Leprous – Melodies of Atonement
Leprous – Melodies Of Atonement
Inside Out Music
Release Date: 30/08/2024
Running Time: 51:42
Review by Beth Morait
9/10
Leprous have been kicking it a good while now, and their Progressive sound is constantly twisting and turning, as the world around us changes. So, in my experience, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get with a Leprous album. And I have to say when I first listened to this album, I just wasn’t sure at all. But then we were 5 weeks into the 6-week UK school summer holidays, and my brain was feeling particularly melty that day. Having given it a few fresh listens, I know where I am more with it now… I think!
The first thing that strikes you with this album is the heavy use of synth to create various effects. It makes things very current, but still retains the Leprous Prog touch, and illustrates the band’s desire to keep exploring further and further into the realms of music. Einar’s vocals are, of course, the star of the show. Restrained when they need to be, then powerful and soaring to take each track up a bit. This is demonstrated perfectly in tracks such as ‘Atonement,’ which has a hellishly catch, almost Pop-like chorus. However, the Bass and Guitar work on this track keep it firmly rooted in Progressive, rather than crossing the cheese bridge into chart hits – which I’m glad about.
‘My Specter’ is next level beautiful, in terms of Einar’s vocal (not that I’m obsessed with what this man can do with his pipes or anything…). It opens with the most tender falsetto you’re likely to hear on any record this year, which gets thrown out for the chorus, then returns for the verses. Beautiful and insane, in equal measures.
The interesting thing about this album is how intimate each track feels. A lot of onus is put on the lack of instrumentation in verses, despite the expansiveness of the chorus lines. This is a very clever use of quietness, that injects a melancholic and ethereal, mesmeric quality to the album. The positioning of electronics, above low Bass rumbles, and the gentlest of vocals, in tracks such as ‘I Hear The Sirens’ and ‘Starlight’ give them a hypnotic quality, too.
And that’s not the only thing Leprous play around with in this album. We have stunning close vocal harmonies in ‘Self-Satisfied Lullaby’, a crazy ‘straight outta jazz club’ opening on ‘Faceless’, and some pure 90s Alt Grunge/ Indie in ‘Limbo.’
This is a very different album, and it took a good few listens for me to even start picking out its elements. As always, Leprous have taken ideas that shouldn’t work, shaken them all up in a bag of crazy-good musicianship, and skilfully handled recording and mixing, and come out with something really rather lovely.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Silently Walking Alone
02. Atonement
03. My Specter
04. I Hear The Sirens
05. Like A Sunken Ship
06. Limbo
07. Faceless
08. Starlight
09. Self-Satisfied Lullaby
10. Unfree My Soul
LINE-UP:
Einar Solberg – vocals and keys
Tor Oddmund Suhrke – guitars
Robin Ognedal – guitars
Simen Børven – bass
Baard Kolstad – drums
LINKS:
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