Christofer comments
“One day I was thinking about epic doom metal and wondering if it is harder to write a ”hit song” in that genre, or if it’s harder in regular metal. I’m a huge fan of Candlemass, and in my opinion, I haven’t heard any other band match their hit songs in the genre. So, I decided to try find out for myself how hard it is. Of course, I had to involve Thomas in the writing process, being an ex Candlemass singer. The result was “Codex Gigas”, a Candlemass-inspired Therion doom song. If it’s a hit or not will be up to the fans to judge.”

With defiant determination rarely found in a metal band, THERION have always and exclusively done what they deemed right. They never stuck to a successful formula for the sake of it, they never released the same album twice, and they never gave in to fickle friends like expectation, commercial aspects or trends. Which makes it all the more astounding that now, 35 years deep into their storied career, they are doing something every fan had hoped for but never actually thought possible. Enter Leviathan, enter a trilogy focusing on all the trademark elements that THERION are beloved by countless metal fans around the globe for. After the first part set hearts aflame in 2021, evoking goosebumps and reminiscing around the glory days of the nineties, the symphonic metal grand-seigneurs continue their surprisingly fan-friendly path with their epic odyssey Leviathan II.

“We wanted to give fans what they want this time,” musical professor Christofer Johnsson informs us from his sunny new home on Gozo, Malta.

“We have been doing what we wanted for so long we just thought it fair to turn the tables just this once.” Turning 50, you might misinterpret a move like this with a certain mellowing of age. You couldn’t be more wrong, of course: Johnsson is still the musical frontiersman, looking for new challenges and hero’s journey under every stone he turns. However, after having finished the insanely sophisticated, elaborate triple album rock musical “Beloved Antichrist”, even a Christofer Johnsson felt he had reached a certain frontier here. “After‘ Beloved Antichrist’ I was lacking direction because I had done everything I ever wanted to do or achieve.” He sat down with lead vocalist Thomas Vikström to ponder their next move when it quickly dawned on them: “The only thing we never did was give the fans exactly what they wanted,” he grins drily.

Tracklist:
1. Aeon of Maat 02:36
2. Litany of the Fallen 04:24 Show lyrics
3. Alchemy of the Soul 04:10
4. Lunar Coloured Fields 05:40
5. Lucifuge Rofocale 04:42
6. Marijin Min Nar 03:56
7. Hades and Elysium 04:22
8. Midnight Star 04:42
9. Cavern Cold as Ice 03:25
10. Codex Gigas 04:06
11. Pazuzu 04:27 Show lyrics
Total running time 46:30