LEVIATHAN II

Swedish symphonic metal masters Therion are back with their 18th studio album, which is also the second instalment of their "Leviathan Trilogy" launched last year with the release of the first Leviathan album. Out on October 28th via Nuclear Blast, Leviathan II sticks to the template Christofer Johnsson announced for the trilogy: to give fans a bird-eye overview of Therion's classic sound in all its different facets, from bombastic and catchy "hits", to melancholic symphonies, to adventurous excursions in proggy territories. The first Leviathan mainly focused on the hits, while Leviathan II takes on the moodier aspects of the Swedes' music, using their iconic 1998 album Vovin as a blueprint.

The guitarist did keep to his word and the 11 songs we find on Leviathan II sound indeed as a sort of "best of" of Therion's most melancholic material from the period between Vovin and Sirius B. The songwriting mostly idles in the mid-tempo range, although there are frequent tempo changes that ensure unpredictable injections of energy, keeping proceedings lively. The mood is solemn and gloomy, an effect underscored by the use of grave and lush choral arrangements that use the full spectrum of voices, from soprano to bass. The vocal melodies are excellent and I love the smooth way that the operatic singing is intertwined with a more straightforward rock/metal style. The alternation between different vocal styles (and singers) throughout the album propels it forward dynamically, escaping the pitfall of unidimensionality that has plagued some previous Therion's records. The mellower and more introspective nature of Leviathan II also invites a slower unwinding of the music, without rushing for the big chorus hook as it was instead the case for the previous album. As a result, Leviathan II features a better balance between instrumental parts and vocals, compared to the first instalment of the trilogy. There are more spots for guitar and keyboard solos as well as lengthier instrumental passages, with great interplay between chuggy guitar riffs, orchestral scores, and 1970s Hammond and mellotron keyboards.

These qualities make Leviathan II a rather enthralling listen from start to finish. The quality of the material is consistently high and Johnsson wisely injects good variation across the 11 compositions, alternating soft ballads ("Lunar Coloured Fields", "Hades and Elysium") with more energetic pieces, in some cases even reviving the use of harsh vocals ("Lucifuge Rofocale"). The middle section of the album may plod a little, with material that feels a tad less inspired ("Hades and Elysium", "Midnight Star"), but things take a very interesting turn towards the end of the LP. Here Johnsson sneaked in a couple of proggy moments, perhaps as an appetizer for Leviathan Part III, which has been announced to lean into progressive rock territory. This is most apparent on "Cavern Cold as Ice", which is also my favourite track on the album. It starts with a Jethro Tull-like flute flourish that soon makes space for some beautiful ABBA-infused vocal harmonies and a melody that could feature in a Broadway musical. Things get even weirder as a menacing mid-section slows down the tempo to doom levels of sluggishness before the song explodes in a climactic solo. Quite an adventure indeed! "Pazuzu" is another gem, featuring a tremendous performance by Eclipse's singer Erik Mårtensson which adds an extra gritty kick to the song, closing the record in style.

For all its positives, Leviathan II (and the trilogy as a whole) puts this reviewer in a difficult conundrum. On this album, like on its predecessor, Therion deliberately take inspiration from their own back catalogue to capture and revive the essence of the "classic Therion sound", and write new classics with it. In that respect, Leviathan II is a resounding success: the music on this album is really strong, probably the best Therion have recorded in over a decade. However, why should you buy and listen to this record, rather than dust off the shelves your old copy of monumental albums like Vovin or Theli? There's no easy answer that works for everyone here. Personally, I find that those early albums possess a stronger mystique, and possibly better flow and coherence, too. On the other hand, Leviathan II has better production value (the choirs and orchestrations sound fantastic) as well as more refined songwriting and arrangements that come with the additional two decades of experience that Mr. Johnsson has meanwhile developed. In the end, I can happily live in a world where the Leviathan trilogy coexists with the band's back catalogue ? spinning the latter when I want a more immersive and momentous experience, and the former when I need a quick fix of quintessential Therion sound.

[Originally written for The Metal Observer]

It is incredible to think Christofer Johnsson formed Therion more than 35 years ago, as they are still putting out wonderful symphonic albums of great depth, and here they are returning quickly with the second part of their 'Leviathan' trilogy. The first came out in 2021, this towards the end of 2022 while the next is due in 2023 so they were obviously conceived, if not recorded, at the same time. Johnsson said he has achieved everything he had wanted after the release of 'Beloved Antichrist', and was bereft of ideas so sat down with lead vocalist Thomas Vikström to work out what to do next, and they decided that instead of progressing in the way they wished to why not give the fans exactly what they wanted?

This means Christofer Johnsson (guitars), Sami Karppinen (drums), Nalle Påhlsson (bass) and Christian Vidal (guitars) providing hugely complex and complicated multi-layered arrangements which also have plenty of room for Thomas Vikström and Lori Lewis to really shine. It is symphonic, metallic, progressive, orchestral, melodic, designed for rock arenas and classical stages alike, blending together different forms so the join is seamless. One wonders how many hours were spent in the studio by the singers as they are multi-tracked time and again to create harmonies on top of harmonies, yet for all this the band never move away from being a guitar-led rock band. We even get some Middle Eastern influenced in "Marijin Min Nar" where Lori shows not only her rock voice but some professionally trained high soprano which is just sublime.

This is an album which has enough melody and hooks within it to capture the listener the first time of playing, but when more time is invested the rewards are great. When played on speakers one gets one level of understanding, although only if the volume is high, as there is much more to comprehend when using headphones. It is a compelling piece of work, and there is no doubt Johnsson has achieved his aim in giving fans what they want, and now we all eagerly await the conclusion of this set later this year. Yet again, Therion have delivered wonderful symphonic metallic music of the highest order.