History Music / Therion

Therion is a SymphonicMetal band from Sweden. They are considered the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier for the genre.

* CrystalDragonJesus: "Birth of Venus Illegitima" takes a tale and a goddess from Myth/ClassicalMythology and weaves in explicitly Christian concepts of sin, sexuality, paradise and Hell. In this case, it's done for artistic purposes rather than to file off serial numbers.

* CrystalDragonJesus: "Birth of Venus Illegitima" takes a tale and a goddess from Myth/ClassicalMythology and weaves in explicitly Christian concepts of sin, sexuality and Hell. In this case, it's done for artistic purposes rather than to file off serial numbers.

* TheBoardGame: Probably the only metal band to have one: the {{Fantasy}}/{{Steampunk}}/{{Norse Mythology}}-based ''011'', featuring player characters based on the band members trying to stop (or cause) TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Everything Sounds Creepier in German]]: The German lyrics to "Prometheus Entfesselt" aren't exactly evil, what with them being about Prometheus in GreekMythology giving fire to mankind and delivering them from ignorance, but the baritone singing the verses sounds creepy as hell delivering them.

** All things considered, the lion's share of their work is essentially a well-researched musical tour of the mythoi of the world, both ancient and modern. Varied enough to touch on some stories or characters of which listeners were thitherto unaware and educated enough to, more often than not, avoid triteness. Sirius B visits, in order, Russian mystic [[RasputinTheMadMonk Grigori Rasputin]], the Greco-Roman myth of Persephone, Hindu death-goddess Kali, and a heavily-veiled step inside Egyptian mythology. Raise your hand if you're sufficiently familiar with all of these as to not have to look up lyrics when you hear these songs. ...Yeah, not too many out there.

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering Music/FleetwoodMac, Music/ThinLizzy, Music/{{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, Music/{{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, Music/{{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, Music/{{ABBA}}, Music/MercyfulFate, Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, Creator/AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and Music/FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, Music/{{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, Music/{{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, Creator/AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

{{Therion}} is a SymphonicMetal band from Sweden. They are considered the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier for the genre.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Good luck trying to figure out what ''Gothic Kabbalah'' is about without looking it up unless you happen to be familiar with the life story of seventeenth-century Swedish esotericist Johannes Bureus. [[hottip:*:It's about Bureus's system of occultism which combines Hermetic Kabbalah with Nordic rune magic.]] Other songs throughout their career have rather obscure mythological references.

* ManOfAThousandVoices: In addition to his standard style, former vocalist Mats Levén did some really good impersonations of [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]] and King Diamond.

* RockOpera: ''Gothic Kabbalah''

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, Music/{{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, Music/{{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

* ''Les Fleurs du Mal'' (Studio album, to be released September 28, 2012)

** As of ''Les Fleurs du Mal'', they have an ''etnire album'' in French.

* ThisIsSparta:
** "THE WORLD! WILL BURN! BY SOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAATH'S! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!"
** "KALI MAAAAAAAAAAA! NOW IT'S THE AUTUUUUUUUUUUUUMN! OOOOOOOOF THE AEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONS!"

* Johan Kullberg (drums)

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, {{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, Music/{{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, {{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, {{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, Music/{{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[BlindGuardian Hansi Kürsch]] does guest vocals on "Flesh of the Gods". [[CradleOfFilth Sarah Jezebel Deva]] has performed with Therion both live and in studio.

* EpicRiff: Every album has at least a few. Stand-outs include "The Return", "Symphony of the Dead", "A Black Rose", "The Wings of the Hydra", "The Beauty in Black", "Riders of Theli", ''every damn song'' on ''Theli'', "The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah", "Birth of Venus Illegitima", "Wine of Aluqah", "The Wild Hunt", "Draconian Trilogy", "Seven Secrets of the Sphinx", "Flesh of the Gods", "Ginnungagap", "Asgård", "Schwarzalbenheim", "Typhon", "Uthark Runa", "The Blood of Kingu", "Son of the Sun", "Kali Yuga", "Der Mitternachtslöwe", "The Falling Stone", and "Sitra Ahra".
** Listen to the opening riff of "Kali Yuga Part 1". Now imagine [[{{BeavisAndButthead}} Beavis and Butthead]] imitating that one.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Good luck being able to figure out what ''Gothic Kabbalah'' is about without looking it up unless you happen to be familiar with the life story of seventeenth-century Swedish esotericist Johannes Bureus. [[hottip:*:It's about Bureus's system of occultism which combines Hermetic Kabbalah with Nordic rune magic.]] Other songs throughout their career have rather obscure mythological references.

* ManOfAThousandVoices: In addition to his standard style, former vocalist Mats Levén did some really good impersonations of [[{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]] and King Diamond.

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/JudasPriest, Music/JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, {{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, {{Scorpions}}, Music/IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, {{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).

* CoverVersion: Tons. The band has covered {{Metallica}}, JudasPriest, JudasPriest covering FleetwoodMac, ThinLizzy, {{Accept}}, Music/{{Venom}}, {{Scorpions}}, IronMaiden, Music/RunningWild, {{Loudness}}, {{Manowar}}, Carl Orff, {{ABBA}}, Mercyful Fate, {{Motorhead}}, Music/{{WASP}}, the Russian National Anthem, AntoninDvorak, Giuseppe Verdi, WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Wagner, and FaithNoMore (as special guests with Trail of Tears).