Biography

Inspired by Scandinavian one-man black metal entrepreneurs like Bathory's Quorthon, Burzum's Count Grishnackh, and the ubiquitous Mortiis, San Francisco native Jef Whitehead adopted the nom de guerre Wrest in 1998 and soon began self-recording and releasing demos under the Leviathan heading. Within five years, these already numbered more than a dozen and were partly compiled on 2002's Verräter collection; but Leviathan continued to favor short-form demos, EPs, and split releases (with the likes of Crebain, Xasthur, and Sapthuran) in the years that followed, only committing to full-length efforts with 2003's The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide and 2004's Tentacles of Whorror. Wrest has also contributed his undead vocal talents to albums by Sunn 0))). In 2005, Wrest formed Twilight, a black metal supergroup, with members of other iconic bands (Xasthur, Krieg, Isis, Nachtmystium, and Sonic Youth), releasing three albums (2005's self-titled, 2010's Monument to Time End, and III: Beneath Trident's Tomb in 2014). At the same time Twilight was formed, Wrest released an album under the Leviathan moniker: the collection of demos Howl Mockery at the Cross. The next year, he released a two-EP combo -- Speed of Darkness and The Blind Wound -- the latter of which was a re-release of a split album with Sapthuran. Fourth album Massive Conspiracy Against All Life came in 2008. In 2011, inspired by events surrounding a sexual assault and domestic violence charge, Wrest released True Traitor, True Whore. Afterward, he moved to Portland, Oregon, started his own label (Profound Lore), a tattoo business, and a family. Four years later, his critically acclaimed sixth album, Scar Sighted, birthed another dose of darkness into the music world. In 2016, Dutch label Hammerheart offered deluxe reissues of Leviathan's first four albums along with the 2005 compilation A Silhouette in Splinters. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi