Leviathan is a progressive metal band formed in Colorado in 1989 by guitarist/leader Ronnie Skeen, guitarist Steve Fugate, and vocalist Tom Braden; the original lineup was completed by drummer Ty Tammeus and bassist James Escobedo. Just before the group recorded its self-titled debut EP in 1991, Fugate left the group to be replaced by John Lutzow.
Leviathan recorded its full-length debut in 1993 with new vocalist Jack Aragon; Deepest Secrets Beneath became a minor hit overseas, particularly in Japan. However, the group nearly fell apart afterwards; Skeen and Lutzow saw the remainder of the group defect, and moved to plug the holes with vocalist, Jeff Ward, bassist Derek Blake, and drummer Trevor Helfer. This lineup recorded Riddles, Questions, Poetry, and Outrage in 1996. This Album received outstanding reviews worldwide from the music press and landed the band a record deal with Century Media. The band continued to grow and expand the boundaries of metal and progressive rock. After the RQPO album, Leviathan had clearly established themselves as real contenders in the progressive music genre with their top notch musicianship and song writing.
In 1997 they performed at the Powermad festival in Baltimore, MD. This delighted progressive metal fans from all over the globe that had traveled thousands of miles to finally see them play. That same year they released their most progressive and daring album to date, Scoring the Chapters.
Musical exhaustion and frustration with record labels pushed the band to dissolve in 1998. In 2001 Guitarist John Lutzow reunited with bassist Derek Blake. Together they brought back to life a solo project that John had worked on in the nineties called “Braver Since Then.” BST began recording and releasing albums.
In 2007 BST needed to find a new drummer and was lucky enough to track down Trevor Helfer. This reconnect began the journey to the complete band reunion. Jeff Ward and Ron Skeen were convinced to embrace the project. The band welcomed the prospect of reaching old fans worldwide and internet exposure to new fans with fresh material. The Reunion shows were a great success. The live DVD/CD set brought back songs from the bands history with a visual journey from the bands history.
The inspiration that came from the reunion shows was quickly channeled into new material. Within months of releasing the live DVD/CD set, Leviathan began recording the songs that made up, “At Long Last, Progress Stopped to Follow.” This album was released early 2011. With that release, Leviathan returned to their roots and delivered material that is the heavy, technical and progressive.
In the summer of 2011 Leviathan returned to Europe to play the Head banger’s Open Air Festival promoted by longtime supporter Hellion Records. Leviathan was honored to share the stage with Fates Warning again.
Upon returning home, Leviathan began work on their most ambitious album to date, Beholden to Nothing, Braver Since Then. This album would bring about the union of both of John and Derek’s musical ventures; Leviathan and Braver Since Then. This album was released in 2014 and marked the final work with Jeff Ward on vocals. B2N, BST was well received by critics and fans who continue to embrace the maturing style and artistic expression.
2018 is a new year that will see the release of the strongest material and heaviest sound in decades. For this record, John wanted to get back to the sound Leviathan had at the end of the 90’s. The only way to achieve that goal would be to have powerful drums. John was honored to work with his all time favorite drummer, Mark Zonder. Mark played drums on all six tracks.
The departure of Jeff Ward left a very difficult role to be filled. John looked all around the world to find a vocalist that could step up and bring something new to the band. Raphael Gazal from Sao Paulo, Brazil was hired to record the lead vocals for the album. To handle the mixing and mastering tasks on this new album, John found a great local studio in the beautiful mountains of Colorado called Evergroove.
The new album, "Can't Be Seen By Looking" was released in March, 2018. This album was promoted by Against PR and received favorable reviews from press around the world.
Feeling more motivation than ever Leviathan has continued to move forward composing material that reflects the current turmoil in the world. Aspiring to find beauty when hope is lost can be tiresome. With an established foundation and continued support of long time fans, Leviathan vigorously worked over two years to create something powerful. The Words Waging War album is fit to redeem the band and re-establish their standing as one of the top progressive metal bands producing music today. They tapped into lost passion on new material and recorded their strongest record to date. This album features new drummer, Kyle Brian Abbott. The other band members remained intact and continued to develop skills in writing and recording. The overall production quality returned with the help of Kevin Clock, owner and engineer of Colorado Sound Studios. Leviathan proudly release this album on 11/27/2020.