Open Web Player
I knew long before I ever put Leviathan in my stereo that it was going to be an excellent album. The terrifying, beautiful artwork was a dead giveaway; bands don't slap something that sick on the cover of a record unless they're confident in the material that lies within. Sure enough, Leviathan delivers musically as well as visually.
Bassist and lead vocalist Troy Sanders sets the tone for the album right away by belting out "I think someone's trying to kill me!" dementedly on the first track, "Blood and Thunder," amidst galloping riffage and rabid drumming. A maniacal guitar onslaught ensues 1:32 into the song; Saunders follows with a rough, paced vocal that evokes thoughts of a madman. Lyrically, each subsequent song takes us further down the road to madness, culminating in the 13+ minute odyssey "Hearts Alive."
Musically, Leviathan has a little bit of everything. "I Am Ahab" boasts a couple of sludgy, stoner metal riffs; "Seabeast" is calm, even soothing, at first but quickly builds into another deranged pounder with a very thrashy final riff. This song sees guitarist Brent Hinds perform clean vocals as well (Troy will sing clean later on). Even better than these two songs is "Iron Tusk." This track is home to a gargantuan, filthy riff midway through (which is undoubtedly the sound people hear when they are being impaled on the tusks of wild animals), and its main riff is a groove-heavy galloper with a thrashy double-bass drum barrage to back it up.
"Iron Tusk's" successor is equally nasty. To contribute its part to the theme of insanity present throughout Leviathan, "Megalodon" includes a ho-down-worthy lick right before convulsing into the wildest metal riff on the album. The only word that fittingly describes such an illogical (yet awesome) segue is "madness." "Naked Burn" and "Aqua Dementia" are two more outstanding tracks; the former features some sludge elements along with a catchy chorus while the latter is a more straightforward, fast-paced metal attack. Both include some proggy bits that preview Mastodon's future work.
Some listeners might be put off by a 13:40 long song, but in many ways "Hearts Alive" is the best cut on the record. It's got a haunting intro, a meaty main riff, acrobatic drumming, and Troy croons the verses with such passion the listener cannot help but be entirely captivated. With over thirteen minutes to work with, Mastodon includes a little bit of everything on this epic. It is also worth mentioning that the lyrics on "Hearts Alive" are especially good.
Last but not least is "Joseph Merrick," a depressing instrumental that allows the listener to wind down after taking the "Hearts Alive" journey. Although somewhat out of place, it is not at all a bad track. If anything, it just further demonstrates Mastodon's diversity, their ability to excel using many different styles of music.
If I were to offer any criticism at all about Leviathan, it's that the production is subpar. Somehow, though, I feel like this actually contributes to the greatness of the album. The roughness in its sound just makes everything that much darker and unpredictable.
As I have already described at length, the guitar-playing is top-notch, and the drumming is tight. Brann Dailor is without question one of the best can-men in all of metal. I do want to specifically commend Troy as well, though. His bass has a huge sound on Leviathan, and at times it jumps out at the listener in ways that I haven't heard since I first encountered the great Cliff Burton. As gnarly as his long-axe sounds distorted, I would not be at all surprised to learn it breathes and eats! Even considering all the other awesome sounds on Leviathan, Troy's bass is my favorite of them all.
Leviathan is such a diverse and technical album that it is bound to appeal to almost everyone who enjoys metal in some way or another. If it wasn't already a concept album about Moby Dick, I think it would make the perfect soundtrack to an H.P. Lovecraft story. An easy 5 stars for an album that dares to be unique.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Frequently bought together
$12.98
Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 6
In Stock
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the brand
From the manufacturer
About Us
Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Reviews with images
PERFECT VINYL ADDITION! Massive Album, Amazing Art! An Experience to be had!
