Leviathan – Beyond The Gates of Imagination Pt.1

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There are a few things to be said for Beyond the Gates of Imagination Pt.1 by Germany’s Leviathan. First of all, emphasis on Germany – this isn’t the much better-known American one-man black metal outfit. Secondly, as the name of the album might suggest, this is an album with much more grandiose and fantastical ambition than what one would expect from an apparent melodeath outfit. In fact, for any listeners expecting something along the lines of At The Gates, Soilwork or Dark Tranquility, you’d be out of luck – this has far more in common with melodeath-based epic/folk metal acts like Eluvietie or Ensiferum than it does anything melodeath. It is melodic, and the majority of the vocals are harsh, but otherwise this has little to do with melodeath itself. Not that is necessarily a bad thing, the album is full of long and epic metal songs with plenty of big lead guitar, a few more progressive passages, and some large-sounding synths keeping a very fantasy-orientated mood throughout the album. The songs are often long and complex, involving acoustic guitars, occasional guest clean singers and no doubt an elaborate story tying the album together. Despite all this majesty though, one can’t help but feel that perhaps this has all been done before, only better and much more cleanly. The album feels a little overly ambitious for a debut, and it shows – some of the songs are a bit messy, any narrative flow is lost without a lyric sheet, and there is something terribly generic about the album’s themes as a whole. There’s some genuine thought put into the compositions, but it does seem like the band need a few more years to mature and develop their writing, as well as find their own unique sound. At the moment, it is perhaps more of what you expect with some progressive touches – certainly engaging enough for the battle metal types, but not quite enough to draw interest from outside.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Death Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Leviathan