Therion is one of the foremost bands in the symphonic metal scene, and it’s easy to see why. The group made a huge impact on the genre with its contribution, pushing the envelope and setting the bar higher with its massive wall of sound. The band emerged in the early 1990s when metal acts were experimenting with incorporating orchestral and symphonic elements into their music. However, Therion took the concept further by blending metal with classical and operatic elements. This is something that we kind of take for granted today, and it’s partly due to the impact of this band!
With such a significant background, a new release from Therion is always exciting. Their upcoming album, Leviathan III is yet another chapter in the band’s saga. Therion is renowned for creating concept albums and ambitious projects that go beyond the typical structure of metal albums, and this is no exception. This eclectic studio work features 11 tracks, marking the band’s progressive leanings and constant willingness to embrace new challenges while staying true to its aesthetics.
📸: Mina Karadzic
Available through Napalm Records, the album is the third installment in the “Leviathan” trilogy and perhaps the longest and most intense of the three releases. The sonic variety is truly impressive. Not only is there room for traditional metal influences and large symphonic sections, but The band also explores unique ideas, such as a the flamenco-tinged melodies of the song ‘Duende’, which are completely unexpected. The song ‘Twilight Of The Gods’ offers a brooding, doom-infused arrangement, serving as a truly ethereal and raw segment on the album.
Overall, Leviathan III denotes Therion’s willingness to evolve and experiment with its sound. With so many years under its belt, the band doesn’t need to prove anything, but it’s still eager to make steps forward and enhance the creativity of its vision.
ALBUM REVIEW: CHILDREN OF BODOM
Children Of Bodom: A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019)
Reviewed by: Jim Harrison
Review Score: 9.5
Legendary Finnish melodic death/doom metal band Children Of Bodom will release their new live recording of their last live show called, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019). This recording is very important as not only is it the last show COB played as a band but also was prior to the untimely death of guitarist and vocalist Alexi Laiho on December 29, 2020.
Children of Bodom formed in 1998 and released a total of ten studio albums, two live albums, two EP’s, two compilation albums and one DVD in their storied career. With a huge catalog spanning over two decades they became a genre defining piece to the early 2000’s metal scene creating a fast, heavy vibe with the addition of keyboards that’s made their sound totally distinctive. Their origin of the name was derived from the Lake Bodom murders in 1960 and carries an interesting story.
The final line up upon their split in 2019 were, Alexi Laiho, vocals and lead guitar, Jaska Raatikainan drums, Henkka Seppälä bass, Jane Wirman keyboards and Daniel Freyberg rhythm guitar. Laiho and Freyberg carried on as Bodom After Midnight in 2020 up until Alexi Laiho’s death.
This live album has all their hits and incudes eighteen tracks with great audience participation and interaction.
There are so many great moments on this album and personally for myself as a huge fan I love the fact that the show starts ‘Under The Grass and Clover’ which ignites the show and really sets the tone for the cerebral assault and you can tell it gets the crowd amped up.
Some of the other highlights for me are the classic tracks ‘In Your Face’ that is such an amazing live track. ‘Shovel Knockout’ is another crowd pleaser as well is ‘Bodom Beach Terror’ that showcases Wirman’s keyboards. The ominous ‘Every Time I Die’ adds a doom sound and pounds the audience into total submission, this is one of my favourite COB songs.
Fan favourites, ‘Are You Dead Yet’ and ‘Blood Drunk’ gets the fans into a hyped frenzy. Tracks ‘Follow the Reaper’ and ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ will please all COB fans new and old as these are hits that showcase how great this band is.
Another one of my all time favourite songs is ‘Lake Bodom’ which has a classical vibe that rips into a face melter of a track. The audience is going wild for this one and it’s so heavy with Laiho’s signature voice just ripping through this. This sounds so good live and you can feel the excitement. The last track ‘Downfall’ from their second album Hatebreeder that was released in 1999 and actually was the last track on that album. What a great way to end the album, fast and heavy.
This is a special release not only for being their last performance but acting as an ongoing memorial to Alexi Laiho’s legacy and Children of Bodom’s contribution to the metal movement. This will be a great addition to any Children of Bodom fans collection and serves as a great way to bring in some new listeners who hopefully will check out their back catalog and see how musically, vocally and lyrically talented this band is.
Definitely pick this album up and play it at eleven!
A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019) drops December 15, 2023 via Spinefarm.
