Vicky
When talking about Symphonic Metal bands that have both excellent music, and a good internal collaboration between artists, Therion is one of the first examples that spring to mind. From their Death/Black beginnings, all the way to Symphonic and Operatic Metal, the group have proven to us numerous times that they can perform alongside musicians from pretty much any genre, and that their lyrics can cover a wide range of topics.
In case you’re new to the band, I’d like to remind you that I recently interviewed the band’s vocalist, Thomas Vikström. More details on the subject matter here. Keeping that in mind, I think it’s about time we started talking about Con Orquesta. What is good, what is bad and what is uncool about this live material? Let’s find out together.
The album starts with “The Blood of Kingu”. I must admit, it was a bold choice to play this without Mats Levén, but Thomas performed his part gracefully, meaning that not even the pickiest of listeners such as myself get to complain about it. In this regard, I must also mention that the duet between Lori Lewis and Rosalía Sairem is probably one of the best ones Therion’s ever had – in all honesty, listening to the intro of “Lemuria” with them almost made me cry. The majority of songs are very close to the so-called “studio quality”, yet there are also some minor exceptions (especially when it comes to parts of tracks that were initially performed by a male vocalist and are now sung by Lori or by Rosalía).
To answer a few of your questions, Con Orquesta is indeed close to a best of album, even though I, for one, would have definitely also added “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” and “Clavicula Nox” to the list. Simultaneously, there are some “hiccups” – if you will – when the elements making up Therion contradict themselves. These moments are rare; however they exist, and that is perfectly normal. After all, when playing live, no one no matter how experienced can play everything perfectly. Therion didn’t feature any guests (that is, since we consider Rosalía to be a part of the band), so don’t expect to find Mats, Snowy Shaw, Marko Hietala, Sarah Jezebel Deva or Lorentz Aspen singing on this album. I reckon this is for the best, since now you can notice the band members’ potential without being assaulted by too many voices.
As an overall, Con Orquesta is, I’d have to admit, one of the greatest live albums produced by Therion, right up there with Live Gothic, The Miskolc Experience, and the highly unofficial yet remarkable Therion Goes Classic (recorded in Romania). Once again, I must praise the intro to “Lemuria” – for touching my heart in a way that very few songs have managed to before. Other great renditions to songs we all know and love you will find for the songs off Vovin (“The Birth of Venus Illegitima”, “Draconian Trilogy”, and of course “The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah”). As expected, the 2024 show in Mexico City Arena ended with “To Mega Therion”, an empowering masterpiece crucial to the band’s history. For now, I won’t bore you with more technical details about this album, however I will give you a piece of advice: listen to Con Orquesta, that’s a must!!
Label: Napalm Records
Release date: January 30, 2026
Website: https://www.therion.se/
Country: Sweden
Score: 4.5/5.0
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