First off, lets rate the actual product itself. My product arrived earlier than expected. When I pulled the record out of the cover I was pleasantly surprised to find the splatter pattern record vs. the gold/yellow record pictured. Luckily that worked in it's favor. (*Be aware of which design you are purchasing if that matters to you as there are dozens out there!) No nicks, scratches, folds, creases, fingerprints, dents, nothing. Just a perfectly protected vinyl record with AMAZING artwork. Some of the best I've seen for any prog metal album.There was absolutely nothing wrong with the sound quality of the pressing I received. No skips, bumps, scratches, nothing! I made sure to get into a deep listening environment so I could just really sink in. I was a little thrown off by the fact that the track order is slightly different from the CD or digital versions but that is also something to just be aware of before buying if that matters to you. For me, not so much. All the songs are there. There simply must have been a need to be able to properly fit all the songs onto one record. However, the ONLY bad thing about this is that it breaks up the smooth transition between AQUA DEMENTIA and HEARTS ALIVE. Although, everything else good about this product more than makes up for it in my opinion.I never understood how people can give this or any record any bad reviews based on their opinion that the music is not their cup of tea. The music can be found ANYWHERE for review, now a days. The focus is the PRODUCT. But yes, this cover art is a great indication of what the experience of the music will be. Dark, massive, mystical, full of lore and anger, flaked in gold, splattered in blood (not literally), and heavy!Makes me want to read Moby Dick again, and again!
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the sound quality of the pressing I received. No skips, bumps, scratches, nothing! I made sure to get into a deep listening environment so I could just really sink in. I was a little thrown off by the fact that the track order is slightly different from the CD or digital versions but that is also something to just be aware of before buying if that matters to you. For me, not so much. All the songs are there. There simply must have been a need to be able to properly fit all the songs onto one record. However, the ONLY bad thing about this is that it breaks up the smooth transition between AQUA DEMENTIA and HEARTS ALIVE. Although, everything else good about this product more than makes up for it in my opinion.
I never understood how people can give this or any record any bad reviews based on their opinion that the music is not their cup of tea. The music can be found ANYWHERE for review, now a days. The focus is the PRODUCT. But yes, this cover art is a great indication of what the experience of the music will be. Dark, massive, mystical, full of lore and anger, flaked in gold, splattered in blood (not literally), and heavy!
Makes me want to read Moby Dick again, and again!
PERFECT VINYL ADDITION! Massive Album, Amazing Art! An Experience to be had!
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021
First off, lets rate the actual product itself. My product arrived earlier than expected. When I pulled the record out of the cover I was pleasantly surprised to find the splatter pattern record vs. the gold/yellow record pictured. Luckily that worked in it's favor. (*Be aware of which design you are purchasing if that matters to you as there are dozens out there!) No nicks, scratches, folds, creases, fingerprints, dents, nothing. Just a perfectly protected vinyl record with AMAZING artwork. Some of the best I've seen for any prog metal album.Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the sound quality of the pressing I received. No skips, bumps, scratches, nothing! I made sure to get into a deep listening environment so I could just really sink in. I was a little thrown off by the fact that the track order is slightly different from the CD or digital versions but that is also something to just be aware of before buying if that matters to you. For me, not so much. All the songs are there. There simply must have been a need to be able to properly fit all the songs onto one record. However, the ONLY bad thing about this is that it breaks up the smooth transition between AQUA DEMENTIA and HEARTS ALIVE. Although, everything else good about this product more than makes up for it in my opinion.
I never understood how people can give this or any record any bad reviews based on their opinion that the music is not their cup of tea. The music can be found ANYWHERE for review, now a days. The focus is the PRODUCT. But yes, this cover art is a great indication of what the experience of the music will be. Dark, massive, mystical, full of lore and anger, flaked in gold, splattered in blood (not literally), and heavy!
Makes me want to read Moby Dick again, and again!
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
Tyler Pike
Butterfly Splatter
Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2022
Tyler Pike
Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2022
Images in this review
Cliente
Discazo de Mastodon en una bonita edición
Reviewed in Spain on August 4, 2023
