Today sees the release of THERION‘s 17th studio album Leviathan! The album was met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, and the Swedish Symphonic Metal forerunners are proud to celebrate its release day with yet another magnificent music video for the song “Tuonela“. You can expect demons, swordplay, fire, blood, drama & basically anything else that’s epic crammed into one video! Enjoy!
As a guest, former NIGHTWISH singer and bassist Marko Hietala lends his voice to the song.
THERION mastermind Christofer Johnsson comments:”Like everyone else I’m very sad and was also surprised to read that Marko is leaving Nightwish. But I understand the meaning of his reasons and there are many that are frustrated about the same things. But Marko has been active as a professional recording artist with various quality bands since the mid 80s, so I am absolutely sure we will see his return to the scene in time. He is simply too good to not be involved with music. But right now I hope he will take a good amount of time to just find himself and get the full energy and inspiration back on track.”
Sweden’s Symphonic Metal pioneers THERION are proud to unveil “Die Wellen der Zeit“, another single from their upcoming 17th studio album Leviathan, which drops on January 22nd, 2021, via NUCLEAR BLAST.
You can watch the epic music video for the new single “Die Wellen der Zeit” here:
Band leader Christofer Johnsson comments: “Once again we worked with Carlos Toro and Abyss Production in Chile. Carlos has done the previous 7 videos for us over the past 10 years and this may be the best one yet! The lyrics deal with the ancient Germanic worship of Nerthus and you will get some interpretations of the good old times in the clip.“
1. The Leaf on the Oak of Far 2. Tuonela 3. Leviathan 4. Die Wellen der Zeit 5. Aži Dahāka 6. Eye of Algol 7. Nocturnal Light 8. Great Marquis of Hell 9. Psalm of Retribution 10. El Primer Sol 11. Ten Courts of Diyu
THERION have always been a band that have challenged themselves to explore new paths, while remaining true to their musical core values. For their 17th studio album, Leviathan, mastermind Christofer Johnsson and his collaborator ThomasVikström have created something that has been previously unthinkable to the guitarist and the singer. “We have done the only thing that was left of all the different angles to explore“, explains Christofer. “We have decided to give the people what they kept asking for. Leviathan is the first album that we have deliberately packed with THERION hit songs.”
When THERION came into being in 1988 by changing name from the already existing band BLITZKRIEG, which was founded a year earlier, Christofer had rather taken inspiration from SLAYER‘s Reign In Bloodamong other classic metal albums. At the beginning, the Swedes were firmly rooted in death metal, a genre which they helped to define, as witnessed by their debut album Of Darkness…. (1991). Yet even back then, there were hints of “something else” lurking beneath the rough surface.
The use of female vocals is another core ingredient of THERION today, which developed gradually. CELTIC FROST had basically introduced the female element to extreme metal on To Mega Therionin 1985. THERION began with both a female and male vocalist emulating a church like choir already in their sophomore full-length Beyond Sanctorum(1992). With Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas (1993) and Lepaca Kliffoth (1995), Christofer continued to developed his trademark sound by gradually drifting towards cleaner vocals and more keyboards. With Theli, the Swedes had firmly established a reputation of pushing the boundaries of metal in the 90s – among such acts as their compatriots TIAMAT, THE GATHERING, and MOONSPELL that were often referred to as “gothic metal” at the time.
THERION continued to break new ground leaving inspiration for others to follow in their wake: On A’arab Zaraq – Lucid Dreaming(1997), Christofer further explored the use of Near Eastern music in metal which he had already begun in 1992, while Secret Of The Runes (2001) dared to have Swedish lyrics in some songs. While critics were left confused and fans challenged, THERION were often ahead of their times and vindicated in hindsight. Even the band’s 25th anniversary excursion Les Fleurs Du Mal has by now overcome the initial shock the album caused and is only beaten in terms of streaming by the classic Vovin (1998).
When Christofer faced the question of where to go next after the dramatic Beloved Antichrist (2018) had finally fulfilled his musical mission, his answer is Leviathan named after a giant sea monster from Judeo-Christian myth that has roots in Babylonic lore: THERION have created a giant hit album – and for the first time in the history of the Swedes, their fans are not asked to explore something new, but simply to lean back and enjoy the best from their band!
Sweden’s Symphonic Metal pioneers THERION are proud to unleash the first single and title track from their upcoming 17th studio album “Leviathan”, which is set to be released on 22 January 2021 on NUCLEAR BLAST.
Balancing ominous atmosphere and powerful, seducing chants, “Leviathan” succeeds in virtually conjuring the mythical sea creature the song has borrowed its name from.
