THERION – Les Fleurs Du Mal

Self Published – Out Now

Being a recording artist for twenty five years non-stop is an achievement that not many musicians can lay a claim to but Christofer Johnsson, lead guitarist and driving force behind the Swedish Symphonic/Classical Metal outfit Therion, is hardly what you would describe as an average artist! His unique skill and unprecedented compositional skills ensured that Therion reached the heights of their popularity at the same time when most Swedish Death Metal bands were reaching their nadir, but that was a result achieved by constantly evolving and challenging the expectations and desires of both the band’s fans and that of the music industry.

Keeping true to both his artistic vision and integrity, Christofer decided to celebrate this important milestone by releasing another controversial album – a collection of fifteen covers of French pop songs under the title “Les Fleurs Du Mal”.

I was intrigued to see what people made of the band’s fifteenth studio album and encountering a variety of opinions, I decided to do the right thing and trust my own ears. The first few listens were both inconclusive and somewhat confusing; though I detected all the elements that made me love Therion’s music in the first place, I could not quite understand what direction Christofer was trying to steer his musical ship towards.

As tends to happen with most Therion releases, things started becoming much clearer with every new spin and now I am finally in a position to say that “Les Fleurs Du Mal” may not be what one would call a classic Therion release but it is, however, a collection of truly inspiring covers which, having been given the ‘Johnsson treatment’, are worthy of a place in the band’s long and varied discography.

Even though the enigmatic Swede has chosen to once again ‘freshen up’ the band’s line-up he was clever enough to retain the services of the American soprano Lori Lewis and I say clever as her powerful vocal chords are responsible for some of the most memorable and impressive moments on the album. Whether operating in support of heavy riffs as in “Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son” (both opening and closing) and “Initials BB” or carrying the themes of more mellow/atmospheric pieces such as “Mon Amour, Mon Ami” and “La Martitza”, Lori’s performances are among the best she has made for this band.

So, that being the case, why is “Les Fleurs Du Mal” not endowed with a top rating? Well, much as they are enjoyable to listen to, songs like “Dis-Moi Poupee”, “Polichinelle” and “Wahala Manitou” are, simply put, not that amazing and in “Je N’ai Besoin Que De Tendresse” we have one of the most uninspiring and annoying songs ever recorded by a man of Christofer’s skill and status.

I can understand why some old-school Therion fans may have problems warming to “Les Fleurs Du Mal” but I do believe that this is a problem which is, to a large extent, self-inflicted. If you decide to apply a conventional approach to Therion’s fifteenth studio album then chances are that you will never manage to truly connect with it.

If, on the other hand, you decide to leave all preconceptions and expectations aside (hard thing for any fan to do, I know) and understand Mr. Johansson’s need for evolution and artistic freedom, only then will you begin to appreciate the work and inspiration behind “Les Fleurs Du Mal” – an album definitely worthy of anyone’s affection and attention.

John Stefanis

Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)

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