Fall of Leviathan – In Waves Review – True Sounds of the Underground

As you may guess by its minimalist cover art, Fall of Leviathan takes inspiration from the ocean. Its placid surface, an unassuming miles-wide smile at the sun, and its brutal depth, a guttural roar and a gnashing of magnificent teeth, quietly collide to create a face that looks down upon man as he stands atop it, his hubris an engorgement of sails and a swelling of his chest. When faced with its might, the relentless apathy and his insignificance in the face of mountainous waves and the abyss at our rocky borders, man crumbles – sand castles deserted by distracted children. Fall of Leviathan embodies this dichotomy: sunbathed beauty and sunless brutality.

Swiss instrumental post-metal act Fall of Leviathan offers its debut with In Waves, its maritime and abyssal aspirations recalling the disparate offerings of Ahab, The Ocean, Giant Squid, or Thermohaline. Balancing the shimmer of the sun upon the ripples with the crushing weight of the ocean floor, its promo promises a combination of Mogwai and Neurosis in its post-rock-focused meditation. Guitarists Régis Mérillat and Marc Wattenhofer balance melody for density seamlessly, graced by the ethereality and noise of composer Loïc Fleury’s synths, anchored by the low end of bassist David Seuret and drummer Emma Richon. Not easily pigeonholed in the sector of post-metal, every member, even Richon and Seuret, maneuvers each passage and composition with dynamics, grace, and subtlety in mind. The result is an evocative, if imperfect, image of the oceans.

In Waves by Fall Of Leviathan

In Waves flows with the fluidity of the water it seeks to conjure, as each track feels like another log entry in a journey that ends in a strangely beautiful oceanic tragedy. Fall of Leviathan, despite its lack of lyrics, offers its own array of voices and languages, namely the guitars and synths and their uses of minor and major chord interplay. The subdued and vulnerable “Red Bay” sees this conversation: warbling synth gives way to melodic plucking and back again, a progression that feels purposeful, mysterious, and expansive. It’s a dialogue set to crescendo whose conclusion does not disappoint, when the emotional weight tugs on the throat in a revelation yet to find words. On the other hand, “Spermwhale” hits with a weight as colossal and intimidating as Ahab’s pursuit of the white whale, thick sludge riffs dominating its relatively brief runtime in a portrayal of the crushing depths. Epics “Nantucket,” “Pacific,” and closer “Akhab” offer the best in this crossroads of oceans, dark and dense riffs colliding with haunting leads in the dash of ocean spray and hushed voices in subtle guitar and spoken word samples – the thunderous mouth full of lightning words and wave syntax.

Fall of Leviathan offers the oceans. The five-piece does not aim to be another Pelican or Russian Circles, whose earthen post-metal weight are a clear partner with heavenly ethereality. In Waves’ motives are unclear. As a result, the tones range from heart-wrenching to devastating to tragic across its hefty 56-minute runtime, and difficult to pigeonhole. While the atmosphere conjures a place you will likely not forget, the specific movements of how you got there may get lost in time. Like any tapestry worth its merit, it nearly perfect portrays the overall and summative picture of crashing waves, but its individual threads may not shine. The title track, for instance, doesn’t carry the same weighted quality being wedged in between “Nantucket” and “Pacific,” hindered by its inability to satisfyingly capitalize upon its mammoth crescendo.

Fall of Leviathan has created something truly special with In Waves. While the emphasis pushes individual performance to the wayside, its sonic conjuring of the colossal oceans and all their beauty and violence is truly something to behold. It’s over-long, even if this level of ambition requires it, and the emphasis on atmosphere sans vocals may be divisive.1 However, for those looking for escape into a world awed by the massive expanse of water and the secrets it may hold, venture forth upon In Waves – humbly.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Vitruve Records
Websites: facebook.com/FallOfLeviathan | fallofleviathan.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: March 1st, 2024