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░ ██ ██ Artist: Leprous ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Malina █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music / Sony Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ For awhile, I've noticed a small, niche group of █
█ progressive acts that are accepted in the metal █
█ community, yet I have trouble considering them to █
█ be heavy. Bands including Haken, Caligula's Horse, █
█ etc. definitely have moments of intensity, but █
█ appear more accurately labeled as rock when paired █
█ beside other prog metal bands such as Tool. █
█ Leprous is certainly a band that is included in █
█ the aforementioned demogrpahic as their releases █
█ consistently sound more like experimental and █
█ progressive rock than that of metal. Of course, █
█ there's nothing wrong with leaning towards the █
█ rock side of the spectrum, I just feel it should █
█ be made clear that when entering an album like █
█ Malina, one should not expect heavy Opeth or Dream █
█ Theater riffs. And considering this release is █
█ more within prog rock territory than metal, I █
█ believe the criteria differs to an extent where █
█ I'll critique the band's melodic and rhythmic █
█ innovation rather than heaviness. Before entering █
█ these eleven tracks, it's important to acknowledge █
█ Leprous' background in that their notoriety was █
█ built being Ihshan's backing band (although █
█ nowadays his live act has shifted). Lastly, this █
█ is the band's fifth full-length LP and first █
█ release to include guitarist Robin Ognedal since █
█ the departure of Oystein Landsverk. █
█ "Bonneville" opens the record calmly and to be █
█ frank, a bit disappointing. Although the track had █
█ an experimental flow, it gave off more-so a █
█ Radiohead vibe than the appealing innovation that █
█ the band was executing on The Congregation. And █
█ for anyone in the same boat as me, I can assure █
█ you that the album becomes stronger in later █
█ songs, but this was truly a weak choice to begin █
█ the record. The following piece, "Stuck," picks up █
█ the pace a tad, but it isn't until "From the █
█ Flame" that the band really hits their stride with █
█ a concrete vocal melody reminding me of The Mars █
█ Volta at parts. Unlike a majority of the songs on █
█ here, this one feels to have a purpose and solid █
█ direction. Other highlights include the contagious █
█ build-ups and payoffs on both "Leashes" and █
█ "Mirage." The last several tracks were more █
█ low-key and held cinematic qualities at times, █
█ especially on the title track and closing piece, █
█ "The Last Milestone." █
█ In comparison to the band's back catalog, I find █
█ Malina to be more synth and vocal-driven compared █
█ to the guitar riffage presented successfully in █
█ their last release. Although the change in focus █
█ may have placed a slight damper on the music, I do █
█ think that this record is possibly one of the best █
█ showcases of Einar Solberg's vocal range and █
█ harmonization. As I stated in the beginning of █
█ this review, I understand that this record leans █
█ more on prog rock than metal and I therefore must █
█ critique it differently. With that being said, I █
█ will agree that the band made steps forward on █
█ experimental fronts and I respect their lack of █
█ complacency. Malina certainly does have a growing █
█ likability when not in a metal mindset, but I █
█ think it'd be best to stop referring to Leprous' █
█ music as "progressive metal" as this record is █
█ clear evidence of the band drifting farther from █
█ heaviness. This album may not be entirely void of █
█ metallic elements, but it is undoubtfully █
█ representative of the band's shift towards a █
█ different goal musically. █
█ Part of me enjoys this album, but at the same █
█ time, a good amount of the songs didn't evolve to █
█ what I was exactly hoping for. And perhaps that's █
█ partly what Leprous was aiming for as part of █
█ their "progressive" identity, in the sense that █
█ the progression is unpredictable, yet █
█ unfortunately the result was underwhelming. I'll █
█ admit, I found a good chunk of the tracks which I █
█ initially believed to be passable to have more █
█ intricate vocal melody and atmospheric touches █
█ that were quite beautiful after perhaps the fourth █
█ or fifth listen. Overall, Malina was interesting █
█ and possessive of some eyebrow raising perks, but █
█ was altogether less powerful than previous █
█ releases. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Bonneville 5:28 ░
░ 2. Stuck 6:48 ░
░ 3. From the Flame 3:51 ░
░ 4. Captive 3:43 ░
░ 5. Illuminate 4:21 ░
░ 6. Leashes 4:09 ░
░ 7. Mirage 6:48 ░
░ 8. Malina 6:15 ░
░ 9. Coma 3:55 ░
░ 10. The Weight of Disaster 6:00 ░
░ 11. The Last Milestone 7:30 ░
░ 58:48 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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