Leviathan (Therion album)

Leviathan is the seventeenth full-length album by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion. It was released on 22 January 2021 by Nuclear Blast Records.[1] It is the first part in the planned Leviathan trilogy, its sequels Leviathan II and Leviathan III are scheduled for 2022 and 2023 respectively.[2]

Leviathan
Studio album by Therion
Released	22 January 2021
Genre	symphonic metal
Length	45:32
Label	Nuclear Blast
Therion chronology
Beloved Antichrist (2018) Leviathan (2021) Leviathan II (2022)

Two music videos were released for the album: Die Wellen der Zeit and Tuonela; also a lyric video was released for the song Leviathan.

Track listing

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"	Nalle Påhlsson	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"	Christofer Johnsson, Thomas Vikström	5:29

Personnel

• Christofer Johnsson – guitars
• Christian Vidal – guitar
• Nalle Påhlsson – bass
• Thomas Vikström – vocals

Guest vocalists:[3]

• Lori Lewis (3,5,7,8,9), Rosalia Sairem (1,6,10), Chiara Malvestiti (3,5,7), Taida Nazraić (2,3,11), Noa Gruman (11) - soprano
• Marco Hietala (2),
• Mats Levén (9) - baritone

Guest instrumentalists:

• Jonas Öijvall - Hammond Organ
• Snowy Shaw, Björn Höglund - drums

Lyrical themes

As with most Therion albums, all songs are based on various mythology. All lyrics are written by Per Albinsson.

• The Leaf on the Oak of Far is about Camulus, a Gaelic 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, goddess of peace and prosperity.
• Aži Dahāka is a monstrous snake-man in Iranian mythology.
• Eye of Algol is about star in Perseus constellation. In Greek mythology it is associated with the head of Medusa the Gorgon.
• Nocturnal Light is about Inanna, 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 evil spirits A'arab Zaraq and Qliphoth.
• El Primer Sol ("The first Sun" in Spanish) is about creator god Tezcatlipoca in Aztec mythology.
• Ten Courts of Diyu is about the afterworld judgement in Chinese mythology.

Charts

Chart performance for Leviathan

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[4]	173
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5]	11
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[6]	15
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[7]	25
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[8]	12

References

1. "THERION - Release Single And Music Video "Tuonela", New Album Leviathan Out Today!". www.nuclearblast.de. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
2. "Leviathan 2 and 3". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
3. Therion - Leviathan (2021, Digipak, CD) | Discogs
4. "Ultratop.be – Therion – Leviathan" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Therion – Leviathan" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
6. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 4. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
7. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
8. "Swisscharts.com – Therion – Leviathan". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.