review by: Roberto Martinelli

The 14th incarnation of the Leviathan project is the angriest work to date. As it seems I often say when I review this one-man project's records, this latest one is probably the best one yet. Wrest is playing faster and meaner than ever before. You can really feel the frustration and despondency in the compositions that benefit from Wrest's most adept manipulation yet of his home recording equipment: the drums sound better than ever, and the guitar has more punchy bass to it than before.

The songs are also getting longer, with two or three around the 10-minute mark. After a signature dark ambient opener with cawing crow accompaniment is "The Diagram of Your Extinction," an 8-minute song whose riffs are divided between ones that have the same playfulness as classic Emperor, and ones that are more slow and deliberate and infectious. It is on these chugging parts that the ever-evolving improvement in the mixing process is most apparent.

Keyboard comes into play on the album as well, like on "Summon Lupine," as a lighter contrast before the song kicks in. After a cover of Black Flag's "My War" is "Mouth Orifice Bizarre," which contains a bit of blasting that is so angry that even someone like me who's used to listening to stuff like this was taken aback.

Wrest continues to perfect his craft. We've already received the 15th installment of this gem of a project, which we'll be reviewing in our next issue. To give you a little sneak preview, #15 is more drawn out and constant - more droney and fuzzy. In terms of Leviathan's more thrilling material, The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide is the best.

review by: Tom Orgad

Disregarding certain sub-genres of Viking or Barbarian orientation, Black Metal is, in its essence, a style that lacks Romanticism. On the contrary: it seems to principally oppose it many ways. It expresses the assimilation of the unavoidable recognition of emptiness and nihilism of our existence, denies the possibility of any objective value or subjective sublimation stemming from any derivative or output of the human mind, be it emotional or rational. The cold and industrial directions the genre has been taking in the last few years only emphasizes its estrangement and infidelity.

Still, as I see it, by absorbing the latest creation of Leviathan, I had witnessed the apparition, if not of a truly Romantic phenomenon, then surely the closest possible point of conjunction between that archaic, disillusioned principle and Black Metal.

For those of you who haven't followed the previous issues of Maelstrom, Leviathan is a one-man-project, performed by an amateur musician called Wrest. He has implemented quite a few works so far (I believe this one is his 11th or so), none officially released, all recorded using his home equipment, being a mere personal hobby. I just can't resist the temptation of drawing the speculative image in my mind: a man sits in his small urban container, watching the valueless yet bloated and swelled with self importance principles and beliefs of the human mice herds running through the monstrous metropolitan maze as they plow their paths beneath the sky scraping towers of Babylon. Enraged, frustrated, torn by his anger and alienation, yet not willing to end it all by shutting his organic shutter, he has only one last, even if temporary, transient and hopeless gateway. He sits in his little box, composing and recording Black Metal.

Let me re-emphasize: this is nothing more than an imaginary speculation. I do not know Wrest personally, and can't relate to his true motives of making music. All I can say is that it sure sounds like his creation is generated by the aforementioned state.

Musically, Leviathan has much to account for. It delivers a brand of Dark Black Metal, obviously influenced by the Norwegian scene. The compositional work consists of a bland of traditional, early Scandinavian, slightly Thrash (not to say Punk) oriented riff work, and the contemporary, post pagan Nihilistic drone of dissonant frost.

The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide is a binding and fascinating album, mostly because of its personal orientation: the smooth, natural unison of the different slow-to-mid tempo, varied passages with the distorted, twisted vocal parts creates what seemingly (unfortunately, as being an underground project, I do not have any lyric sheet to approve my ideas) is a dynamic projection of the artist's static feelings of sadness and desperation, scattered upon with a little bit of evil to complete the thorough Black Metal presentation. The result is very authentic and original, applying the known and much used aesthetic elements (although some experimentation is done, with for example trumpet sounds and frighful dark ambient parts) to establish a singular creation.

My only negative criticism of this album regards its exceeded length: it plays for 68 minutes. Beholding such a dark and excruciating showcase, I felt emotionally over-worn after about 40. I'm sure Wrest had his justified reasons for the inclusion of each and every part of the album, but to the unacquainted listener this intensity might be a bit over-the-top.

Now, I hear Leviathan's next project is about to finally be officially released. Will he be able to create a piece to stand out amongst the vast plethora of bands out there? I'm inclined to think he will. By sticking to his personal emotions and motives, Leviathan's work gains a great spiritual grandeur and uniqueness. While not surrendering to commercial considerations, his manifest fully deserves to be shared with the world.