Leprous
Malina
InsideOut Music
2017
Seriously, Leprous is both a band you’re likely to love or hate and/or only going to be labeled as “metal” on the merit of having some guitars and complex rhythms… they would likely bore and tire your average pop listener. They’re just too damn syncopated and Einar Solberg’s vocals sound like a mix between Justin Hawkins of The Darkness and Coldplay’s Chris Martin (so really love or hate). The aforementioned guitars are thinner, cleaner, weaker yet present in the mix on this album, but not intrusive at all, unless they are given the space for a lead.
In its post “Coal” albums, Leprous have perfected this sound, but the repetition of choruses in particular ad noseum (otherwise a good thing), becomes a little too much in their case, with the release coming sometimes from the vocals and sometimes from the melodies… but the overall melodrama can get tiresome fast. They might by lyrical, but they also prove themselves to be a one trick pony with the “novelty” of the style wearing off. They are quickly becoming for me a “mood” band… ie I wouldn’t normally put on an album, but might appreciate it if in a particular “mindset”.
Can’t fault their chops or songwriting, but can’t force myself into appreciating it, if it doesn’t work automatically. I’d really like to see the band experiment with the vocals more that have for the most part now settled in safe “falsetto” territory that is able to covey even less emotion than before.
In its post “Coal” albums, Leprous have perfected this sound, but the repetition of choruses in particular ad noseum (otherwise a good thing), becomes a little too much in their case, with the release coming sometimes from the vocals and sometimes from the melodies… but the overall melodrama can get tiresome fast. They might by lyrical, but they also prove themselves to be a one trick pony with the “novelty” of the style wearing off. They are quickly becoming for me a “mood” band… ie I wouldn’t normally put on an album, but might appreciate it if in a particular “mindset”.
Can’t fault their chops or songwriting, but can’t force myself into appreciating it, if it doesn’t work automatically. I’d really like to see the band experiment with the vocals more that have for the most part now settled in safe “falsetto” territory that is able to covey even less emotion than before.