Leviathan Owl - Everything Will Be Fine

​Leviathan Owl

Everything Will Be Fine
self-released; 2017

​3.9 out of 5

By Ryan Ansel

Everything Will Be Fine is the initial release from Leviathan Owl, a project from Scottish musician Andrew Scott. Scott spent his earlier years studying at Berklee College of Music and playing in various bands before releasing this solo project of his. 

​The four-song album sounds, well, exactly like the title. There are a lot of different elements to the musician’s sound, yet every time the music seems to stem off into a new and fresh aesthetic, the tracks seem to naturally retreat into building further upon a comforting and delightful mood.

Each track is pretty epic in terms of dynamics. You face a whirlwind of emotions from front to back. That’s just prog rock for ya. But on this album, Scott seems to show a masterful command of music through the genre. 

Scott, a drummer at heart, never stops evolving his sound on here; not just from song-to-song, but from minute-to-minute. The drumming is certainly the highlight of this project, but the musician infuses acoustic guitars and a warm piano (that sometimes resembles chimes) throughout each track to make this project so tasteful.

Right off the bat, “Profaced” seems to be a reflection of the artist’s experiences through life; an abstract and complicated memory. It evokes some early childhood nostalgia, while also taking you back to the present day. How did we all get here? Where do, or can, we go now?

“Home” is another song that comes in waves. At times, it’s a desperate call for time to slow down. Just when you think that all hope is gone, the raging drums and the undeniably intense power chords spur a fresh sense of faith; faith in your roots. Guitarist Rhys Gilchrist delivers a beautiful solo on this one that truly reminds you that home is where the heart is. Ew, that was gross to even type out, but it’s honestly true. This song just verifies the fact.

At times, I find the shift between the quieter moments to the louder to be a tad alarming. The entire album is like putting on a heavy jacket on a cold winter evening. At some points in the songs, however, the music suddenly becomes the numbing wind that blows your hood off and sends an unsettling chill down your back. For the most part, though, Scott does a really good job of maintaining that happy medium when he shifts from low energy to high. 

The final two tracks are the two-part adventure “Built By Dogs.” “Part One,” is guitar-heavy when it’s upbeat, while a quaint piano fills any voids that remain when the song becomes serene. There’s an interesting use of drum machines on “Part Two” that subtly gives more to the song than you think. 

Any fan of prog rock will enjoy this record. It’s certainly a project that emphasizes beauty over all, and it really never fails to drive that sentiment home.

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