THERION is a Swedish Symphonic Metal band formed in 1987 as Blitzkrieg before shifting a couple of times to become what it is now. Originally a Death Metal band, they made a few changes and became what is today known as one of the founders of Symphonic Metal. Adding in elements of Power and Progressive Metal, they have a matured sound that is built from experience. Leviathan II, the second album in a planned trilogy, was released on October 28, 2022, via Nuclear Blast Records. "Aeon Of Maat" is one of two songs with alternate versions on the record. The difference is alternative vocals, but those differences are not dramatic and the music is exactly the same if I'm correct. The guitars are mid-tempo and have a good chugging rhythm. The bass matches the riff well and the drums have some good runs/fills throughout. The keyboards hang under the guitars for the most part, adding tonality rather than acting like a lead instrument. Similarly, "Pazuzu" does not have a lot of major differences between the album and the AOR versions.

One of the more bombastic songs is "Litany Of The Fallen." The intro reminds me of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" in tone and texture. The choirs and layered vocals add a lot fo depth to the composition, The whole song is massive, featuring orchestration that includes horns and strings. The harmonized voices throughout give it the feel of an epic piece on a soundtrack. Both "Alchemy Of The Soul" and "Lunar Colored Fields" are on the softer side of the THERION sound. Going much heavier on the female vocals, these tracks have a different feel to them, a more ethereal, atmospheric tone with melodic overtones. The voices spend more time in the classical range than on the previous songs, adding to the Symphonic/Operatic Metal feel of the album.

"Hades And Elysium" opens with a bell tolling, then introduces classical vocals again. The tempo at the start is slow, methodic, but in a tuning that has no real Doom feel to it, though there are undertones of Doom later. On the other hand, "Midnight Star" has the same vocal tones, but is a faster-paced song, relying heavier on the male voice on this track. This is the harder end of the THERION sound. For yet another feel, "Codex Gigas" has flutes, but one of the heaviest riffs on the album. This is my favorite track on the record. The male voice is so well done here, the layered choir works really well within that guitar tone and the rhythm is killer. The keyboard tones that hover under the guitars, but come to the front for an almost alien feeling lead fill is so nice. The composition of this track is sublime. I love everything about this track.

THERION is a well versed, rehearsed, and practiced band that writes songs with a lot of intricacy and delicacy, while keeping it moderately heavy. They use more than just standard instruments in their orchestration, weaving in a lot of beautiful, classical sounds with the modern instruments. There is a lot of thought put into where the transitions are, how they shift, and how everything fits together. These seasoned veterans have put out an excellent album.