Leviathan: Unfailing Fall into Naught (2018)

This is the last of the string of posts on Leviathan.  This release was not part of the set I picked up but the label I purchased it from also had this release, so I grabbed it as well.  This is also a compilation of a couple of earlier releases, so despite the 2018 release date, the music dates back to significantly earlier.

The first five tracks are from an EP called The Blind Wound which was released in 2006, shortly after the release of A Silhouette in Splinters.  These tracks are like night and day from that release though as the songs from the EP are much more aggressive, riff-based black metal tracks, which is still the side of Leviathan that I prefer.  Furthermore, this was from close to the time period of Leviathan's debut when Wrest's song-writing was at its peak.  These are worthy tracks from the same period as the height of Leviathan's career.

The last two tracks are from Leviathan's legendary split with Xasthur, which is still one of the most important U.S. black metal releases of all time.  One of these days I am going to track down a copy, but this is one of the next best things.  These are much slower-paced, melancholic songs than the angrier earlier tracks, though they stay on the black metal side of things instead of going in the more ambient direction, with the exception of the closing strains of "Unfailing Fall into Naught".  The second song, "The Remotest Cipher", is also slower-paced but is easily one of the more dynamic songs Leviathan has recorded.

I really enjoy this release.  Sometimes, these kinds of releases are the best because they take shorter, more focused releases and combine them.  What we get then is absolutely no filler.  Each track on this release is top-notch.  This is one of the more intriguing Leviathan releases for that reason.