Inferious is Paving the Road for New Metal Bands in Ohio - An Interview with Tyler from Leviathan Cycle

Leviathan Cycle is one of the promising death metal bands from Ohio we featured here on Metalhead Community not long ago with their single album review, The Burnt Page. We have made an exclusive interview with the band regarding Leviathan Cycle, their single The Burnt Page, the band's future plans as well as the death metal scene in Ohio, and the situation of up-and-coming bands.

Q1 - Let's start with how LEVIATHAN CYCLE was born? And how special is this collective?

A1 – Tyler (Guitarist) and I had always talked about getting something going, but the timing never seemed right. We could never agree on what type of music to play from my preferences of thrash to his preferences of Doom, until one day we started jamming some groovy deathcore and it just felt natural and took off. It’s special to us because it took us so long to actually make it happen before we hit the sweet spot.

Q2 - What can you tell us about the story behind the name; LEVIATHAN CYCLE?

A2 – While the Leviathan Cross is typically linked to Satanism and the alchemical Sulfur, It actually symbolizes a lot more. When you look at the cyclical nature of the infinity symbol, it represents the cycle of life and death, while the branching crosses on top show choice and our freedom to go through that cycle how we see fit. So we landed on Leviathan Cycle.

Q3 - Since your latest single; The Burnt Page, how is the feedback so far?

A3 – Being our second single, we’ve had a lot more feedback in general and a lot more traction. With our first release, …Of Heresy, we were still trying to get out there… still trying, but we’ve definitely gotten to more listeners around the world, thanks to you guys, and we’re hearing really great things.

Q4 - What can you tell us about the thematic/lyrical approach in "The Burnt Page"? What were the main influences? Are there any differences from the previous release in terms of writing?

A4 – With The Burnt Page, we really focused on the oppression of knowledge. Things that came to mind during the writing process were events like the Dead Sea Scrolls, Libraries being burnt, and overall abuse of positions of power to control what people are allowed to know. Our whole upcoming album shares similar themes based around the woes of Dark Age Religion and the many negative impacts it had on everyone from the time period.

Q5 - Where did you record the song? Who produced it? And how is the band feeling about the outcome so far?

A5 - We actually recorded it with the guitarist from Inferious, Christian Becker, in his studio. It’s crazy how accessible the industry is nowadays with home studio tech. The same bands drummer, Drew Creager, produced this track as well as our entire upcoming album. We’re really happy so far. We’re trying to do things the right way, which is a slower process, but we’re very excited and happy with the way things are going.

Q6 – What can you tell us about The Burnt Page Music Video? What was the idea? and how do you feel about the outcome so far?

A6 – So, we wanted to stay simple with our first full performance video. We used our most accessible track and just played it like we would any other time. Our videographer, Jake Nolan, was great, and we’re actually shooting another narrative focused video with him shortly, with a lot more going on. We’re really excited for it. We think it’s worked well so far. Straight and to the point to really show people what we’re doing.

Q7 - Of course, the pandemic situation. How does it feel to be an indie band trying to make records during such a dreadful situation?

A7 – Surprisingly, We think the pandemic actually helped us. It really gave us time to focus, make a plan, and be able to execute the plan more efficiently with the down time.

Q8 - How is the current situation there in Ohio in terms of live music? Do you feel like everything is getting back to normal?

A8 - Things are starting to get back to normal. The local scene is going strong again as well as the big bands.

Q9 - What can you tell us about the Short and Long Term Objectives of Leviathan Cycle? What is the next checkpoint?

A9 – Ideally, we’d love to start getting out there and doing shows with some of our favorite local bands and reaching new listeners. We have some more content we’re working on, but the next big thing will be our full album release.

Q10 - When you think about both releases so far, what can you tell us about the musical direction of Leviathan Cycle?

A10 – As we mentioned earlier, we actually had an early struggle about what music to write. We both love old school thrash and doom, but we couldn’t agree on what we were going to do. We landed pretty comfortably in the death metal umbrella while trying to stay innovative without changing what works for us.

Q11 - What can you tell us about the death metal scene in Ohio? About the general mindset and approaches? Any successful acts you'd like to give a shout out here?

A11 – The Death Metal scene is pretty strong out here. Inferious is really leading the way in what to expect from Ohio. Of course, with the pandemic, things slowed down quite a bit, so I think everyone is mostly focused on just getting back out there.

Q12 - Which bands are leading the death metal scene at the moment, and how special they are in your opinions?

A12 – To mention them again, Inferious is a really strong group. They know what they’re doing, they’re great musicians and they’re really paving the road for new metal bands from Ohio.

Q13 - About the current situation in the music industry, do you believe up-and-coming bands have a better shot then before? or they have lost the essence to make the necessary impact on listeners because there are so many people out there constantly making releases?

A13 – It’s kind of a tricky situation. The music industry has become so accessible with studio equipment advancements and everything of that nature. The ease of distribution has come so far, the market has become so saturated, which can be good and bad. We think the difference really comes down to how you do things. Make a plan, stick to it, and do things as professionally as possible, even if it takes a bit of investment. It’s really easy to get excited and jump the gun and just push everything out all at once, but when bands hold back and stick to their plan, that’s when we see the ones that really shine.

Q14 - What makes a band "Great," in your opinions?

A14 – Overall sound and tone, of course. Innovation without changing up the working formula TOO much. Dedication, passion, and being active with their community.

Q15 - Top 5 artists/bands influenced Leviathan Cycle?

A15 – Lamb of God, Trivium, Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer

Q16 - Top 5 albums influenced The Burnt Page?

A16 –

Ashes of the Wake - Lamb of God,
Wrath - Lamb of God,
Shogun - Trivium,
In Waves - Trivium,
Reign In Blood - Slayer.

Q17 - Lastly, what would you like to say to our readers?

A17 – We just really hope people dig what they hear and we have new and exciting things in the works.

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