From Wacken Open Air and onwards, Mats Levén will no longer be singing with the band. It was a decision taken by the whole band in discussion with Mats. This change of line-up is on friendly terms and the remaining shows before Wacken will be performed with the same energy and passion as if nothing had happened. There are no bad feelings. Therion will continue to delevop even further into the direction we set on the last tour and Mats will focus on his new projects.

The background to this change is that on the last tour we all noticed that Mats lacked a bit of the energy and motivation we used to see in him. Not in a way that the actual performance on stage suffered from it, he has always been extremely professional and would never let down an audience. It was rather us noticing behind the scenes that some of his previous fire was missing. It seemed the new concept with 4 lead singers and a somewhat more musical type of set up didn't suit him as well as the concept we had before where his rock n' roll style contrasting to Karin Fjellanders traditional classsical appearance was a huge part of the idea. So we started to think and talk about the possibility of finding someone else who would have the right motivation and vocal skills to develp this new live concept even further.
A while after the tour we had discussions with Mats that in the end led to the decision to free him from his duties and search for a replacement.

Every time there was a change in the Therion line-up, it caused a lot of discussions. Some will always prefer the previous line-up because for some reason or another. Those who was with us back then probably remember the discussions after Martina, Anders "the bald guy" Engberg etc. Some fans fell in love with the high-energy vitamin injection that Mats gave to the band, while others thought he was too much rock n' roll for Therion (which btw was totally our intention when engaging him for the Lemuria/Sirius B tour). Without a doubt though, it is clear that a majority will think back of the period with Mats on stage with a huge smile. Each stage in Therion's development has had it's own unique charm and strenghts and it is therefore a good thing when people are missed, but the good part is that it does not mean one has to be disappointed with the next step.

And the part you all have been waiting for... The new guy will be Thomas Vikström, a singer who has been singing both opera, operettas and musicals as well as rock, metal and loads of other stuff. He is probably most known in the metal world for singing on a Candlemass album (which is actually far from his best effort). Here in Sweden he is also know for the melodic hard rock band Talk Of The Town. His great vocal abilities will for sure be more known at least among the Therion fans after the tour.

Source:	megatherion.com
Band profile:	Therion