Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy on Moribund!

[DARK USURPER]

Okay, so it looks like another breath for Leviathan! Im sorry to hear all the drama that seems to be surrounding this album but Im also glad it appears the thing will finally be released!

According to the Moribund website....

LEVIATHAN
"Massive Conspiracy Against All Life" DigiCD/Gatefold LP/TS
RELEASE DATE 03.25.2008 (US)

_________________________________________________

But what was the problem to begin with? Why such a delay? What ever happened to the split with Nachtmystium?

I dont like to spread around too much "he said this and that" but I find these recent comments quite interesting....


From Tyler Bidwell (he used to pack all the orders at Moribund)....

" I interned at Moribund for 4 months...(and then moved to VA)... what happened is the black glam-rock metal rockstar of nachtfagium tried to bootleg the leviathan album!

Wrest was in rehab from a heroin overdose (yes, most BM guys use hardcore drugs, or are crazy, it;s why the music is so good)... and his "friend" robbed him and the label of thousands of dollars so he could record his album for his new (black metal underground)label Century Media and get out on tour with As I lay In Shit, or cock or whatever "as I lay xxx" band it was they toured with....

Then Southern Lord (who paid them advances for some split release) took them BOTH to court to get the advance $$ back they had paid mr judd, and stopped paying BKR their CD sales $$ for the other BKR CD's.... I know this cause blake called Moribund screaming and crying about it like it was their fault or somehting....

I'm also friends with several bands signed to battle kommand who say they have never been paid crap by mr judd. At least moribund pays there bands!

anyway, the album will be out sometime, on whatever label, and from the advance I heard 9 months back playing in the moribund office it was wrest best work yet...

would like to see it on a label that puts out real black metal though, and not some fucking rock star trend jumpin "I'm done proving we're NOT black metal" fag like judd's crap label."


From Blake (Nachtmystium/Battle Kommand Records)....

This is 100% bullshit. Wrest himself ASKED me to release the record and asked how we could do it without Moribund. Bottom line. He doesn't want shit to do with that label, and theres reasons for it. The album would've come out if Moribund hadn't issued me (and other involved labels) with a "cease and desist" letter from his lawyer, threatening legal actions against anyone INCLUDING wrest himself if we or anyone put that record out under any name/alias...thats the only reason this is coming out on Moribund, don't be fooled. For Moribund or ANY 'employee' or so-called 'intern' to say I was trying to 'bootleg' the album is UTTER fucking bullshit and they know it. That was a personal request via a telephone call last June between Wrest and myself...we didn't offer, he ASKED. So the concept of 'bootleg' here is beyond obscene. They (Moribund) also threatened to sue me for "slander" if I ever told any of this to the public...this isn't slander, this is just all fact and I'm not going to sit here and have my name dirtied up with your internet bullshit rumor mill. I run an honest company and our bands have always been happy with what we've done for them, which is why many are rostered for other releases. We don't tie our bands down with corporate-designed 'record contracts' that prevent you from doing anything an not having it owned by your label like "SOME" labels out there...

And Mr. Tyler here doesn't talk to anyone on our roster who hasn't been paid...if he has, I'd love to know who and I'll happily contact them. We've never ONCE had a band try to leave our label, unlike Moribund, and we pay our bands exactly what our contracts say, on time, every time. And if someone did want to leave, I'd let them go because musicians aren't slaves at my label. I just did my taxes for the year and 1099'd about 20 people in bands on our label who received checks from us this year....so that again is bullshit. Little 'kvlt' nerd throwing stones like usual...crawl back to your garbage mock-black metal internet world you fucking douche bag cry baby. People like you helped destroy everything that made black metal cool and real, and people like you are why I've done everything I can to separate my music, band and label from your nerdy little immature irrelevant world.

Anyone who'd like to 'contest' that this is indeed me leaving this comment, feel free to contact me directly.

Fuck off.

Oh and for the record - we never were and never have been "sued" or in court over ANYTHING with Southern Lord. I work closely with that label, consider its owner a friend, and we've never had any debates over money at all...the split was cancelled and I chose to buy our tracks back that the label had paid for us to record, in the name of good and honest business. No argument, and certainly not a legal issue. This comment gets me the most because the ONLY reason the split isn't out is because of Moribund Records. So you can all thank them for that as well...their big scary lawyer letter telling all of us that Moribund OWNS Leviathan and that we all need to keep our hands off his shit in a nutshell.
-B"



So no split with Nachtmystium. I guess we'll see what really happens from here.

100% support to both Blake/BKR and Jeff/Leviathan!!!

[carl]

Thanks, D.U. I missed this bizzare exchange. We all knew, right, that the delays were someting like this pathetic shit?
It's funny to me, though. There's all this sick, money grubbing, ego spewing crap, but the fans of these guys, the one's I've met, anyway, are typically honorable, scrupulous about property and money, positive-minded to the point of Idealism and open-handed.
This is the same guy that fired Duane Timlin's talented ass on the road so I didn't get to hear them play ,right? Still, you can't really judge, maybe the guys that paid the immensely talented Wrest the advance money ( Moribund, eh?) are the ones at fault, in some parallel universe or dream.
**Heroin is a dangerous drug BECAUSE
1) You'll feel really sick and ready to die if you get hooked for real
2)If you ever test positive for it...tata
3)You don't know, for certain, just how strong the shit is ( til it's too late to not die.)
***
I hope that SOMEONE releases the damn album before I'm gathered to my ancestors. I wanna hear it so much I'd even buy it, if I had to.

[Ahriman]

I really couldn't care less about this, I find Nachtmystium and Leviathan overrated

[Infected]

Great news that it's being released

[Fisting The Dead]

Originally Posted by Ahriman

I really couldn't care less about this, I find Nachtmystium and Leviathan overrated

Leviathan is good, but yes indeed--overrated as hell!