The Metal Pit’s Top 50 Metal Albums of All-Time
Listen to the Podcast below of our reveal of the writers Top 50 Metal Albums of All-Time
Scroll to see THE METAL PIT’s top 50 list and link to each writers top 50.
Also available most places you listen to podcasts and on our youtube channel.
The Metal Pit’s Top 50 Albums Of All Time
Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast -1982
Metallica – Master of Puppets – 1986
Slayer – Reign in Blood – 1986
Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell – 1980
Dio – Holy Diver – 1983
Megadeth – Peace Sells – 1986
Metallica – Ride The Lightning – 1984
Judas Priest – Painkiller – 1990
Judas Priest – Screaming For Vengeance – 1982
Metallica – And Justice For All – 1988
Anthrax – Among The Living – 1987
King Diamond – Abigail – 1987
Motorhead – Overkill – 1979
Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break The Oath – 1984
Black Sabbath – Paranoid – 1970
Iron Maiden – Powerslave – 1984
Deep Purple – Machine Head – 1972
Rainbow – Rising – 1976
Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith – 1984
Iron Maiden – Somewhere in Time – 1986
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden – 1980
Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son – 1988
Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind – 1983
Venom – Black Metal – 1982
Megadeth – Rust in Peace – 1990
Motorhead – Ace Of Spades – 1980
Sepultura – Beneath The Remains – 1989
Metallica – Kill Em All – 1983
Judas Priest – British Steel – 1980
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss – 1990
ACDC – Back in Black – 1980
Guns’N’Roses – Appetite For Destruction – 1987
Overkill – Years of Decay – 1989
Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973
Manowar – Kings of Metal – 1988
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath – 1970
Iron Maiden – Killers – 1981
Queensryche – Operation Mindcrime – 1988
Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest For The Wicked – 1988
Led Zeppelin – IV – 1971
Metal Church – Metal Church – 1984
Death – Spiritual Healing – 1990
WASP – Wasp – 1984
Exodus – Bonded By Blood – 1985
Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz – 1980
Nuclear Assault – Handle With Care – 1989
Exodus – Fabulous Disaster – 1989
Savatage – Gutter Ballet – 1989
Mercyful Fate – Melissa – 1983
Sepultura – Arise – 1991
The Metal Pit writers top 50 lists. Click on their name for their list.
Post-metal shoegaze trio SOM hit the stage first on this unseasonably-pleasant Toronto evening. Featuring founding members of seminal Boston space rockers Constants — and former and touring members of Adai, Junius, Rosetta, and Caspian — SOM‘s brand of melancholic, trance-inducing post-metal certainly set the mood for what was to come from tonight’s headliners, Katatonia. The guy’s tackled a handful of tracks from their two full-length albums (The Fall and The Shape Of Everything), and ended the night with the fantastic ‘Youth // Decay’ from their 2021 EP, Awake.
GOST
Not to be mistaken with the Swedish masked-ones, Texan one-man band Gost exist somewhere in the dark recesses between black metal and electronic / synthwave. Some might see Gost as an odd choice for this tour, sandwiched between two contemporary-sounding rock bands, but mainman, James Lollar, and his touring bassist, delivered an aggressive and sinister set that had the near-capacity crowd entranced and shaking their hips and fists.
Gost started their kinetic set off with the insanely intense ‘Garruth’ (taken from 2018’s Possessor), and immediately followed this up with ‘Maleficarum’ (off of 2016’s Non Paradisi). The album that saw the most action this evening was Gost‘s 2015 debut full-length Behemoth, of which they played ‘Master’, ‘Behemoth’, and ‘Bathory Bitch’. As one of the most aggressive synthwave albums in existence, these songs managed to get the pit moving, whether that be dancing or some light, semi-synchronized moshing.
The guys then jumped into three more current tracks, which included ‘The Call Of The Faithful’ (off of 2019’s Valediction), ‘Blessed Be’ and ‘Coven’ (from 2021’s Rites Of Love And Reverence), and the brand new, still-unreleased track ‘Prophecy’, which is from their forthcoming album of the same name, which drops on March 8th via Metal Blade Records.
An awesome set of industrialized synthwave that was a welcome break from the bookends of melancholy that was SOM and Katatonia.
KATATONIA
Swedish progressive rock / metal legends Katatonia don’t make it to this side of the pond very often. When they do, you can bet your bottom dollar that it is an event like no other. On this night, frontman Jonas Renske and crew (tonight the band were down a member, performing as a four-piece) lead the eager, enthusiastic crowd through an hour and a half of songs culled from seven of their thirteen full-length albums.
