Rebel Souls - Leviathan EP (2024)

The gap between the Leviathan EP and Dawn of Depravity was a bit smaller than that between their two full-lengths, but I actually think the four tracks here show a little more of a progression for Rebel Souls. The material is not quite as intense as the prior album could often get, with the possible exception of the closer "Cognitive Warfare", but even there you're getting a tune that is more rhythmically interesting and dare I say catchier. The vocals still have that same guttural hammer to them, and the musicians are capable of exploding whenever necessary, but the writing is reined in a little and the result is awesome. I still picked up a lot of vibes from Vader, Deicide, and so forth, but you'll also here an injection of more mechanistic grooving ideas akin to modern Pestilence, not to mention some more escapist, atmospheric riffing like the shell that sparks the lead guitar in the titular opening track.

Each of these pieces felt more distinct from one another, although clearly set in the same stylistic mold. "Leviathan" is a formidable exhibition of how the band can switch between its bedrock death metal fundamentals and the hints of more progressive ideas; where "The Philanthropist" might be my favorite in their whole catalogue, a lurching juggernaut with those Pestilence dynamics I mentioned, only it's packed in with all these explosive, controlled fills and some great swap-ups to old school, evil death metal riffing. The leads likewise kickass and feel slightly more adventurous or experimental than past efforts. Another interesting cut is "Warmonger" with an intro lick that almost sounds more like swaggering heavy/groove metal with little death metal licks breaking out across the bow, but then accelerates to a much more intense level with the leads and rhythms, climaxing with this majestic harmony during the bridge. The closer has some Voivod-like dissonant chops in the verse but otherwise brings the material back around to the speed and ferocity of Dawn of Depravity. Again, some killer leads in this one, and the weird outro riff is also pretty badass.

While hindered a bit by it's shorter length of around 17 minutes, Leviathan definitely succeeds at casting a broader net than its predecessors, or rather exploring in between the gaps of their more intense writing with something inventive, progressive. There are definitely bands that took these rhythmic excursions to a much more technical extremely, say a Soreption, but rather than dizzying the listener, Rebel Souls packs just enough into the material to keep it interesting, replayable, and worth tracking down if you enjoy the very 'craft' of death metal, inspired by numerous substyles over the decades, but nonetheless forward thinking within their own trajectory.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

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