MOMM (37)

 Back to doom, gloom & destruction.

Leviathan: Howl Mockery at the Cross

I have selective interest in American Black Metal. This one-man band, Leviathan is an interesting act. Most of the time, things are highly unpredictable but the spirit of the genre had always been kept alive. This release is very abrasive & represents the struggles of its protagonist, Wrest. Since the beginning he's always been that depressive character who aptly manifest personal endeavours through his music. I especially enjoy this release, can hear the spirit of early Darkthrone from start to end without the languid tempo. Of course, Norwegian flag (when you see it).

Blasphemy: Fallen Angel of Doom

In true fairness, this is a good one. It's an early, formative release so the production standards are reflective of its time. Some of us find the drum-centered production unacceptable but like said before, it's the genre at its developmental phase. I would easily categorize this together with Morbid Visions (Sepultura), Pleasure to Kill (Kreator), Scum (Napalm Death), Dark Medieval Times (Satyricon), et al. in terms of enthusiasm.

Thank you, Lisa the cat, for the unexpected appearance. 

Solo terminal

Good morning, folks. I just watched a documentary on the above black metal bands featuring only a single individual playing all instruments & singing their way through the dark recesses of life. I forgive you for not knowing any of them as you are not into the genre unlike yours truly here. 

There are factors driving people to do things beyond normal expectations. These are largely personal & significant enough to compel people into embracing their own way of life. Life in isolation. Life beyond reach & beyond rehabilitation at times. More importantly, life continues for them. The immediate concern when dealing with BM music is its affiliation to satanic philosophy. If you follow the genre's development, BM really stands for rebellion beyond the boundaries of religious retaliation. We can't blame the masses for limiting their understanding of the music to this strict definition because it started off as such. The people in the three bands depicted above aren't proponent of anti-religion. They are secluded individuals who consciously embrace isolation & its entailments. Isolation might be causal but as we dwell deeper into their background, we understand it becomes necessary instead. It's that one saving grace that prevents them from ending their own existence.

Music-wise, their embrace of isolation provided a rich reference to the theme they explore through music. As opposed to being a facade, these are real-life themes, a way of life for them. A life without social media and other forms of interaction and relationship, severe financial constraints and the need to get by being self-sufficient. This is where the need to play everything in lieu of what band members can fulfil, come in. More often than not, others simply cannot relate to what they embrace. Getting together as a unit simply fails in this aspect. You'd be surprised with the amount of time they put into their music on a daily basis & to think that they are not reliant on it to put food on the table is mind boggling. If you go on to listen to their music & refer to it as pathetic then you are clearly missing the point. There is this terrible honesty in making music this way as opposed to hiding behind commercial viability. This is not saying you shouldn't take advantage of what your music can do for you but do not interpret others' music as a bad way of doing things because everyone else (yourselves included) is doing it the right way. What is the right way, anyway? Is there a definite right?

Having witnessed what these people go through in life makes me realize that I do take things for granted at times. I am blessed. I get to buy gear every now & then when the finances permit but there are others out there who gave up meals just to buy a bass or get by with a battered pair of drum sticks for life. These are the equipment that graced their recordings & they don't complain. Life goes on for them. Whining about it won't solve issues. 

Leviathan: Massive Conspiracy Against All Life

I have always had a personal consideration for US Black Metal; bands like Absu & Krieg prove to the European pessimists that there is a noir stronghold at the other side of 'the pond'. Leviathan here, is a one-man show featuring Wrest (pic)







2008's Massive Conspiracy Against All Life is only Leviathan's third full length release since the churning out of countless demos since 1998. This 7-track album is not for fans of the impatient & BM converts as the individual responsible for the music (he's the only one in the band...) had chosen to stay on track with the depressive, soundscape-laden music of which Xasthur is a champion of. Nevertheless, the overall music does include moments of accelerated anger but these are indeed numbered.

In context, Massive Conspiracy Against All Life offers nothing too deviant in light of its preceding release, Tentacles of Whorror. I personally feel the album has taken a turn for the excessive sonic abrasion (those countless hissing, phasing, et al) which was done rather excessively, making it a bore at times. A release for the cult-follower this is, easy litening it is not (was black metal easy listening to begin with?).