Short Reviews [Therion - 2022 - "Leviathan II"]

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 Vikstrom 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 Pahlsson (bass) and Christian Vidal (guitars) providing hugely complex and complicated multi-layered arrangements which also have plenty of room for Thomas Vikstom 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.