Therion
Con Orqesta
Napalm Records
Far too often live albums are mere documents which capture a band on stage and don’t bring anything new to the listening experience. Thankfully, Swedish symphonic band Therion aren’t the type of group to tread old ground and, true to form, latest live outing Con Orqesta finds them taking a fresh approach. Featuring new arrangements and old songs expanded for a full orchestra, the resulting album not only breathes new life into familiar tracks but also absorbs some of the culture from where it was recorded and gives Con Orqesta a distinctly Mexican vibe. Bringing a touch of the midnight sun to The City of Palaces, Therion have produced an album that sparkles and shines in a way that live outings rarely do. Their grandiose brand of metal makes the perfect accompaniment for the classical seasoning that flavours songs such as ‘Ten Courts Of Diyu’: two seemingly disparate genres fused into a cohesive whole with the guitars soaring like the operatic vocals and the drums crashing in tandem with the woodwind instruments. Plenty of crowd participation makes this an authentic live document whilst the set list, mined from the depths of the band’s discography, acts as an alternative best of compilation, and it all conspires to render Con Orqesta a unique, and essential, live album.
https://www.facebook.com/therion
Review by Peter Dennis.