Katatonia started the night off with the track ‘No Beacon To Illuminate Our Fall’ from their latest album Sky Void Of Stars (released earlier this year). In fact, this album got the most love of the night, with the tracks ‘Colossal Shade’, ‘Opaline’, ‘Birds’, and ‘Atrium’ also making appearances. It was clear that the album is a popular one among Katatonia fans, as the crowd roared their appreciation after each song.
All warmed up with nowhere to go, the band then launched into ‘Lethean’ (off of 2012’s Dead End Kings). They would go on to also perform ‘Dead Letters’, ‘Buildings’, ‘The Racing Heart’ from the very same album. It was at this point that Jonas greeted the crowd, expressing his thanks for everyone coming out on a Wednesday night. I can only imagine that if this were a Friday or Saturday evening, The Axis Club would have been brimming with fans. This isn’t to say it wasn’t a good turnout. In fact, any busier might have been a bit too much.
‘Flicker’ was the next track to be showcased. This is a gem of a song from what I believe is a highly under-rated album within the Katatonia catalog (2020’s City Burials). The song’s trippy, abstract atmosphere is one that you can easily lose yourself in, which was evidenced by the swaying, pendulous heads of those in attendance.
Night Is The New Day was the next album to get some attention, the band delivering a near-perfect rendition of the song ‘Forsaker’. They later explored the album again with the song ‘Nephilim’. Both tracks are some of the band’s most melancholic work, which worked perfectly with the moody, atmospheric stage lighting tonight (swirling hues of greens and reds). In fact, the band was entirely back-lit this evening, which cast each and every member in eerie shadows, making it nearly impossible to discern their individual faces. With the mood set, the guys then unleashed fan-favorite ‘July’ to a thunderous roar from the now-satiated throngs of Katatonia lovers.
More than halfway through their set, I was beginning to notice a trend with their songs of choice, which consisted of mostly contemporary Katatonia tracks. In fact, the band didn’t play anything pre-2003, which, for this scribe, was a bit disappointing. Sticking to this formula, the guys then jumped into ‘Decima’ from 2016’s The Fall Of Hearts. They would also visit the track ‘Old Heart Falls’ from the very same album later in their set.
With the night seemingly at a close, the guys walked off the stage much to the disappointment of fans. It didn’t take long for a chant of ‘one more song!’ to fill the venue. After about two minutes of this, Katatonia walked back out onto the stage to deliver three encores in ‘Behind The Blood’, ‘My Twin’, and ‘Evidence’.
Apart from a few sound snafus, which included Jonas’ vocals being a bit buried in the mix, Katatonia delivered a fantastic set of songs. I do wish they had explored some of their earlier material, such as Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Tonight’s Decision – which were given no love tonight. The guys definitely shied away from much of their heavier material (post-death metal stuff, that is) in favor of lighter/easier fare. That being said, what they did tackle was tackled with precision and utmost care of their craft.
Remaining dates on the Sky Void Of Stars tour are as follows:
November 25 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw 26 Seattle, WA – Neptune Theater 28 Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone 29 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s 30 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
December 1 Pomona, CA – The Glass House 2 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom 4 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater 5 Austin, TX – Come And Take it Live 6 Houston, TX – Scout Bar 8 Atlanta, GA – Hell @ The Masquerade 9 Orlando, FL – Level 13
INFECTED RAIN
November 16th, 2023
Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry
Words & Pictures By: Marsworth
Infected Rain (Moldavian metal band) hit the stage in Lakewood, Ohio at The Foundry for the sold out Wednesday 13 show. Lena Scissorhands (singer), Metal Pit regular, knew her crowd like the back of her hand as she screamed commands into the mic and watched concert goers obey her every word. Chatter before the band went on had included words of praise for the singers incredible frontman-ship and ability to switch between powerful screaming and angelic singing.
Laughs were shared between songs as Scissorhands professes worry of the backs of the ones who didn’t obey her command to crouch to the floor. She gives a passive aggressive thumbs up (pictured) in hopes their backs remain okay. The crowd loved the stage presence of not only Scissorhands, but the entire band who interacted with one another as the songs played on. It was definitely a night to remember and I’m only but grateful to have been a part of such a powerful evening.
SETLIST
Fighter The Realm Of Chaos The Earth Mantra Dying Light Never To Return Black Gold Sweet, Sweet Lies
