First Impressions
This is by far the most talked about and praised album from Leprous. This, combined with the fact that Coal was already a mind blowing experience, had my expectations so high. And oh my goodness, this absolutely met them.
This album is incredible, plain and simple. It is chock full of banger after banger after banger. Not only that, but it is by far the most traditional modern prog album in their entire discography. They always seem to have a pretty avant-garde way of approaching heavy music. Their modern albums are pretty much art-rock fusion with prog metal, and Coal was super minimalistic and entrancing at parts.
Screw that, we are going full on insane in this album. Have all the insane time signatures you can think of, amazing solos, 7 string breakdowns, super grand and melancholic epics, growls and screams. This album is a full mosaic of the most chaotic and aggressive sounds prog metal has given us in the modern times.
This is more at home with the Haken comparisons I've made in the past. I would put this somewhere in between Aquarius and The Mountain. It's got that same incredibly ambitious and epic sound that's not afraid to get a little wacky in between.
Once again, this is one where I will have to talk about the songs individually, that's how you know it's good.
This album is a slight deviation from the usual Leprous formula, which is of the tradition of saving the best songs for the end. The beginning of this album is absolutely insane.
I have heard very few songs that have hooked me as instantly as the tittle track. This is the stuff every prog fan dreams of. Incredibly catchy melodies that are still pretty complex. Super powerful and epic changes, and an amazing build and progression, all in the short time of 4 minutes. So much happens in this song, despite the fact that it's really just two verses, a bridge and three choruses.
Every section is different, and they just keep getting better and better. The chorus sounds so badass and energetic I would almost equate it to a power metal chorus. And the build at the bridge? When everything cuts out and turns super percussive? I'm dead, the best intro to a Leprous album.
But then, we are thrust without any warning into the most insane, heaviest, and best song of the album. I'm not gonna lie, Forced Entry might be their best song, ever. This song is the definition of insanity. From the first second you're hit with a breakdown and a super alien-core sounding synth on top of it. Then, in just the first verse, they have at least three different grooves. When it goes super fast and then slows down? Come on.
The chorus is so glorious, super catchy and with a second half that sounds so much like Haken in the best of ways. Really every single section of this song is pure insanity, I cannot mention all of them without fulling a whole review. The solo is super weird but amazing, the breakdown after that is brutal, and the ending is so heavy and climactic. Not to mention the absolute nightmare that is the rythms in... really EVERY single part of the song. This might be one of the greatest modern prog songs of all time.
Restless, as the name suggests, continues the insane energy. It lures you in with a very soft verse. I love the lead guitars in the back, always moving no matter what, and the drums have an especially awesome groove here. Then, out of nowhere it goes full heavy for JUST a little bit. The whole song plays with the juxtaposition of the two sounds constantly. I have to say the bridge is my absolutely favorite part.
Thorn is where we get another feature of Ihsahn, who kind of stole the entire show in Coal. Here it is much more subdued, but I do love the song. It has a very natural feel as to how it progresses and builds. From the very soft beginning to the explosive chorus, to the super heavy part where Ihsahn sings that sounds like hell itself is opening up, and finally the ending. I adore the little riff at the end. It's so fun and bouncy.
To end this amazing streak of the first half of the album, we have Mb. Indifferentia. This song is super interesting, because it shows so many elements that they'd develop into their modern sound. It's a super slow burner, only relying on very few melodies and taking it's time to really get to the climax, which is pretty short. This is the exact formula they are using nowadays, which I found incredibly interesting.
The song is absolutely beautiful, every melody is just so angelic. And by the time you get to the final chorus where everything explodes it is simply glorious.
Now, from here on, this might be a hot take, but I think the album takes a bit of a dip in quality for a few songs. It is not a particularly intense dip in quality, but the next three songs are a little harder to digest, and in my opinion taint the album just a smidge.
Waste Of Air is by far the heaviest song of the album. Once again, you see a tiny death metal influence here. The riffs are all term picked, the drums are relentless, and Einar sounds like a demon here. I think the break in the middle is a little too long, we get too much time without singing, which for an album as insane as this, is definitely the anchor of every song. But it is still a pretty banging song.
Mediocrity Wins is definitely the wackiest of the record, having a part that is almost rapped? I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's definitely a little goofy. I did not like it at first, but it grew on me quite a bit the more I listened to it.
Cryptogenic Desires is where we start to get the mojo back a little. It's super short, but the main riff paired with the super pounding drums just does something to me. And this one embraces the more wacky sounds with a little more tact, I love the little break in the middle with the radio filter. It's so silly in the best of ways. Once again, reminded of Haken.
All right, we've reached the last two songs. And while they put the best material at the beginning, this is Leprous. We are still gonna end amazingly.
Acquired Taste is incredibly. It has a very similar nature to Mb. Indifferentia. I once again see a lot of their modern songwriting in this one. It builds slowly, relies heavily on the release of the chorus. And my goodness what a chorus. It's so melancholic and grand at the same time. It sounds like heartbreak if you turned it into a song. There are way too many small but amazing details in this song. I love the break where it's just Einar humming the melody. And when they start singing the melody after the last chorus it feels angelic.
But then you get one of the craziest solos of the album and everything kicks into 11. The last minute or so of this song is pure bonkers. It's amazing.
And if that wasn't enough, we have a proper epic to end the album. Painful Detour is very strange at first. It's super jazzy and kind of all over the place. It took me a bit to get into it, but it is undeniabble how catchy it is in it's weirdness. Once again, the highlight here is the chorus. It is so grand, so epic, truly worthy of being the album closer. Also, much like Acquired Taste, the song has an amazing solo, and things start to get a little insane the more the song goes along.
Before I leave my conclusion, I do want to mention, this is by far the album where the instruments have stood out the most. The solos here, as mentioned already, are the best I have heard from them. They are so crazy and jazzy, and the worst part is they are not even super technical. But I love the little fast chromatic runs they have.
Another MASSIVE highlight here is the drums. You hear so much about Baard and how amazing he is, but I didn't even know they had another drummer before him. Tobias is just amazing in this album. The melding of rhythms and quick changes all throughout the album are absolutely insane.
This album is a bit of a grower. It didn't grab me as quickly as Coal did, nor do I consider it to be as good as Coal. But it is very different. It is one of the craziest and most chaotic experiences I have heard in a long time. Absolutely lives up to the hype.
Ranking
Forced Entry
Bilateral
Acquired Taste
Painful Detour
Mb. Indifferentia
Restless
Thorn
Cryptogenic Desires
Waste Of Air
Mediocrity Wins
Score
9.5/10
Leprous reviews