Jukebox:Metal

Therion - Celebrators of Becoming

artist website

publisher

impulse buy

Nuclear Blast
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This has got to be the most extravagant and ambitious live DVD project ever. For a band who have never had a live DVD before (despite an 18-odd year career), to release their first one as a six-disc box set (four DVDs and two CDs) is amazing. And so worthwhile as well. The fans with lap this up.

The whole package basically breaks down thus: DVD one is fantastic. Comprising the complete show from the band’s stop in Mexico City on the Lemuria/Sirius B World Tour in 2004. First class picture quality, sound, camera work, editing and performance featuring a full line-up including opera singers etc. It follows that the CDs are therefore equally great, because they are the same audio as this DVD. DVD two is less impressive, following the band on the 2004/2005 World tour and including one, maybe two songs from each stop (not every gig, just every country/major city). These clips are nothing like as good in terms of quality as the show on disc one. Given the multiple camera angles on some songs, and the steady camera work, it seems these too are professionally shot (at least some of them), but the quality is seriously lacking.

DVD three sees a return the excellent quality started with disc one, with another complete concert (this time the band’s set from the Wacken Festival 2001) repeating the same quality (shot by a German TV station, who are always this good) and polishing off with an in-studio documentary and every one of the band’s music videos. Disc four, however, is the worst of the lot. Shaky, grainy bootleg footage from throughout the band’s career from the late ’80s through to 2001 with, at times, absolutely dire sound quality, bordering on the unlistenable.

Now, I’d have thought the very reason bands make live DVDs and fans buy live DVDs is to avoid having to watch grainy, shaky bootlegs with bad sound and people waving their hands in front of the camera. So, with that in mind, why in God’s name devote two entire DVDs to grainy, shaky bootleg footage with bad sound and people waving their hands on front of the camera? Seriously, what is the point?

This package should really only include DVDs one and three and the CDs. Then it would be one of the best live packages there’s possibly ever been. Unfortunately, DVDs two and four drag the average down a bit. Die-hard fans will watch these discs once each, tops. Everyone else will switch off after about five minutes. A very sensible thing to do would be to release a four disc set as the main commercial release and make the six disc set a special edition for the die-hards. This is essential for true fans. Everyone else might want to wait to see what price tag is attached before making their minds up, but if it is at all sensibly priced, DVDs one and three and the two CDs are more than worth it.

“ ambitious ”

Tracklist:
DVD1 - Live In Mexico City 2004: Blood of Kingu / Uthark Runa / Seven Secrets of The Sphinx / Asgard / Son of The Sun / Invocation of Naamah / Typhon / Draconian Trilogy / Flesh of The Gods / Schwarzalbenheim / Ginnungagap / In Rememberance / Wild Hunt / The Invincible / Melez / Rise of Sodom And Gomorrah / The Khlysti Evangelist / Siren of The Woods / Quetzalcoatl / Wine of Aluqah / Cults of The Shadow / To Mega Therion / Iron Fist
DVD2 - Tour report 2004-2005
DVD3 - Live At Wacken 2001: Seven Secrets of The Sphinx / A Black Rose / Cults of The Shadow / Birth of Venus Illegitima / In The Desert of Set / Rise of Sodom And Gomorrah / Wine of Aluqah / To Mega Therion
Video Clip Section: Pandemonic Outbreak / A Black Rose / The Beauty In Black / To Mega Therion / In The Desert of Set / Birth of Venus Illegitima / Summernight City
DVD4 - Historical Disc: Paroxysmal Holocaust / Asphyxiate With Fear / Dark Eternity / The Return / Pandemonic Outbreak / Enter The Depths of Eternal Darkness / Dawn of Perishness / Baal Reginon / Wings of The Hydra / Melez / Symphony of The Dead / A Black Rose / Dark Princess Naamah / Let The New Day Begin / Dawn of Perishness / Black / Cults of The Shadow / To Mega Therion / Under Jolly Roger / Black Sun / Rise of Sodom And Gomorrah / Enter Vril-Ya / Behind The Scenes: Before A Show / Riders of Theli / The Niemann Brothers Jam / To Mega Therion / Wings of The Hydra / Behind The Scenes: After A Show / Seawinds / Secret of The Runes / Summernight City / The Beauty In Black / Behind The Scenes
CDs contain identical tracklist to DVD1

Written by Andy Lye
More: Live DVDs, Symphonic, Therion