Symphonic metal masters THERION deliver another preview with stomping ‘Ayahuasca‘ from their upcoming album, ‘Leviathan III‘, set for release on December 15, 2023. With this new opus, mastermind Christofer Johnsson continues the band’s 30 year-plus string of success, with their predecessor ‘Leviathan‘ peaking at #11 on the German Album Charts.
The new track is a true musical journey featuring a deep choir and psychedelic elements, delivering the finest bombast – versatile yet heavy while finding a harmonious and balanced blend between guitars, choir and orchestra. The new single is accompanied by a fascinating and extraordinary official video that was filmed in the Amazon. You can check it out below, and make sure to pre-order your version of ‘Leviathan III‘!
Christofer Johnsson on ‘Ayahuasca‘:
“This video was filmed in the Amazon, with a real shaman working with ayahuasca as an actor for the clip. The song was the first song we wrote in the ‘Leviathan‘ trilogy writing sessions.”
The album sets off with the powerful ‘Ninkigal‘, catapulting the listener directly into the dramatic universe of THERION with skilfully crafted compositions and operatic female vocals by Lori Lewis, alternating with grim growling and pleasing melodies. This then bursts into a heavy track with gloomy parts, building up to a fascinating score-like symphony. THERION once more draw charm from the courage to mix styles ranging from gothic parts to melodic death metal and neo-classical elements to power metal in a complex and versatile way, thus challenging their listeners as witnessed on ‘Twilight of the Gods‘. The songs are quickly engaging and skilfully employ catchy melodies, as witnessed on uplifting tracks like ‘An Unsung Lament‘ and ‘Baccanale‘. Advancing melodies are combined with rock elements, captivating lyrics and choir parts, while lively ‘Maleficium‘ is structured around a duet between Thomas Vikström and Lori Lewis. Stomping ‘Ayahuasca‘ is a true musical journey featuring a male choir and psychedelic elements, while speedy ‘Nummo‘ offers splendid hard guitar explosions and the finest classic vocals and choirs.
Overall, the compositions lean towards the magnificent and theatrical, offering a high variety of musical styles while deftly blurring the boundaries of metal and classical music. With their newest opus, ‘Leviathan III‘, mastermind Christofer Johnsson proves his incredible talent once more, and that THERION have perfected their very own combination of versatile styles – resulting in the creation of a symphonic league of their own.
Tracklisting:
01 Ninkigal
02 Ruler Of Tamag
03 An Unsung Lament
04 Maleficium
05 Ayahuasca
06 Baccanale
07 Midsommarblot
08 What Was Lost Shall Be Lost No More
09 Duende
10 Nummo
11Twilight Of The Gods
‘Leviathan III‘ will be available in the following formats:
6-Page Digipak CD
2LP Gatefold in Black
2LP Gatefold Silver – ltd. to 500 copies worldwide
Die Hard Deluxe Edition Gold / Black Marbled (incl. Album Cover Slipmat, Covert Art print & Alternative Album Cover Art print) – ltd. to 300 copies worldwide
Digipak Bundle (incl. Pendant, Cotton Bag, Patch) – ltd. to 200 copies worldwide
Digipak & Shirt Bundle
Digital Album
Pre-order ‘Leviathan III‘ – here
Line-up:
Christofer Johnsson – guitars and keyboards
Sami Karppinen – drums
Nalle “Grizzly” Påhlsson – bass
Thomas Vikström – lead vocals
Christian Vidal – guitar
Lori Lewis – vocals
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