Einar Solberg – The Congregation Acoustic (Live)
Einar Solberg – The Congregation Acoustic (Live)
InsideOut Music
Release Date: 16/02/2024
Running Time: 64:00
Review by Rory Bentley
8/10
When you’re in possession of one of the most heart-melting set of lungs in modern music, an acoustic live album represents a relatively easy way to turn make a quick buck, particularly at a time where the ripples of covid are still felt intensely in all but the highest echelons of the music industry. Recorded before his stunning 2023 solo full length (rated 10/10 by me), this 2022 livestream document is anything but a lazy cash in. Rather than cherry-pick the most mellow moments from the Leprous catalogue for acoustic adaption, Solberg plucks for 2016’s head-scrambling Prog Metal opus “The Congregation” .
As stated in the press release, this is a warts and all recording of the original stream with no studio tinkering, which feels like an unnecessary flex considering the utterly flawless performance delivered here by the mercurial Norwegian, who humbly apologises to his country folk for speaking in English for the benefit of the international broadcast of the stream. There are zero warts to be found here, Einar so stop taking the piss!
The adaptation from the original source material works surprisingly well for the most part, the juddering opening riff on ‘The Price’, for example is immediately recognisable and impressively potent when transposed to the keys of the piano. ‘Red’, meanwhile, is a fever dream of ethereal arpeggios and ghostly croons that captures the vibe of the album track while taking it somewhere new and distinct.
Clearly the star of the show is Solberg’s golden voice, which is frankly astonishing throughout. It is not just the range and technical prowess on show that leaves jaws dragging on the ground, but the masterful manner in which the songs are performed. The slow build of ‘The Flood’ is something to behold as Solberg broods in his lower register and leaps into angelic falsetto and head voice. The final two minutes are some of the most spine tingling vocals you’re likely to hear by a contemporary singer, and by the end of it it’s evident there’s not a dry eye (and probably vagina) in the house.
At 64 minutes there is an element of fatigue that sets in which probably wouldn’t if you were witnessing it live. The focus on one album rather than the whole Leprous catalogue means some sections do blur into each other, however when the material is performed to such an immaculate standard it’s difficult to grumble too much. At the end of the day this is way classier than the sort of stuff that usually graces our inbox and if you’re looking for a record that would beautifully soundtrack a rainy Sunday afternoon or just a suave stopgap until the next Leprous album this is well worth your time.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Price
02. Third Law
03. Rewind
04. The Flood
05. Triumphant
06. Within My Fence
07. Red
08. Slave
09. Moon
10. Down
11. Lower
LINE-UP:
Einar Solberg- vocals/piano
LINKS:
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