LEPROUS: Pitfalls (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Anyone who knew Leprous in its early days cannot deny the obvious: ten years after the release of its first album, "Tall Poppy Syndrome", its stylistic evolution is dizzying. After a first progressive metal album with throat vocals, the band gradually abandoned the long songs in favour of shorter and more catchy formats, with often very dark songs ("Coal", "The Congregation"), before turning to a more pop-rock style ("Malina").

On the eve of the release of his latest album, "Pitfalls", Einar Solberg, singer and pianist of the Norwegian combo, warned his audience with the following sentence: "We are extremely proud to announce the release of "Pitfalls". This is the album that no one expects from us. If you thought you knew in which direction it was going, you would soon realize that you were wrong!".

The album begins with enigmatic keyboard notes, with the first single 'Below'. As often during the album, the format is quite minimalist. The magic takes hold with Solberg's voice and a simple mysterious piano, before a masterful explosion on an addictive and sublime chorus that will stay in the lead from the first listening. But what follows is very similar to a journey to an unknown land: the exploration of more pop colours on "Malina" takes a different turn with the surprising "I Lose Hope". We are far from the metal of the beginnings, and yet, it must be said that as surprising as it may seem, the recipe works. Pop music, groovy bass, the title is more varied than usual and the melodies, although changing, remain perfectly coherent.

'Observe The Train' pushes the pinnacle of originality with throbbing Radiohead-style verses reminiscent of 'No Surprises', in contrast to a very beautiful chorus. At first listening, we will only recognize the singer's voice. The other ingredients of Norwegian music seem to have disappeared from the menu. We are light years away from "Bilateral" and company, but success is there.

In the second part of the album, we will still find reminiscences of their music of yesteryear. The best example is certainly 'The Sky Is Red', the last track with 11 minutes, which hadn't happened for a very long time. Leprous plays with the bars while the characteristic syncopated riffs are back. The long apocalyptic finale coupled with an angelic synthesizer is almost the only purely metal section of the album. On stage, the song will certainly become an unmissable event for long-haired fans who will take advantage of it to unleash their sweaty manes!

Beyond the pop shift, if "Malina" had opted for a more symphonic and orchestral dimension with the presence of a cello in the line-up, "Pitfalls" continues in the tradition of its predecessor and confirms this new orientation. There will be some very beautiful lyrical flights on 'Distant Bells', including a sublime solo by Raphael Weinroth-Browne. In the same vein, the very good 'At The Bottom' or the solid 'Distant Bells' with its delightful finale will make the listener rejoice.

While the Leprousian recipe was starting to run out of steam with a redundant and uninspired "Malina", the Norwegians are now taking on their new orientation and giving a fresh boost to their career. Whether you are a fan or not, "Pitfalls" shows a certain risk-taking that you can only welcome when you know the public's demand for the (progressive) metal scene. In short, despite a 180-degree musical shift, this album has the merit of being original and pleasant, provided that you listen carefully several times so that the immersion in the new world of the Northerners is total! - Official website

LEPROUS

PITFALLS

INSIDEOUT MUSIC

ROCK