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Leviathan > Far Beyond the Light > Reviews
Leviathan - Far Beyond the Light

Giving Scandinavia Back Its Credit. - 90%

Perplexed_Sjel, January 10th, 2010

It’s fair to say that sometimes I live up to my name and make some fairly perplexing judgments. As Billy psychotically stated in the hit teen horror flick of the 90’s, Scream, “we all go a little mad some times”. That certainly seems to be the case for me. On a number of occasions, bewilderingly, I have steered clear of certain bands because I either dislike their name, or have the wrong impression about their music based on something ridiculous like their song titles, or ludicrous image, but this time I’ve gone one step further and neglected a band simply because they share the name of another band with whom I’m largely indifferent to. Leviathan is the band in question and yes, I came to the “somewhat” odd conclusion that this band wouldn’t appeal to me primarily based upon the name of the band and its relation to Wrest’s project of the same name. For some reason, the fact that two bands could be completely different, but still share the same name never seemed to compute with me in my lost youth. Something didn’t seem right and that fact could never settle in my stomach like a filling warm meal on a cold night.

So, after many years of conditioning and force-fed therapy, I’ve stepped out of the circle of confusion, away from my quirky decision making of the past and taken a huge leap of faith towards the direction of this Swedish band named Leviathan and their only full-length, ‘Far Beyond The Light’. Although my initial opinions of this band, and indeed this record, were met with the frightening glances from the ugly façade of apprehension, all thoughts of negativity were washed down with a glass of this tasty beverage, one filled with a certain type of traditional hatred that once made black metal one of the most feared genres of music, forcing it to become an underground faction of lost souls and Satan worshipping youngsters. Although those stereotypes don’t describe me as a person at all, there is something stereotypical which draws me to Leviathan and that is feelings of melancholy on these long winter days and a hatred of mankind, one which has been steadily building for years, only for this record to unleash all of my feelings in one fell swoop.

Ever since the end of last year I have been gorging myself on Sir. A’s (now known as A. Petterson) projects. From the occult black rock of Lik, to the pulsating black metal of Armagedda, even stopping to take breath and branch out into the folk inspired grounds of Lönndom, he and his fellow band members have provided me with material to salivate other instead of indulging in the delights that Christmas brings to most. This Swedish brand of Leviathan are far superior to Wrest’s creation, though I am partial to his works from time-to-time (though more so in regards to Lurker of Chalice than Leviathan). Perhaps I shouldn’t compare the two since they play different forms of black metal. Whilst the American concept tends more to dabble in ambient textures, this branch deals more with the traditions of the genre by playing fast, tremolo based riffs with accompanying blast beats and strong shrieking vocals.

There are one or two ambient moments, where ‘Far Beyond The Light’ drifts away from its hateful concept that revolves around darkness and suffering, as on the instrumental song, ‘The End’, a less than fitting conclusion to the record but, generally speaking, the record remains in a perpetual state of fast paced material and venomous distortion akin to the olden days. Somehow, whilst pertaining to old age methods, Leviathan’s one and only opus, ‘Far Beyond The Light’, still manages to come across as unconventional, something which struck me as odd considering the foundations of this piece. Although I do often feel this is traditionally based, there are moments where Leviathan switch from old school to modern in a flash. Songs like ‘A Timeless Darkness’ are fine examples of this. From repetitive bass lines, drum work and guitar riffs, to an ambiance which draws out a new spectrum of emotional material. From subsiding hatred to overwhelming grief, the musicians manage to incorporate some flair into their unusually standard material (considering what Petterson performs with the black rock band Lik).

The brilliant thing about this record, above all other attributes, is the fact that it bridges the gap between the end of the second wave and the beginning of the modern era. When it came out, in 2002, the second wave’s death was still being mourned by a number of die-hard fans. So when bands like Leviathan showcase their talents at being able to sound traditional with a dash of creativity and a sprinkling of flair, it makes it easier for old school fans to become accustomed to the changes which are forcing themselves into the genre as the third wave tries to deal with the death of the second wave, it’s mentor. By using an all consuming hatred as the base for the work, with those bone crunching guitars and catchy drums, and fusing it with modern twists, Leviathan smartly set themselves up as one of the most accessible bands during the transition from the 90’s into the new century. If any record was deserving of the status as a “modern classic”, then this would be it.

Into the majestic emptiness... - 99%

Kristenhat666, December 8th, 2007

Does being an outstanding musician mean that you will receive the acknowledgement you deserve? More often than not, the answer seems to be negative as far as the extreme Metal scene is concerned. LEVIATHAN, the personal project of Phycon. (Armagedda, among others), is one of those underrated bands. I don't think Phycon ever aimed to become popular among any category of people, be it BM hordes or anyone else, but he would surely deserve praise! For "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" is an album that belongs at the top of any Black Metal fanatic's collection.

