?
Richard Wagner- Rienzi in any ways. I like Richard Straus a lot…when it comes to opera I totally prefer the German sound. When it comes to instrumental classical music I like the Slavic composers, especially Russian- Tchaikovsky is very good; if we speak about orchestrated versions from Mussorgsky I really like them; Shostakovich if you are in the mood for something really loud- symphony #7; Stravinsky- I don’t listen to Stravinsky that much anymore but he is still one of the Slavic composers I admit at the most. His “Symphony in three movements” with that very static piano is brilliant!