[Fenrir]

well, glad too see that the album is going to be released.

Originally Posted by Tyler Bidwell

At least moribund pays there bands!

This isn't even funny, it’s plain sad.

[carl]

An Easter release, then. How appropriate: the shirt will make a nice gift.

[DARK USURPER]

1. Sacred Scars
2. Seamless Garment As The Morning
3. Last Breath Of Expiation
4. 6116
5. Phosphoros
6. Flagellum Raised To The Sky
7. Sanies Obnuntio

7 tracks / 1 hour.
Release is still scheduled for Moribund on March 24/25.

Ive listened to this album 3 or 4 times. Sounds like Leviathan without much of a difference to the past releases. Although I do really enjoy somewhat of a revived sounds from the demo days. You know, 1 or 2 of these (re-recorded/re-mixed) tracks were actually on the demos. It does have somewhat of a "Lurker" feel with lots of slower ambient-like passages. Still, these tracks are packed full of pure chaos!

It also sounds like this is infact a REAL drum-kit used on this recording. Which I think has a great result for Leviathan (unlike the latest Xasthur release for example).

I also suspect the material I have may not be the FINAL mix. It does sound a little "un-done" production wise. Some of the levels just sound really low and mixed up. Although some parts sound absolutly perfect for Leviathan.

Im still looking forward to the actual release so I can hear if there is any difference...

[carl]

I love this album.
I was relieved that it proved neither a contract breaker nor a pure Lurker album.
There is a nice Lurker feel to some of the tracks, good for balance and structure of the album.
The final track is the best Lurker-type song I have yet heard by Wrest, while Flagellum... is a romping, chaotic masterpiece and makes me dance, actually.
I'm going to buy the thing to get rid of the annoying breaks between the mp3 tracks and, though I blush to sound so corny, support the artist and the long-suffering, much maligned label. Some-fucking-body paid cash for that studio time and production costs. I doubt there will be any difference in the mix.
I also thought I recognized a really different, re-recorded, track from a Demo. Which one, do you think?
The drums sound much better, though the percussion is a bit more restrained than the better drummers, like HH, Frost, Tyr....
All-in-all, bitchin' , probably one of the year's best. Of course, i'm a huge fan, so maybe others will her the thing differently.
**I hope the shirt is in color like the cover, but I suppose it will be more black 'n white.
***On Blabbermouth a few days ago it was announced that Nachtmystium will release the stuff from the previously announced Nachtmystium/Leviathan or ( Lurker), whatever, split as an mCD, Worldfall, then record more stuff later in the year for a new split with Lurker. Their own full-length, Assassins is postponed til June.

EDIT: You can order the digiCD from Moribund, as of now. It didn't say pre-order. The shirts ain't up yet, though.
EDIT 2: They sent me an email saying it ships the 19th, so it must be basically a pre-order, the scamps.

[DARK USURPER]

I pre-ordered from Moribund a few days ago. Nothing wrong with paying for the actual CD. Just old fashion, I suppose.
They ship on the 19th and I was told to expect it on the 24th. Only the CD is being released right now. The vinyl version will come sometime around the summer. Im not sure about the shirts.

The track from one of the demos is the 2nd to last, Flagellum.... Although it's much different from the original. Clearly re-recorded and a few parts redone. It does make me wonder how old some of this material actually is? However, the recording itself has to be fairly new since it was done with real drums (Wrest didnt use real drums for Leviathan up until 2005/06 or so)

Ive listened to the album several times and overall Im impressed! I like that its such a dence and solid packed record that its hard to get a grip on everything. Im still hearing and catching new corners and pockets I didnt catch on the first few spins.

I agree this is sure to be a major highlight of the year. Heh, I know there is already a shit load of people who cant wait to bash the thing. (but) Who really cares!

[carl]

Hey, that song is my fave ( slightly)!
Either I haven't heard that Demo or it's really different.

[DARK USURPER]

The track listing on metal-archives has changed. Still 7 songs (and I believe the playing time is the same) but different titles.

Hmm, seems confusing. Guess we will just have to wait a couple more days to find out what the actual titles are.

[carl]

Different titles, but the same songs. The sound balance seems a bit better, though this is basically the same album that was leaked. I don't know if the mix was changed ( very slightly) or if the .cda sound is just superior to the leaked .mp3.
Good one.

[Fenrir]

giving it a proper spin and imo this is his best material to date, definitely a highlight of the year.

Originally Posted by carl

I don't know if the mix was changed ( very slightly) or if the .cda sound is just superior to the leaked .mp3.

that's probably because the first leak was ripped at 128kbps so that's low enough to notice a difference with the actual cd.

[carl]

I've pre-ordered the shirt, $24.55, from Moribund, so-oo I guess, barring the unforseen, that's about the end of my adventures with this much-hyped ( lived up to it, imo), oft-delayed, fought-over and, final, Leviathan album.
Now, the wait for Twilight II begins in earnest.

[DARK USURPER]

The tee/LS look good. I may get one myself but I hate how Moribund charges an arm and a leg for shirts!

I really wanted to get the LP but after seeing the CD layout I dont think I'd be missing much with the LP version. Wrest does some nice artwork but this particular layout is quite unfitting for this release. (nice cover though!)

I guess we will see what happens in the future. Now, I can easily see another Leviathan/split release at some point.

I think the next Twilight is still going to be a very long wait!

[ekalmoorg]

I really enjoy this album.

[GiantCogsTurn]

I waited a while to see if a vinyl version would come...but I caved in and bought the CD a couple weeks ago. This is great!