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██▌ Artist...: Leprous ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Melodies of Atonement ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2024 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel. Date: 2024-12-22 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Progressive Rock ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Inside Out Music ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Retail ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Silently Walking Alone 4:05
2. Atonement 4:49
3. My Spector 3:55
4. I Hear the Sirens 4:31
5. Like a Sunken Ship 4:04
6. Limbo 5:56
7. Faceless 6:25
8. Starlight 6:09
9. Self-Satisfied Lullaby 6:21
10. Unfree My Soul 5:21
51:36
IÆve been listening to Leprous a long time now. I was impressed as they
evolved and changed considerably, metamorphizing into something grander
than their original sound. But their original sound is still so good,
and the band knows that. I think their new release Melodies of
Atonement attempts to fuse the old with the new, and it does so
successfully. The album releases through Inside Out Music on August
30th.
Leprous is one of the mainstays of modern progressive metal, though
their last few albums lack much in the way of metal. That is fine by
me, but I know some fans were disappointed. The band has not forgotten
their roots, though, and the lineup of Einar Solberg on vocals and
synth, Tor Oddmund Suhrke and Robin Ognedal on guitars, Simen Daniel
B°rven on bass, and Baard Kolstad on drums really brings it on this
record.
What do I mean by the old and the new? Leprous was originally a band
more in the vein of progressive death metal, though theyÆve always been
more melodic and more stylish than most of that subgenre. As the band
changed, they embraced EinarÆs clean vocals more thoroughly, giving him
the room to provide explosive and emotional performances that have been
extremely memorable. In the process, though, the band lost their
heavier edge, their technical fireworks, and the grit they once had.
With Melodies of Atonement, the band brings back some of the heaviness
and the grit, but not at the expense of the huge melodies that have
become their signature of late. This album has some of the heaviest
moments IÆve heard from the band, but just as many moments that are
ambient and hyper-melodic. DonÆt get your hopes up too much about the
harsh vox, as they only appear on one track ôLike a Sunken Shipö, but
the dark, sexy, rhythmic vibe of that song is certainly found throughout
the album. This album has more guitar and more intensity of
instrumentation, but also Einar is still loud and proud above it all.
IÆll be honest, I wasnÆt sure how IÆd like this album after the three
singles. ôAtonementö is a terrific song with some very high-strung
guitar work and an excellent climactic final half, but I still donÆt
completely like ôSilently Walking Aloneö, a song that feels
exceptionally hammy for Leprous. However, ôLike a Sunken Shipö has the
heavy darkness, the loud/quiet dynamic, and the explosive rhythms that I
so desired. The album overall is more like that song than the first
two.
YouÆd think that I would identify the first half of the album as the
weaker half, then, since ôSilently Walking Aloneö and ôAtonementö are
the first two tracks. That isnÆt the case. The following tracks are
simply outstanding and almost make me forget the opener completely. ôMy
Specterö sounds like something from The Congregation with how sinister,
eerie, and subtly heavy it is. The album as a whole has almost this hint
of macabre that I really like. ôI Hear the Sirensö sounds like something
from Aphelion with its melodic atmosphere, slowburning structure, and
darker sound; I particularly like EinarÆs dynamic performance on that
one. ôLike a Sunken Shipö closes the first half.
The album does not let up, though. ôLimboö comes next and is one of my
favorites. This piece is extremely stylish and groovy, and the surging
heaviness near the end is so good, yet the chorus is not lost in the
shuffle. Another favorite comes next called ôFacelessö; this song feels
simultaneously introspective and catchy and rhythmic. I love how
atmospheric it feels at first, but then the heavy groove hits, and, my
God, it is so damn good. I canÆt see how anyoneÆs head would remain
still while this is played live. The band plays with the chorus for
quite a while until it feels suitably epic. ItÆs possible that it lasts
a little too long.
The last three songs are great, too. ôStarlightö has fantastic drums
and a leering sort of vibe to it that makes it hover. I like it a lot.
ôSelf-Satisfied Lullabyö is a very cool song that feels like an
electronic, ambient ballad for the most part. I like how shadowy it
seems, and how it ends with a punchy instrumental with great guitars and
drums. The closer ôUnfree My Soulö is possibly the most lyrically
poignant piece; Einar really nails the emotions. While it does feature
the bandÆs favorite slow-burning style, itÆs more interesting than that,
and that is because of the sound design, I think. ItÆs a great closer.
Leprous canÆt seem to make a bad album, and even though IÆm not a fan of
one of the singles, they still manage to impress me overall. I love the
darkened atmosphere here, especially as they bring back some of the old
grit from their first few albums. I like the balance theyÆve struck
here, not willing to overdo any certain aspects. The band is simply
becoming more mature by the album, and itÆs about time for them to have
a breakout hit, I think.
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