Leviathan

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Christofer Johnsson, guitarist/keyboardist and main composer of Therion, likes to experiment. Proof of this is this famous album, Les Fleurs du Mal (2012) on which he boldly undertook metal cover versions of some French hits of the 60s such as Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son by France Gall or Mon Amour, Mon Ami by Marie Laforêt. But album sales were drying up, and Therion's fanbase eventually made itself heard. Johnsson understood that he was deviating from what his audience expected, and decided to correct course with this Leviathan that opens a trilogy which is planned for release over the next three years. Enemy of doublespeak, the leader openly and without the slightest bitterness confesses that he "forced" himself to write what people expected from him. Unsurprisingly, we find here this pompous and grandiloquent operatic metal that spelled success for the Swedish combo from the mid-90s. And God knows that even Nightwish sounds almost sober compared to this really larger than life mix... If some openly heavy titles make for pleasant listening (Great Marquis Of Hell, Psalm of Retribution...), it is sometimes hard going to endure the singing parts of the soprano Lori Lewis, an improbable Castafiore who seems to have been parachuted into a parallel universe. Parallel to his, in any case. This remains a serious album with lush arrangements, full of flamboyant and fully successful solos, and which pays explicit tribute to the group's masterpieces (Lepaca Kliffoth (1995) and Vovin (1998)). But we would have liked a little more sobriety to avoid some embarrassing passages, but Johnsson and his "free radical" side wanted otherwise. Excess is certainly part of the concept, and early fans should wholeheartedly devour this blockbuster version (we've made great progress in sound over the last 20 years) of the original Therion. Bombastic, as they say in the States. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz