Product ReviewsXasthur/Leviathan [Split CD] by Xasthur (CD, Jul-2006, Southern Lord Records)

The right setting this can take you on a trippy journey inside your head.

Xasthur/Leviathan Split
Leviathan is a one man black metal band I really respect for the quality of the songs this musical entity is responsible for. A lot of Leviathan songs are released on split albums. This one being around the time of his second full length album is certainly something you will need to track down if you really want to be familiar with his work. In fact all the split albums Leviathan has been a part of are well worth a listen regardless of the quality of the other bands that are featured on the splits.
Xasthur being the band on the first half of this split actually has some decent black metal stuff that happens to have a similar vibe to most Leviathan music. Claustrophobic vocals that blend in well to the swirling rhythms that make up most of these songs. The ambient songs are a bit boring, but some of the extra tracks that are added to this Battle Kommand pressing add to this release. Telepathic With The Deceased rehearsal and a surprisingly good cover of Katatonia's Palace Of Frost are both worthy additions.
The two Leviathan tracks on here are some of the best representations of the Leviathan sound. You can shut your eyes and get lost in the layered aspects of the music, which are equal parts black metal and ambient and blended together much more seamlessly than the other tracks that can be found on this disc. The ambient elements at times delve into the psychedelic realm, but can be traced back to the artist in a very honest representation of what the dynamics of the song are trying to express within this extreme personal artform.
If you are thinking this description sounds more like what Nachtmystium do I guess it is, but they do it consciously because they want those parts making up their sound. Whereas Leviathan songs naturally end up sounding psychedelic in parts almost by accident, as those elements just appear in the songs instinctively rather than being influencing factors of the sound. Given the right setting this music can take you on a trippy journey inside your own head.Read full review...