You can watch the animated lyric video for “Leviathan” here:
THERION have always been a band that have challenged themselves to explore new paths, while remaining true to their musical core values. For their 17th studio album, “Leviathan”, mastermind Christofer Johnsson and his collaborator Thomas Vikström have created something that has been previously unthinkable to the guitarist and the singer. “We have done the only thing that was left of all the different angles to explore”, explains Christofer.“We have decided to give the people what they kept asking for. ‘Leviathan’ is the first album that we have deliberately packed with THERION hit songs.”
When THERION came into being in 1988 by changing name from the already existing band BLITZKRIEG, which was founded a year earlier, Christofer had rather taken inspiration from SLAYER’s “Reign In Blood” among other classic metal albums. At the beginning, the Swedes were firmly rooted in death metal, a genre which they helped to define, as witnessed by their debut album “Of Darkness….” (1991). Yet even back then, there were hints of “something else” lurking beneath the rough surface.
The use of female vocals is another core ingredient of THERION today, which developed gradually. CELTIC FROST had basically introduced the female element to extreme metal on “To Mega Therion” in 1985. THERION began with both a female and male vocalist emulating a church like choir already in their sophomore full-length ‘Beyond Sanctorum’ (1992). With Symphony “Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas” (1993) and “Lepaca Kliffoth” (1995), Christofer continued to developed his trademark sound by gradually drifting towards cleaner vocals and more keyboards. With “Theli”, the Swedes had firmly established a reputation of pushing the boundaries of metal in the 90s – among such acts as their compatriots TIAMAT, THE GATHERING, and MOONSPELL that were often referred to as “gothic metal” at the time.
THERION continued to break new ground leaving inspiration for others to follow in their wake: On “A’arab Zaraq – Lucid Dreaming” (1997), Christofer further explored the use of Near Eastern music in metal which he had already begun in 1992, while “Secret Of The Runes” (2001) dared to have Swedish lyrics in some songs. While critics were left confused and fans challenged, THERION were often ahead of their times and vindicated in hindsight. Even the band’s 25th anniversary excursion “Les Fleurs Du Mal” has by now overcome the initial shock the album caused and is only beaten in terms of streaming by the classic “Vovin” (1998).
When Christofer faced the question of where to go next after the dramatic “Beloved Antichrist” (2018) had finally fulfilled his musical mission, his answer is “Leviathan” named after a giant sea monster from Judeo-Christian myth that has roots in Babylonic lore: THERION have created a giant hit album – and for the first time in the history of the Swedes, their fans are not asked to explore something new, but simply to lean back and enjoy the best from their band!
ALPHA OMEGA Management has a pleasure to announce that the Italian progressive rock/metallers HERETIC’S DREAM are confirmed, as main support, for the Swedish powerhouse THERION, on their “Beloved Antichrist” tour in Kyiv – Ukraine, on April 15th at Bel Etage.
Furthermore, on January 28th, HERETIC’S DREAM will perform at Power Prog Fest Vol 2 in Rome – Italy.
HERETIC’S DREAM is a female fronted five piece Rock band that can’t easily be labelled as playing anyone type of Rock music! Their music is Hard Rock, Alternative, Progressive and Metal, combining unusual and complex rhythms with a fierce energy, making their music unique! Check out their latest video for the song ‘Secret Place’, here: https://youtu.be/JctFa8sjKhI. In May 2017, HERETIC’S DREAM joined the Finnish progressive metal masters AMORPHIS on the 10th Eclipse Anniversary Shows in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Watch their performance at Zal Ozhidaniya Club 13.05.2017, Saint-Petersburg, Russia:
15 years after the first spark of inspiration hit mastermind Christofer Johnsson, THERION can now finally present their monumental opera project, “Beloved Antichrist”. The staggering 3 CD album required many years of constant commitment and passion, which saw it grow to an incredible three hours of playing time, as well as a complex story with 27 different vocal roles. The three act opera will be released on February 9, 2018.
Today, the band presents their first trailer, in which band leader Christofer explains the storyline of his most grandiose work. Watch the trailer here:
On February 2nd, symphonic metal pioneers THERION will finally release Christofer Johnsson‘s monumental brainchild “Beloved Antichrist” a sweeping rock opera loosely inspired by Vladímir Soloviov’s “A Short Tale Of The Antichrist”. The entire piece reaches an impressive length of 3 hours. The dramatic and epic opus comes to life through 27 different character roles, performed by long-time band members like Thomas Vikström, Lori Lewis and Chiara Malvestiti, amongst many others. The band will unveil the first excerpt from “Beloved Antichrist“in single form before Christmas – and today, they present the cover artwork designed by Thomas Ewerhart, as well as the tracklisting:
THERION presents “Beloved Antichrist”
