Leviathan is the seventeenth studio album by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion. It was released on 22 January 2021 by Nuclear Blast Records.[4] It is the first part in Leviathan trilogy, its sequels Leviathan II and Leviathan III were released on 2022 and 2023 respectively.
| Leviathan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 January 2021 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal[1][2][3] | |||
| Length | 45:32 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Therion chronology | ||||
| ||||
Two music videos were released for the album: Die Wellen der Zeit and Tuonela; also a lyric video was released for the song Leviathan. A few months after the release of the album, a third music video was made for Eye of Algol.
Vocalist Thomas Vikström confirmed that the band indeed aimed to make a more "normal" album again.[5] Christofer Johnsson has described the Leviathan trilogy as "hit albums" deliberately drawing influence from the most popular and beloved elements of their back catalog, with Leviathan I being bombastic and catchy.[6]
Lyrical themes
editAs with most Therion albums, all songs are based on various mythologies. All lyrics are written by Per Albinsson except "Psalm of Retribution", which was written by Christofer Johnsson.
- The Leaf on the Oak of Far is about Camulus, a Gaulish god of war.
- Tuonela is the underworld of dead in Finnish mythology.
- Leviathan is the enormous sea serpent from the Old Testament.
- Die Wellen der Zeit ("The Waves of Time" in German) is about Nerthus, Germanic goddess of peace and prosperity.
- Aži Dahāka is a monstrous snake-man in Iranian mythology.
- Eye of Algol is about a star in the Perseus constellation. In Greek mythology it is associated with the head of Medusa the Gorgon.
- Nocturnal Light is about Inanna (known better by some as Ishtar), Sumerian goddess of love, similar to Venus.
- Great Marquis of Hell is about demon Aamon, a Marquis of Hell in Ars Goetia.
- Psalm of Retribution is based on Kaballah and references A'arab Zaraq and qlippoth.
- El Primer Sol ("The first Sun" in Spanish) is about creator god Tezcatlipoca, as well as the Five Suns Myth in Aztec mythology.
- Ten Courts of Diyu is about the afterworld judgement in Chinese mythology.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Blabbermouth.net |    [1] |
Critical reception of Leviathan was mostly positive; many critics compared the album to Therion's albums of 2000s and considered it a band's "return" after two softer and more complex concept albums.[8][1][9][10][11][12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Leaf on the Oak of Far" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Tuonela" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Leviathan" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Die Wellen der Zeit" | Nalle Påhlsson | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Aži Dahāka" | Christofer Johnsson | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Eye of Algol" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Nocturnal Light" | Thomas Vikström | 5:37 |
| 8. | "Great Marquis of Hell" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Psalm of Retribution" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 5:02 |
| 10. | "El Primer Sol" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Ten Courts of Diyu" | Thomas Vikström | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 45:32 | ||
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Eye of Algol (Alternative Vocals Version)" | Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström | 4:05 |
| 13. | "Tuonela (Full Marco Vocals Version)" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:41 |
| 14. | "Tuonela (Alternative Vocals Version)" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:41 |
| 15. | "Tuonela (Instrumental Version)" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:40 |
| 16. | "Tuonela (Orchestral Version)" | Christofer Johnsson | 4:33 |
Personnel
edit- Christofer Johnsson – rhythm guitar, keyboards, programming
- Christian Vidal – lead guitar
- Nalle Påhlsson – bass
- Thomas Vikström – lead and backing vocals
- Lori Lewis – soprano (3, 5, 7, 8 and 9)
Guest vocalists
edit- Rosalia Sairem – lead vocals (1, 6 and 10), mezzo-soprano (6)
- Chiara Malvestiti – soprano (3, 5 and 7)
- Taida Nazraić – lead vocals (2, 4 and 11)
- Noa Gruman – lead vocals (11)
- Marko Hietala – lead vocals (2)
- Mats Levén – lead vocals (9)
- Hellscore – choir
Guest instrumentalists
edit- Jonas Öijvall – hammond organ (5 and 6)
- Snowy Shaw – drums (4, 5, 7, 10 and 11)
- Björn Höglund – drums (1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9)
- Ally Storch – solo violin (2)
- Fabio Amurri – keyboards, programming
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] | 45 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 173 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[16] | 162 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 11 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[18] | 15 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[19] | 25 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 12 |
References
edit- ^ a b c CD Reviews - Leviathan Therion - Blabbermouth
- ^ Therion - Leviathan (Album Review)
- ^ ALBUM REVIEW: Leviathan - Therion - Distorted Sound Magazine
- ^ "THERION - Release Single And Music Video "Tuonela", New Album Leviathan Out Today!". www.nuclearblast.de. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Therion Prove That Even In Symphonic Metal, Less Can Mean More — Knotfest
- ^ "Interview: Therion's Christofer Johnsson talks pleasing fans with new album 'Leviathan;' looks back on thirty years of 'Of Darkness…' | Metal Insider". metalinsider.net. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Leviathan at AllMusic
- ^ Therion — Leviathan — Album Review
- ^ Therion: Leviathan album review | Louder
- ^ Review: Therion «Leviathan» (Nuclear Blast) | ANTICHRIST Magazine
- ^ Therion — Leviathan (Album Review)
- ^ Therion — Leviathan • GRIMM Gent
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/release/17439172-Therion-Leviathan [bare URL]
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Therion – Leviathan" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Therion – Leviathan" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Therion – Leviathan". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Therion – Leviathan" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 4. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Therion – Leviathan". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.