LEVIATHAN

This is a great album, easily deserving of 5 stars even though Blood Mountain is superior. If you don't like metal music that competely pounds you into submission, you won't like this album. That said, if you're a fan of VERY heavy metal, and can withstand the onslaught, this is for you. You will be treated with a high level of musicianship on all levels (check out Brann, the jaw-droppingly good drummer). One other thing: they mostly use a yell/growl style of vocal. Sort of like death metal, but not really. If that sort of thing turns you off, this is not the album for you.

If you see my review of Blood Mountain, you'll notice that while I obviously love that album, there are two things that I perceive as flaws within it. The cool thing about Leviathan is that there are no such flaws that I see. The reason why I think Blood Mountain is better is simple: in general, the band sounds more mature and confident on that record. Still, get Leviathan, it's proggy metal at its best. Oh, and the lyrics and general concept of the album are well-done.