|
|
"Leprous proposes here an exercise far removed from the avant-garde prog of which they were, until recently, one of the main spearheads."
|
2/5
|
|
|
|
There are two things to be wary of: the "maturity" album and the skull covers. However, Leprous is one of those bands whose release of a new opus triggers a certain excitement in me. This is even more true for this one. Indeed, the uninviting Artwork and the communiqué published some time before the publication of this "Coal" had enough to leave one skeptical, predicting a darker and more melancholic album than its predecessors.
"Foe" opens the hostilities with, first (bad) surprise, a one-note riff. If Einar Solberg's vocal performance is to be highlighted, the endless vocalizations doubled by his own sampled voice are of a terrible monotony and boredom. Unfortunately, the young Norwegians will repeat this disappointing experience during the album with annoying repetitions of "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah" on "The Valley" or "Echo". Many tracks are of a linearity to which the band had not accustomed us and the break is rather brutal. Yes, the album is darker and more melancholic and it only takes one listen to see it. This is not the only observation that can be drawn from it: The luminous flights of a "Bilateral" or the raw power of the fireworks that enamel the "Tall Poppy Syndrome" have almost completely disappeared. Most of the compositions are heavy like Doom and the whole thing is extremely repetitive, as if they clung to a gimmick, a riff, a melody to never let go until they were exhausted ("Echo", Foe", "Salt").
Beyond an irreproachable production, well above average, there are still some good things to remember from this album with some tracks that stand out. "Chronic", but it's only a half-surprise since the track has been playing for several weeks on different platforms. The melancholic, but very successful "The Cloak" and "Salt", a kind of ballad a little more formatted than the other titles, clearly highlight Einar Solberg. His performance on the whole album is remarkable both in terms of his astonishing vocal abilities and his innate sense of melody. Everything seems to be done to highlight him since the other musicians are clearly in the background (not the slightest solo to get in touch with in 56 minutes, it's a little thin). Finally, "Contaminate Me" is the album's UFO; a track with contagious energy on which Ihsahn comes to lend a welcome hand to his usual stage friends. The finish is grandiose with an Ihsahn at the top of his art accompanied by an agonizing violin. A closer that nevertheless sounds like an admission of the band's inability to propose something original, even though it was their trademark.
Some will probably find the process of devoting an entire album to a heavy and oppressive atmosphere awesome, but we can't please everyone. In the end, this "Coal" will certainly be a huge disappointment for the lovers of the first two albums of the band I belong to, but it will also please a new audience that a less bright, more melancholic metal. Leprous proposes here an exercise far removed from the avant-garde prog of which they were, until recently, one of the main spearheads. - Official website
|
|
|
|
|
TRACK LISTING:
01. Foe - 5:15
02. Chronic - 7:20
03. Coal - 6:50
04. The Cloak - 4:09
05. The Valley - 9:00
06. Salt - 4:30
07. Echo - 9:42
LINEUP:
Einar Solberg: Chant / Claviers
Oystein Landsverk: Guitares / Chant
Rein Blomquist : Basse
Tobias Ornes Andersen: Batterie
Tor Oddmund Suhrke: Guitares / Chant
|
|
| |
|
(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
| |
|
|
(1) COMMENT(S)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
READERS
4.1/5 (8 view(s))
|
STAFF:
3/5 (7 view(s))
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
IN RELATION WITH LEPROUS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
OTHER REVIEWS
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT LEPROUS
|
|