Leonov – Procession
Leonov – Procession
Vinter Records
Release Date: 24.11.23
Running Time: 40:45
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
In the world of Post-Metal, you never quite know what you’re going to get…
It’s always a mystery how bands will conduct themselves and in what way they’ll attempt to push traditional conventions and genre boundaries. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Leonov’s sound, as it has previously been described as ‘Celestial Doom’, or ‘Melodic Doom’. Interesting. I had conjured up sounds of earlier Katatonia in my mind’s ear, steering away from the heavier and darker end of that Doom Metal spectrum and towards a more radio friendly / melodic style. How accurate would my prediction be?
The album “Procession” begins with ‘Rem’, a short yet sweet instrumental introduction, setting the tone with a slow and atmospheric offering. We’re then quickly thrown into ‘Amer’. This seems to take more of groovier approach, with a very subtle Gothic and even Electronic edge lurking in the background. I particularly enjoyed the contrast of ethereal female vocals, and the more heavier growls from the backing vocalist. Like a beauty and the beast duet style.
Early thoughts then; I’ve enjoyed this more ambient and melodic approach to Doom Metal. You don’t often see female vocalists in this genre so that’s pretty cool too, offering something different. The grooves continue in the album’s title track ‘ Procession’. I found my head bobbing and I even had an urge to get up and dad dance (I didn’t…or did I?), such was the infectious nature of this rhythm. I admired how the guitar leads became a lot more prominent in the latter stages of the song too, shifting the melodic focus. ‘Sora’ takes a more Doomy approach still, steering away from the ambient and atmospheric qualities and venturing towards more simple yet brutally effective crunchy guitar tones. Whilst I think this could have been more crushing and in your face as far as production goes, it was a nice addition nonetheless.
Whilst listening to ‘Mesos’ however, I did wonder if the songs were paced too slowly, and I found my attention starting to steer away. Especially as many of the atmospheric melodies were starting to sound too similar at this stage, and making it difficult to differentiate between each. I think they had the right approach with ‘Oreza’, by introducing some crunchier and meatier doom guitar riffs, especially in the early stages. The juxtaposition between this and Taran’s calm vocals was enjoyable too. Creating beauty from darkness.
The final song, ‘Son’ is perhaps the highlight for me and the one that stands out the most. This takes a much more melancholic direction and a more stripped back approach. No obvious addition of bass and only a very subtle addition of drums, it’s mostly just a guitar and Taran. I think this song really highlights her vocal talent though and lets her shine, instead of maybe being drowned out by the other musicians in other parts. It makes me wonder if more could have been in this album or more in the future to highlight this talent. There’s certainly vocal skills in all of the band members, but just haven’t quite been showcased.
Which leads me to wrap this review of “Procession”. I believe this represents a brave effort for the Norwegian band, and there’s certainly a lot of potential. I’m not sure that I’ve heard a melancholic doom style in this vein before, so props to the band for their originality. Hopefully this review can be used as a vehicle to highlight the band’s strengths that should be highlighted more in future releases, whilst ironing out some dents, so to speak.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Rem
02. Amer
03. Procession
04. Sora
05. Mesos
06. Oreza
07. Son
LINE-UP:
Jon-Vetle Lunden – Drums
Morten Oveson Kjelling – Bass
Ole Jørgen Reindal – Guitar
Rune Gilje – Guitar
Tåran Reindal – Vocals
LINKS:
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