The sound is nothing typical of UG BlackMetal. High frequencies are what one should expect on "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT", so LEVIATHAN is not a band for people looking to find raw, primitive or UG Black Metal. On the contrary, the production is likely to put off anyone unable to tolerate high-fi sound. Now, I don't usually like such production myself, but on this opus, it's all for a good cause. "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" is marginally comparable to Burzum 's Filosofem, as it uses its studio sound to weave together layers of instruments in order to come up with a complete and complex wall of sound. LEVIATHAN is however not Burzum, which is only positive if you ask me. In fact, it would take anyone who plays this CD/LP several listenings to begin breaking through the thick wall of instrumental intricacy and to understand the depth of the music on it. And all of this is only possible thanks to the production chosen by the band.

I guess what should be said about LEVIATHAN 's "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" is that the lyrics and music are more conceptual than on most other Black Metal releases, and they should not be analyzed separately. This album is truly mystical in its essence, and although the lyrics are not included in the booklet, the song titles seem to be inherent to the songs, as if the words were born straight out of the musical inspiration. One look at the tracks helps us realize that there can only be one outcome both on this album and in life itself- "The End", as the final song is called. "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" is a voyage through the bleak realms of life, where darkness, suffering and death are the only monarchs. If the circle of life that we all go through has ever been given a musical shape, then it's LEVIATHAN that have created the ultimate concept here. Most humans may not see life for what is, i.e a journey of suffering towards death, but Phycon has surely no problems staring into the eyes of reality. "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" is his own vision of what life actually is and what it means to him, of what humans are in his eyes and of his longing for the terminal darkness and "the majestic emptiness", to quote him. The music, sometimes fast, sometimes mid-paced, carries the listener with its black pulsating energy over the realms of life, which he thus gets to view from above and looks down on with scorn. Only the final song slows down completely, as if to pull the plug that keeps us all alive! So do not be cheated by the polished sound I mentioned earlier, this is not meant to be an agreeable experience. Negativity is the key word on "Far Beyond the Light", where LEVIATHAN hail eternal darkness, reject all light and await the ancient emptiness to swallow the world and put an end to human existence and life.

Sounds like something you want to avoid, you say? Well, who the hell said that "FAR BEYOND THE LIGHT" was meant for usual people? If you exist in harmony with everything our earthly existence is, then LEVIATHAN have aimed their music against you! I personally find my strength and peace in realism, misanthropy and soul-consuming darkness, and this opus is but a hymn to the beauty that I admire in these domains and especially the one that awaits us in the embrace of emptiness...!

A transcendental journey through Oblivion - 90%

mornox, November 20th, 2003

This has got to be one of the most deceptive cd’s I’ve heard in a while.
‘What’s so deceptive about this thing then?’ you may wonder.

There are two layers of music at work here, not just in the guitar department, but even the drumwork for the most part consists of a double layer. It’s the Filosofem trick done in a new way. The first thing one is likely to hear upon initial listen is an extremely distorted, bottom-end heavy guitar spewing monotone ‘riffs’ over an extremely repetitive double-bass pummeling, while somewhere behind this impenetrable soundwall weak vocals are barely audible. However, repeated listens will enable one to hear a veritable maelstrom of bleak, alien-sounding riffs behind the wall and a second, much more varied drumpattern beneath the bass-drum pummeling. Upon even further listens the two layers even invert themselves in the mind, so that the bottom-end guitarwall and bass-drum become a type of ambient backdrop for the mutating riffs that form the core of this release, not unlike Pure Holocaust. Even the initially weak sounding vocals become more and more audible somehow, gaining in strength and malice with each repeated spin of this disc. The production that enables this effect is stellar indeed.

The riffs themselves are firmly in the Thorns/Burzum schools of riff-building, yet do not sound derivative at all and form a true evolution of the style. The atmosphere evoked by the core-riffs (the ones behind the soundwall) is utterly alienating, the progressingly stranger songs representing in my view a spiritual journey through an infinite abyss towards Oblivion itself. The atmosphere perfectly represents the songtitles and overall aesthetic as presented in the photographs of a bleak, abandoned mansion done in the style of old brownish photo’s.

The opening songs are the most standard in composition, representing a more mundane aspiration towards darkness, with the ending of the fourth track heralding fully the transcendental journey towards the Void with its closing jarring riffs. Then follows a nameless ambient-noise piece indicating a transition in style and indeed the last two proper metal-tracks are far more abstract in their delivery, overflowing with twisting riffs in counterpoint to one another, freakish leads spiralling around the crushingly despondant bottom-end guitar, finally culminating in the closing accoustic/synth track “The End”, a strangely soothing piece of music, as if to signify the end of the journey has been reached and a union with Oblivion, a release from this coarse material reality, has been realised.

This is a tremendously powerful and evocative release for those willing to look beyond the murky surface. It’s far more varied in tempo, structure and riff-application than it initially appears; there are usually two or three distinct riff-patterns playing simultaneously, giving texture to each other through interplay and to themselves by successive little mutations of the starting patterns and the buried core-drumming is perfect in giving added significance to certain parts, building tension, adding in varied little fills while never being distractingly flashy (á la Fenris circa UaFM).

This is my pick for the best Swedish release since Bathory’s Hammerheart and fans of intelligent, contemplative and genuinely dark black metal should seek this out immediately. After the first few listens a whole Abyss of dreadfullness shows itself to the attentive listener.