Leviathan by Evilon is a ten-track album on the esteemed WormHoleDeath label. Following on from the shores of Evilon EP, this debut full-length sees the Swedish five-piece dealing in their brutal blend of melodic, folk and death metal . Tracked across two years at Gabriel Karlsson Studio, the album comes packaged in a bare-bones digi-pack and sounds impressive thanks to a rich, clean production that captures the band’s rampaging riffs nicely.
Opening with the aptly-titled Eye of the storm, Evilon make quite the entrance, bringing folky elements into the mix but not allowing them to overpower the deathly aspects. Growl vocalist Joel Sundell has a trenchant roar that perfectly matches the iron-clad riffs of guitarists Kenneth Evstrand and Jonny Sjodin and the overall performance reeks of quality. It makes for one hell of a start. Next up, sound of the tombs proves to be a potent slab of driving death metal, the ferocious assault locked in place by Anders Hagen’s deft percussive work. It’s not all sturm und drang, however, and the band neatly execute a dynamic shift that instantly elevates the song-writing – the band clearly ambitious to do more than simply bludgeon their audience into submission. Opening on a more reflective note, the brooding leviathan incorporates folky elements and recalls Iron Maiden’s more epic material. It pales in comparison to the ferocious souldrainer, which has more than a touch of classic Arch Enemy about it, the full-tilt explosion of gruelling riffs and scorched-earth vocals setting the adrenalin flowing nicely. Rounding out the first half, the king of a thousand suns is a longer, more atmospheric piece that builds from a regal introduction into a suitably evocative slab of melodic death metal with doom elements that conjure elements of decaying halls and flickering candlelight.
Opening the second half of the album, the death-doom might of in the shadow of my grief recalls early My Dying Bride with its searing guitars and dark pall of leaden gloom (something that is enhanced no end by bassist Bjorn Wildjarn who steps up to offer some impressive clean vocals). Heading back to heavier territory, welcome home is a surging death metal track with a potent groove that is destined to snap necks when the band hit the live trail. The Maiden-esque feel returns as the band indulge in clean leads on the sacred, although any relief is short-lived as the band rapidly plunge the listener back into a seething cauldron of riffing, albeit one tempered by the clean vocals of the chorus. A short, sharp shock, serpent eye is a sub-three-minute belter that pitches crushing riffs against Joel’s commanding roar before the band bring things to a close with the unstoppable when the leaves are falling, as tough a slab of dessicated death metal as you could wish for at the conclusion. It brings the album to an impressive end and we can only hope that Evilon have plans for a follow-up soon.
Well-crafted and played, leviathan is a fine debut album from Evilon and a perfect example of the quality that can be fond on WormHoleDeath’s diverse roster. It’s not perfect, however. The mastering feels on the over-compressed side, pulling some of the warmth from the production (particularly if youplay the album at high volumes), and it would also be good to see the band invest more time in the cover art (not to mention a booklet) next time round – their evocative music deserves it. These small gripes aside, Levaiathan is a deeply impressive offering to which I’ll be happy to return. The songs are well-constructed and beautifully played and the production, handled by the band themselves, is impressive. Overall, leviathan shows a great deal of potential and I look forward to seeing where Evilon go next. 8
