Therion are the poster band for symphonic metal. For over 30 years, they've developed an innovative strain that regularly engages with classical orchestration and drama. That said,
Beloved Antichrist is more ambitious than anything they've done previously. Its 46 tracks are spread over three acts in as many discs clocking in at 182 minutes. Alongside the septet are 29 individual singers, an orchestra, and a choir. The conceptual musical drama was inspired by and partially based on philosopher and abstract theologian Vladímir Soloviov's novel A Short Tale of the Antichrist. Guitarist and founder Christofer Johnsson conceived, arranged, and wrote the music (with several lyricists). The basic story line (detailed in an expansive libretto) involves Seth, a man able to converse with God directly, who sees himself as the Messiah. His conceit results in losing his gift. In despair he jumps from a cliff, only to be rescued by Satan, who offers Seth another gift. The story follows an involved and twisty transition from self-proclaimed Messiah to an Antichrist and global ruler. He ushers in a Golden Age that makes his subjects more devoted as he works to bring forth the darkness of his true intent. Johnsson's characters -- particularly Seth, played by vocalist Thomas Vikström -- are executed with sophistication and depth. This rock opera is an expertly crafted musically imaginative, dramtically paced allegory. While most will absorb it in segments, a single listening event of its entirety offers a powerful experience. The arrangements are elaborate, juxtaposing a large number of instruments that illustrate narratives episodically and further character development. On "What Is Wrong?" and "Time Has Come/Final Battle," string sections swirl panoramically as earthshaking horns and timpanis illustrate the force of the underworld. Piano, bells, and chimes add a flourish to the album's quieter moments, and harpsichords flit in and out of the mix in interludes that require nuance. In "Temple of New Jerusalem," classical recitative is accompanied by reeds and winds floating above layers of strings, organ, and synth; that's before chugging guitars and cracking snares claim the center for
Vikström's Seth and Markus Jupither's Appolonius' (Greek and Roman gods are cast members) argument while the choir mediates. "Night Reborn" commences as pure crash-and-burn power metal, but the principal singers and choir provide color and texture. These combinations and recombinations soar on the final disc's "Forgive Me" and "The Wasteland of My Heart," the former a ballad-cum-rocker led by Chiara Malvestiti's Joanna confronting Seth, the latter an angular prog metal cruncher with twin leads framing
Vikström. Ultimately, it's impossible to summarize the massive
Beloved Antichrist in a few tracks, but taken as intended, as a whole, it is an exhausting, enthralling monolithic marvel. ~ Thom Jurek