SYMPHONY MASSES - HO DRAKON HO MEGAS

As the title Symphony Masses suggests, right here is where Therion started experimenting with incorporating overtly symphonic sounds into their death metal format, resulting in a progressive death metal style which may sound rudimentary compared to works such as Theli, but if approached from a death metal perspective clearly finds Therion carving out a distinctive niche and sound for themselves. Never again would they be quite as pure as they were on prior releases, and their sound would only be the richer for it, and this album's dramatic sound is a solid listen in its own right as well as laying the foundation for what would follow.