How would you classify your music?

Mature, complex and textural.
A progression beyond the normal boundaries of metal.

Do you all have day jobs and if so what do you do?

Yes, we all have to work day jobs to survive. If we counted on our album sales to get us by....... than we'd all be dead.
I work at a metal finishing shop and John teaches guitar.
Deke is a radiologist and the other guys do delivery stuff.

How did the band get together?

LEVIATHAN was formed in 1989 by myself and a guitarist named Steve Fugate (from my first band SONIC FURY).

We worked together for several months writing songs and trying out musicians when we found drummer Ty Tammeus, bassist James Escobedo and vocalist Tom Braden through ads at music stores. All of those members have since been replaced over the years, leaving me as the only original remaining member.

Steve was replaced by guitarist John Lutzow in 1991 just months before we recorded our debut CD "Leviathan". In 1993, Tom Braden was replaced by Jack Aragon and later that year we recorded "Deepest Secrets Beneath".

After DSB, Jack, Ty and James left the group and were replaced with Jeff Ward (vocals), Trevor Helfer (drums) and Derek Blake (Bass).

All the new guys had great ability and great attitudes but just as importantly, they were supportive of me and John's musical direction. We knew everything was finally right. We started working very hard on the new material and went into the studio to record "Riddles.." three months later.

We've had the same line-up ever since.

This line-up consists of Ronnie Skeen-Guitars, John Lutzow-Guitars, Jeff Ward-Vocals, Derek Blake-Bass, Trevor Helfer-Drums/Percussion.

What are your musical backgrounds?

John has classical/flamenco traning and has also went to college for theory and literature.

The rest of us are mostly self-taught.

What kind of music do you like to listen to when you're not playing?

(Ron) I listen to a little bit of everything from FATES WARNING, GARTH BROOKS, JETHRO TULL, QUEEN, QUEENSRYCHE, PINK FLOYD, & RUSH.

John listens to stuff like DREAM THEATER, Ben Harper, Jim Croce, Tori Amos, BARE NAKED LADIES, LIVE, SEAL, PEARL JAM, and Natalie Merchant.

What do you do to relax?

I'm restoring an old car right now. It's a '69 Dodge Charger with a 383 engine. I also enjoy road racing motorcycles and spending time with my daughter.

John likes to watch movies, hundreds and hundreds of them. He's a walking movie library.

Trevor likes to play video games and also likes to bring out the headphones and play drums to other bands CD's. He can play all the DREAM THEATER albums note-for-note. Seems like a lot of work but he really enjoys it.

If you had the chance to jam with any band, who would that be?

Probably Fates Warning or Rush. I have so much respect for them as musicians, lyricists and songwriters. Not many bands can even come close to them as a complete package.

I hear some real talented musicians that can't seem to write lyrics to save their life. I believe that a bands lyrical content is equally important to the music. But that's personal opinion.

Unfortunately, most people never even read that far into the music.

What's the best thing that has ever happened to you?

Musically......I would have to say going to Florida to record our latest album ("Scoring The Chapters"). It just seemed like everything had led up to that point and it was all so right.

The album came together so perfect... we had alot of fun with Jim (Morris) at Morrisound and on the beach in Florida.

What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you?

Probably when the ex-members (Tom, Ty, James, & Jack) tried to sue me for the name "Leviathan" and all of the songs I had wrote. It was a real slap in the face after all that I had done for them over the years.

Also, when our best friend Rick (Hockenberry) died, that was a real low point for me. He was a pretty special dude.

Who writes the songs?

On this one, I only wrote 4 tracks and John wrote the rest. He already had most of the album written before I even started. But I believe that I made a pretty good impact with my contribution. Overall, we try to write about half and half. It really depends on how focused we are at writing.

John and I can write new songs all day long. I wrote my 4 tracks in less than 10 days. When the band first started in '89, it took me about a month per song (average). But I was dedicating a lot of time to working with the other musicians, and not just writing. I did manage to write the entire first CD myself though back then.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Mostly from inside. Personal experiences and stuff.

John get's some inspiration from movies too. Sometimes seeing a good concert will really get me fired up to write. The power and intensity.

Who thought of the band's name and how did you choose it?

I actually named the group but I got the idea from Harry "The Tyrant" who's stage name was "Leviathan" back when he was singing in a band called "Satan's Host".

The name just stuck with me. It's very powerful .....the way I like our music.

Which are you personal favorite songs and why?

On this new album, I really like "Legacy Departing", "Turning Up Broken" and "Paying The Toll".

Legacy is cool because it's our epic ending like "Passion" was on R.Q.P.O. Very depressing. "Turning Up Broken" is just so damn progressive.... not many bands venture into this territory.

"Paying The Toll" was my balls out contribution to the album. It's the sequel to "Pages Of Time" on R.Q.P.O.

It would be kind of hard to pick my favorites from the other 3 albums.

Do you play many gigs and if so where? / What is you view of the music scene in Colorado?

We're not playing live at all right now. We were hoping that we would get enough support on this one to support a small tour but it just hasn't happened yet.

We've stopped playing in Colorado (for now) because the scene has become so lame for our style of music.

We are just hoping to tour Europe and maybe Japan someday. That's seems to be where all of our support is (or at least 99%).

What band would you say has had most influence on you?

Personally??.......Probably RUSH... although that is pretty hard to say.
IRON MAIDEN was a big early influence, FATES was another for me. The other guys influences are VERY diverse. From Slayer to Kate Bush to Al Dimeola.

What are your plans for the future?

I'm taking some time off right now to get my head together. I find myself getting so caught up in the business that I lose sight of why I started doing this to begin with. We'll see.

Things have been very hard for us over the years. We always tried to put 120% into our music. We've played hundreds of shows, recorded 4 high quality albums and have always tried to be professional...... but none of it really made a difference. Hardly anyone even noticed....except for the most dedicated prog fans.

Any last words or remarks?

Yes, thanks for the interview.

I want to say thanks to the people who have went out and bought our albums and have supported LEVIATHAN and other power/progressive metal through the years.

You are what keeps our fires burning.

It's a great feeling when our music touches someone inside. We've always poured our hearts into every note we play.

Website : http://home.mho.net/leviathan
Email : corrosiverec@juno.com