As music writer Chris Weingarten Tweeted (and I Retweeted) at the time: "ATTN Metal fans, today is the day you throw your Leviathan and Twilight records in the trash." I did feel that way.
Obviously, alleged sexual assault is a serious issue- one that put Whitehead in the category of Burzum (the project of convicted murderer Varg Vikernes) as a band to boycott. Which is why I thought it was important to talk to him. Nachtmystium's Blake Judd commented on the case in an interview with No Clean Singing, questioning the accuser's credibility, but it's still unclear what happened, exactly. He was released on (a subsequently lowered) bail, though it appears the case is still awaiting trial. It's one of the best metal albums of the year, but it's impossible to listen to it without thinking about Whitehead's arrest in January 2011 on charges of sexual assault (for allegedly attacking his then girlfriend). I spoke with him via email about his intense, expansive, claustrophobic, strange, and maddeningly beautiful new album True Traitor, True Whore- out November 8 via Profound Lore- the first since 2008's Massive Conspiracy Against All Life. It appeared with a bunch of interviews from other acts, but there were no words from Wrest (aka multi-instrumentalist and tattoo artist Jef Whitehead) because, as I said then: "Dude won't do interviews." But now he's speaking out for the first time in close to a decade after a year and change of writing Stereogum's Haunting the Chapel, this is my first installment of Show No Mercy since 2009, and I thought it made sense to relaunch the column with Whitehead's words. I was looking through the Show No Mercy archives recently and stumbled upon an mp3 from San Francisco one-man black metallist Leviathan I'd posted on April 23, 2008.
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