Review by Richard Henry for MPM
So, I must admit I hadn’t heard of these guys to very recently and how I don’t know this one got past me, if you’re a fan of Tech Death then this will be right up your street.
There are definite vibes of bands like Archspire, Inferni, Cattle Decapitation, River of Nihil but also with a lot of orchestral elements that bring to mind Fleshgod Apocalypse and Wintersun, so let’s get into it, this release was 18/2/22 and already the guys are getting a new album mixed and are about to head out with Nile in Europe!
Track 1 – Intro, and it’s an all-orchestral affair, with something you would find on a Hans Zimmer soundtrack, huge swirling sounds with choir vocals over it, something to sooth you before……
Track 2 – D.N.A of the Gods – Straight into the technicality, that riff, shifting tempos of the drums from blast beats to groove and back again, really well done without losing intensity, nice sweeping solo kicking in and then back into a verse, the vocals are more mid voice than really guttural and this really comes into effect on the chorus which is pretty singable and carries proper melody, another really clever part is the orchestrations and piano parts underneath the riffs, easy to miss but definitely adds a vibe, nice solo kicks in again, very melodic, then into a more slayer skank beat section then into another solo, really unexpected clean vocal section comes in and its well done and gives a nice let up before hitting the hard vocals again
Track 3 – Origin of Creation – The drummer is getting a workout on this one from the start with frantic double kicks hitting hard, we have an almost counter point riff along with the orchestration over the top really well thought out compositionally, then into the blasts, this song is more brutal than the track before for sure, definitely this one is giving me a Fleshgod vibe, the solos are insanely well played, I’m really loving the use of clean vocals on this and the song really opens up to something beyond the traditional tech death style
Track 4 – When Galaxies Collide – Blast beats and sweeping solos to open this one, the pace is unrelenting, then we switch into double bass and temp shifts, while still keeping the aggression, these guys definitely have a unique sound, the chorus on this song, when you hear the way the orchestrations kick in with the vocals takes it somewhere different, very unique, the level of playing is outstanding, the song twists and turns more solo sections, the chorus cannot help but make you want to headbang, with the tempo coming down and making it a real fist in the air moment, the piano outro is beautiful with the orchestrations and then on its own!
Track 5 – Serpo Planet 1964 – This, kicks in hard, loving the exotic sounding solo then we get into a real mid-tempo double bass type song, you can hear the orchestrations catching the guitar figures on this, again the vocals and the way the band splits up the sections ensure you are not fatigued listening to it as can happen with a lot of tech death bands, it’s really well done without letting up on the heaviness of the song, tempos ramp up for the solos and then come back again for the verse, then into that almost half time section for the chorus, great stuff!
Track 6 – Wrath of the Nebula – That’s a jarring start to the song with an angular drum part, I am literally thinking Meshuggah in vibe like Destroy Erase Improve era, and certainly the first solo has a Thordendal vibes all over it, it’s so off kilter I love it, then all of a sudden we get a solo piano part before another fantastic solo
Track 7 – Space Time Vortex – This track reminds me off Mike DiSalvo era Cryptopsy with the vocal delivery, aggressive but you can make out everything that’s being sung, there is a classical feel to the verse riff with the counterpoint underneath, there’s a huge chorus in this which I would say is really uplifting, such a surprise before we get into a real beatdown of a riff, the blasts are back for the solo section then into a 100% classical inspired section before going back into that amazing chorus, standout track for me so far!
Track 8 – Fractal Dimensions – While the track before was the most “mellow” track on the album, this one comes in like getting slapped in the face with an iron bar! It’s just unrelenting, an almost hardcore style in the singing on this one, not in tone but in delivery, it is pissed off and it sounds it, we bring it back down a bit in the chorus section which gives a welcome break, an almost James Murphy style lead break on this one, back into the chorus riff that reminds me in many ways of Vital Remains “Dechristianize”, another solo and the tempo comes back down again and the orchestrations come up in the mix and before you know it the whole sound envelopes you, I love the way they do that and add in those elements to the sound!
Track 9 – Big bang in Reverse – Straight in with a much slower feel but all the time the orchestrations in the background are building up, for some reason this track really reminds me of Soilwork, its more that sort of tempo of a song and the vocals and delivery really go that way as well, the middle section of this has a real Fleshgod vibe, loving it!
Track 10 – Sideral Portals – Bear with me, take that riff, slow it down and think Killswitch, just me? This is a more thrashy affair in many parts rather than a flat-out death metal track, there are plenty of blast beats to be had but there are lots of color and shade in this song, this is what makes this album so unique is all the elements they manage to put into every track without ever taking away from what they do, take the orchestral part in this song, it could be taken off Cacophony’s Speed Metal Symphony album crossed with Devin Townsend on the orchestrations, while being totally death metal!
Track 11 – Ancient Gods Annunaki – A slow build at the start with another swirling symphonic intro with the guitars and then into what I could call a gallop riff, a mix of the clean vocals and the aggressive vocals together in this one at the start, this in incredibly melodic and a much slower pace to highlight this part as well, it’s almost like a progressive death metal track, it’s a good couple of minutes before we get into a heavier section, and when it gets heavy it does fast, the tempo is way up on this, but still doesn’t lack any melodic elements, this song takes you on a ride around all the bases of heavy and then right at the end you get a beautiful acoustic outro, really a masterpiece of a track, outstanding!
Track 12 – Mother Ereshkigal – Right out of the gates with a heavy orchestral intro, then into an almost black metal blast beat with kick patterns alternating underneath, and just like that they take you by surprise and you have more of a mid-pace section for the verse, tempos shift and another fantastic solo hits you, all the time in the background you can hear the classical stabs and piano parts playing while never taking away from the song but always enhancing it, the standard of playing from everyone on this is at the highest level, super impressive!
I am giving this a solid 9/10
Don’t let these guys slip you by, a really interesting band with a very unique style, firmly in the technical death metal camp, but offering a very original sound to it, new album is due out soon so I will be all over that to review it and see what they come up with next!
The Ruthless Leviathan | WRATH OF THE NEBULA (bandcamp.com)
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🎤 Vocal and Bass : Hokuto No Dov 🎸 Guitar : Geoffroy Lebon 🎸 Guitar : Florian Lagoutte 🥁 Drums : Quentin Regnault
