Crawl / Leviathan Review

Band	Leviathan
Album	Crawl / Leviathan
Type	Split
Released	February 10, 2018
Labels	Red River Family Records
Length	24:00

Reviewer :  KaroshiMetal         Rating :  95 / 100

Upon seeing the news from Leviathan's very own Wrest that he would be releasing this split album with Crawl on cassette, I had no idea who Crawl was. But upon giving this split a listen, it gave me two completely different atmospheric sides as these two artists perform with a different composed set of negativity. Of course this is something Leviathan has always been known for, but Crawl delivers their own unique tone that maintains the overall dark theme of this album. As such, this album can easily place the listeners in such a creeping mindset that it makes them paint a picture of other worlds.

This self-titled cassette release contains only two tracks, each with a balanced length of 12 minutes. It opens with Crawl delivering an automation effect, fading in slow drum kicks, snare beats and cymbal crashes accompanied by raw guitar riffs that gives a very dooming tone accompanied as the vocals immediately deliver ghostly-like wails. This entire slow section lasts for a good 5 minutes and 40 seconds that sounds like something the listener may hear during a dark ritual in an underground complex, an abandoned structure or even in an empty forest. It has a very repetitive yet straightforward structure that gives such an uneasy mood that makes this track not easy to just listen to at any time, as it's one of those pieces of art that's saved for special occasions such as the listener wanting to be left alone. But after 5 minutes have passed of enduring such creeping length, the guitar and vocals come to a pause as we are introduced to a keyboard that plays a choir-like effect as the drum work maintains it's slow steady beats. This lasts for a good moment until the track suddenly gives itself a higher tempo, as the guitar and vocals return. The instruments at this point perform at a faster rate that gives a chaotic nature while the keyboard maintains it's dark use of minor notes to keep the horror theme at large. This last for quite some time before everything comes to a pause, with a slow and low spooky keyboard effect accompanied by electric guitar feedback that fades in and out. This lasts for a while until it summons an acoustic guitar, slowly and longingly plucking depressing-like notes that closes the track.

While Crawl's side plays it's own doom atmosphere that is greatly reminiscent of dark ritual performances, Leviathan's part shares it's own side of a unique atmosphere that is more somber. It opens with a slow overdrive guitar reverb that completely erases the mindset of whatever the listener experienced from earlier. This section is also accompanied by a strange low wind-like effect that possibly makes the listeners imagine themselves being stranded in the middle of an empty snowstorm until the fast guitar riffs come into play alongside the steady tempo drums that keeps up with the guitar work while Wrest delivers the traditional screeches he is already known for. The guitar work plays a series of melancholic notes that has a very strong vibe as bands like Drowning The Light and Satanic Warmaster. The entire formula for the instrumentation work keeps itself an original atmosphere away from Crawl's side, as it's quality is enough to send chills upon the listeners. This all eventually comes to a pause as the low keyboard effect returns with slow clean guitar plucking while also accompanied by strange scratchy-like vocals that sounds like Wrest was in total agony during the making of this track. Of course, this doesn't last for the rest of the track as all the instruments return with a similar fast tempo like earlier that maintains it's series of melancholic minor notes until eventually ending the track with a weird scratching-like effect accompanied by a mysterious scream.

This split album between Crawl and Leviathan is a piece of art that is not for everyone, as it can be saved for certain people with certain grim mindsets. This cassette release only contains one track from the two artists separately and so may lead some listeners to wanting to experience more of these two together. Despite so, the two presented pieces still hold enough visuals to keep plenty of fans in a status of dark personal pleasure.