Therion – Beloved Antichrist (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Therion – Beloved Antichrist (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 03:02:50 minutes | 2,19 GB | Genre: Metal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nuclear Blast

For those who are uninitiated, Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded in 1988. They started out as a death metal band but started to incorporate orchestral elements such as choirs, string sections and classical singing. They’ve put out 15 full-length records and “Beloved Antichrist” is their latest offering. There is one important thing to note about this record, which makes it a bit hard to review it. This is a Rock Opera in three acts and with 27 different character roles. There are themes and motifs occurring and re-occurring throughout. Melodies are revisited in different configurations and much of the texture of the record is tightly woven with the story, which you will have to dig into yourself if you want to enjoy this record.

Therion are the poster band for symphonic metal. For over 30 years, they’ve developed an innovative power metal that often engages with classical orchestration and theatrical drama. That said, Beloved Antichrist is far more ambitious than anything they’ve done previously; it makes Gothic Kabbalah and Sitra Ahra sound minimal. Fully 46 tracks are spread over three discs/acts clocking in at 182 minutes. It features the septet and numerous guests (there are 29 individual singers), an enormous orchestra, and choir. This conceptual musical drama is inspired by and partially based on philosopher and abstract theologian Vladímir Soloviov’s novel A Short Tale of the Antichrist. It is the career realization of Therion guitarist and founder Christofer Johnsson; he 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 and 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 who becomes the globe’s ruler. He even 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 Therion vocalist Thomas Vikström – are executed with depth and dimension. This rock opera – and that’s exactly what it is – is an expertly crafted allegory dramatically paced and chock-full of musical imagination. It’s easy to find overwhelming, and most will likely absorb it in segments, but a single listening episode in its entirety offers a more 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.

Tracklist:
1-01. Therion – Turn from Heaven (03:06)
1-02. Therion – Where Will You Go? (02:15)
1-03. Therion – Through Dust, Through Rain (05:01)
1-04. Therion – Signs Are Here (04:21)
1-05. Therion – Never Again (02:20)
1-06. Therion – Bring Her Home (03:59)
1-07. Therion – The Solid Black Beyond (03:47)
1-08. Therion – The Crowning of Splendour (03:34)
1-09. Therion – Morning Has Broken (06:39)
1-10. Therion – Garden of Peace (03:25)
1-11. Therion – Our Destiny (02:41)
1-12. Therion – Anthem (04:18)
1-13. Therion – The Palace Ball (05:20)
1-14. Therion – Jewels from Afar (04:22)
1-15. Therion – Hail Caesar! (05:10)
1-16. Therion – What Is Wrong? (02:07)
1-17. Therion – Nothing But My Name (03:02)
2-18. Therion – The Arrival of Apollonius (05:06)
2-19. Therion – Pledging Loyalty (02:56)
2-20. Therion – Night Reborn (03:57)
2-21. Therion – Dagger of God (03:32)
2-22. Therion – Temple of New Jerusalem (04:02)
2-23. Therion – The Lions Roar (03:43)
2-24. Therion – Bringing the Gospel (04:44)
2-25. Therion – Laudate Dominum (05:00)
2-26. Therion – Remaining Silent (02:56)
2-27. Therion – Behold Antichrist (04:40)
2-28. Therion – Cursed By the Fallen (01:59)
2-29. Therion – Resurrection (03:41)
2-30. Therion – To Where I Weep (05:57)
2-31. Therion – Astral Sophia (05:42)
2-32. Therion – Thy Will Be Done! (04:36)
3-33. Therion – Shoot Them Down! (03:49)
3-34. Therion – Beneath the Starry Skies (04:26)
3-35. Therion – Forgive Me (09:41)
3-36. Therion – The Wasteland of My Heart (03:24)
3-37. Therion – Burning the Palace (08:21)
3-38. Therion – Prelude to War (00:38)
3-39. Therion – Day of Wrath (04:13)
3-40. Therion – Rise to War (03:47)
3-41. Therion – Time Has Come / Final Battle (02:56)
3-42. Therion – My Voyage Carries On (03:52)
3-43. Therion – Striking Darkness (02:04)
3-44. Therion – Seeds of Time (01:38)
3-45. Therion – To Shine Forever (02:06)
3-46. Therion – Theme of Antichrist (03:32)

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