Looking back on 2015, I realize that - as every year - there has been a ton of records I bought, listened to, liked, hated, but only a handful that left an impression on me and to which I keep returning months and (hopefully) years later. One of these rare gems is without doubt „Scar Sighted“, the newest offering from California’s long-running one-man Black Metal unit LEVIATHAN. I know these attributes have lost almost all meaning nowadays but „Scar Sighted“ is definitely one of the most psychotic, oppressive records of the year. Pairing extensive passages of ritualistic ambient soundscapes with his signature brand of at times chaotic, at times straightforward Black Metal and a totally possessed vocal performance, Wrest creates a suffocating atmosphere that easily captivates the listener for the 64 minutes of the record’s duration. The ten songs, flowing into each other without any clear separation, form a monstrous epic that takes a lot of time and work to be digested in its entirety. There are moments that appear to invoke memories of long lost, treacherous beauty, there are parts in which the man behind the music seems to completely lose his tortured mind in an inferno of white noise - all crammed together in a feverish nightmare of an album that will not leave the listener unaffected. I can’t say that I have explored every corner of the grotesque, pitch-black cathedral of suffering „Scar Sighted“ represents yet, but if you’re looking for music which takes you on a journey to the darkest places within the human mind and doesn’t just pretend to: This is it. 

OO Void