I remember clearly how impressed I was when, back in the day, the Leviathan-EP came out (I've got the one with the black cover and logo in silver). What came after, went in a different direction altogether, sure. That's why 'Curse of the Artizan', to me, is the logical - and long overdue - follow-up to 'Leviathan'. Braden's versatile voice, Tammeus' trademark 'less-is-more' precision drumming, the compositions/melodies, the overall atmosphere and sound - it all makes for a most pleasant flashback.
Stylistically, planets lie between Leviathan and Artizan. But both bands have their merits, it's never an 'either-or' question for me. Having said that, 'At long last,...' is perhaps the more daring work, whilst I would certainly classify 'Curse of the Artizan' as the more rounded-out album.
Although the guitar work on both discs is failsafe, one cannot help, for nostalgic reasons, wondering how the albums would have sounded if Ron Skeen had contributed his songwriting and playing skills. Anyhow, whichever way you look at it, he seems to fit the Artizan mould far more than the Leviathan-resurrected-incarnation. All speculation on my part, of course.
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