Lemuria is the eleventh studio album by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion. The album title refers to the name of a supposed sunken continent Lemuria, much like Atlantis. It was released simultaneously with Sirius B.[2] Cover artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard.[citation needed]
| Lemuria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 May 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 42:14 | |||
| Language | English & German | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast NB 1253-2 Digipack: NB 1295-0 | |||
| Producer | Lars Nissen, Therion | |||
| Therion chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by All lyrics by Thomas Karlsson; All music by Christofer Johnsson, expect where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Typhon (music by Kristian Niemann)" | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Uthark Runa" | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Three Ships of Berik, Part 1: Calling to Arms and Fighting the Battle" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Three Ships of Berik, Part 2: Victory!" | 0:44 |
| 5. | "Lemuria" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Quetzalcoatl" | 3:47 |
| 7. | "The Dreams of Swedenborg" | 4:58 |
| 8. | "An Arrow from the Sun" | 5:54 |
| 9. | "Abraxas" | 5:21 |
| 10. | "Feuer Overtüre/Prometheus Entfesselt (music by Kristian Niemann and Christofer Johnsson)" | 4:39 |
| Total length: | 42:14 | |
Concept of lyrics
edit- Typhon was a monster in Greek mythology. According to Aeschylus, he fought all the gods of Olympus: Zeus defeated him and chained him under Mount Etna, from where his rage creates eruptions.
- Futhark was a runic alphabet used by various Germanic peoples; Uthark is an occult interpretation of said alphabet.
- Berik is the mythological chief of all Gothic tribes: according to Jordanes, he departed from his Scandinavian motherland with three ships. The crews of the ships were the ancestors of the three Goth tribes.
- Lemuria was a hypothetical "lost land", like Atlantis.
- Quetzalcoatl is an Aztec deity.
- Abaris was a legendary sage and priest of Apollo.
- Emanuel Swedenborg was an 18th-century Christian mystic, whose work became the foundation of The New Church.
- Abraxas is a Gnostic word of great importance.
Credits
edit- Christofer Johnsson - lead vocals ("Typhon", "Three Ships of Berik part 1: Calling to Arms and Fighting the Battle"), rhythm guitar, keyboards ("An Arrow from the Sun", "Feuer Overtüre / Prometheus Entfesselt"), classical and choir arrangements
- Kristian Niemann - lead guitar, acoustic guitar
- Johan Niemann - bass guitar
Guest musicians
edit- Steen Rasmussen - mellotron ("Lemuria"), Hammond organ
- Jens Nyborg - balalaika, domra
- Sven Lindblad - balalaika
- Kavi Björkqvist - balalaika
- Richard Evensand - drums
- Mats Levén - lead vocals ("Uthark Runa"), rock and roll vocals ("Abraxas")
- Piotr Wawrzeniuk - lead vocals ("Lemuria", "The Dreams of Swedenborg", "Feuer Overtüre / Prometheus Entfesselt")
- Peter Mossman - narration ("Lemuria")
- Orchestra: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Adam Klemens and Mario Klemens)
- Choir: Kūhn Mixed Choir (conducted by Mario Klemens)
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[3] | 76 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[4] | 34 |
References
edit- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Interviews - Christofer Johnsson". Global Domination.se. January 21, 2005. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ "Therion - Lemuria - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2004. 23. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 2021-11-27.