Act I
01. Turn From Heaven
02. Where Will You Go?
03. Through Dust, Through Rain
04. Signs Are Here
05. Never Again
06. Bring Her Home
07. The Solid Black Beyond
08. The Crowning Of Splendour
09. Morning Has Broken
10. Garden Of Peace
11. Our Destiny
12. Anthem
13. The Palace Ball
14. Jewels From Afar
15. Hail Caesar!
16. What Is Wrong?
17. Nothing But My Name
Act II
01. The Arrival Of Apollonius
02. Pledging Loyalty
03. Night Reborn
04. Dagger Of God
05. Temple Of New Jerusalem
06. The Lions Roar
07. Bringing The Gospel
08. Laudate Dominum
09. Remaining Silent
10. Behold Antichrist
11. Cursed By The Fallen
12. Resurrection
13. To Where I Weep
14. Astral Sophia
15. Thy Will Be Done!
Act III
01. Shoot Them Down!
02. Beneath The Starry Skies
03. Forgive Me
04. The Wasteland Of My Heart
05. Burning The Palace
06. Prelude To War
07. Day Of Wrath
08. Rise To War
09. Time Has Come/Final Battle
10. My Voyage Carries On
11. Striking Darkness
12. Seeds Of Time
13. To Shine Forever
14. Theme Of Antichrist
Currently, THERION are working on the possibility of bringing the entire production to the stage. And while this monumental undertaking still simmers away in the production halls, the band has announced a pan-European tour taking them to 25 (!) different countries, where they will perform some new and some classic THERION hits. Catch the symphonic metal titans on one of the the dates of their pan-European tour:
THERION
w/ IMPERIAL AGE and NULL POSITIV
01.02. D Essen – Turock*
02.02. NL Amsterdam – Melkweg*
03.02. UK London – Islington Assembly*
04.02. UK Manchester – Rebellion*
06.02. UK Newcastle – Riverside*
07.02. UK Aberdeen – The Assembly*
08.02. UK Glasgow – Audio*
09.02. UK Sheffield – Corporation*
10.02. UK Belfast – Limelight*
11.02. IRL Dublin – Tivoli*
13.02. UK Bristol – Bierkeller*
14.02. UK Birmingham – o2 Institute*
15.02. B Kortrijk – De Kreun*
16.02. F Paris – Le Trabendo*
17.02. CH Pratteln – Z7*
18.02. F Lyon – Ninkasi Kao*
20.02. E Bilbao – Santana 27*
21.02. P Porto – Hard Club*
22.02. P Lisbon – Lisboa ao Vivo*
23.02. E Sevilla – Sala Custom*
24.02. E Madrid – Sala Mon Live*
25.02. E Barcelona – Razzmatazz 2*
27.02. F TBA**
28.02. F Marseille – Espace Julien**
01.03. I Brescia – Circolo Colony**
02.03. I Rome – Orion**
03.03. I Bologna – Zona Roveri**
04.03. SLO Ljubljana – Kino Siska**
05.03. HR Zagreb – Tvornica**
06.03. SRB Belgrade – Dom Omladine**
08.03. GR Thessaloniki – Principal Club Theater**
09.03. GR Athens – Piraeus 117 Academy**
10.03. BG Sofia – Mixtape 5**
11.03. RO Bucharest – Arenele Romane**
13.03. H Budapest – Barba Negra**
14.03. SK Bratislava – Majestic Music Club**
15.03. CZ Prague – Meetfactory**
16.03. PL Wroclaw – A2**
17.03. PL Warsaw – Progresja**
18.03. PL Gdansk – B90**
20.03. LT Vilnius – Rock River Club**
21.03. LV Riga – Melna Piektdiena***
22.03. EST Tallinn – Club Tapper***
23.03. FIN Helsinki – Nosturi***
24.03. FIN Jyväskylä – Luttako***
25.03. FIN Tampere – Olympia-Kortteli***
27.03. S Stockholm – Klubben***
28.03. S Gothenburg – Brewhouse***
29.03. D Bremen – Tivoli****
30.03. D Berlin – Bi-Nuu****
31.03. D Flensburg – Roxy****
01.04. D Cologne – Jungle****
03.04. D Munich – Backstage****
04.04. F Charmes – Rock ’n’ Roll Stage****
05.04. D Jena – F-Haus****
06.04. B Bomal-Sur-Ourthe- Durbuy Rock****
07.04. NL Tilburg – 013****
*w/ MIDNIGHT ETERNAL
**w/ THE DEVIL
***w/ ENEMY OF REALITY
****w/ ACYL
10.04. IL Tel Aviv – Barby Club
12.04. RUS Moscow – GlavClub Green Concert
13.04. RUS St. Petersburg – Zal Ozhidaniya
15.04. UA Kiev – Sentrum
