Grim... primal... and BLACK. California's one man black metal juggernaut, Leviathan, is a force to be feared, respected and held in a perpetual state of awe. White Devil, Black Metal is soloist Wrest's (aka Jeff Whitehead) 2002 demo. Leviathan's respect for traditional Scandinavian Black Metal is plainly evident, but there is an expansive nature to the creation within. It simultaneously pays homage to the founding corpse painted fathers of Northern Europe, as well as pushes and obliterates the often stagnant boundaries of the "scene." It is rare that such a grim and uncompromising creation can also be so varied and boundless.
There was a time when I sincerely believed that the best or most "real" (whatever that means) black metal had to be European in origin. I thought that the rest of the world would be stuck in a perpetual game of catch up... I could not have been more wrong. While the Euro scene, with some exceptions, has been releasing mediocre after mediocre watered down black metal clone bands, it is the West Coast of the United States that for years has been churning out impressive releases by stunning artists with a healthy variety of musical influences. All this while keeping it brutal and uncompromising. Leviathan are truly among the keepers of black metal's misanthropic flame. There's no corporate black metal here kids...
The original pressing of White Devil, Black Metal... was a whopping 66 hand numbered copies. Now that's kvlt.
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