4.5
superb
Review
by Trey STAFF
August 30th, 2024 | 82 replies
Release Date: 08/30/2024 | Tracklist
Review Summary: A unique fusion balancing their modern style with the intricate, off-kilter elements of their past, creating a bold and strange but compelling entry in their discography.
Leprous has evolved dramatically over their 23-year career. Starting with a complex, heavy sound marked by intricate time signatures, technical riffing, and eccentric high-pitched singing blended with throaty growls, they gradually shifted toward a more polished, atmospheric style with melancholic melodies and detailed arrangements. Most bands would have settled here, but Leprous pushed further. With Malina, they fully embraced a more experimental, art-rock direction, focusing on emotional depth, clean vocals, rhythmic grooves, and post-rock-like dynamics. They expanded on this sound in the following albums, but Aphelion went too far, featuring too many minimalistic passages, cheesy choruses, fewer âproggyâ elements, and buildups that often felt too little, too late.
Having said that, I still thought Aphellion was great but it had strayed too far from what made Leprous exceptional. Apparently, the band felt the same way because Melodies of Atonement is a huge step away from all the minor missteps of Aphellion, while also restoring some of the most missed facets of the bandâs first four albums. Melodies of Atonement marks the return of some of the bandâs quirky prog leanings, including off-kilter rhythms, strange stylistic pairings, a more potent Congregation-era guitar tone, as well as a more band-centric approach overall. The overall vibe, too, is more of the dark melancholic style of The Congregation than the self-reflective introversion of the last few releases. Before long-time fans become too excited, though, the best parts of Leprousâ modern style are still alive and well throughout Melodies of Atonement, but they have received a darker more emphatic edge.
In all honesty, this pairing of old and new ideas has made for one of the stranger Leprous releases, and that even includes their schizophrenic debut. The album opens with pre-release single âSilently Walking Aloneâ which shares more in common with The Congregation than Aphelion with its melancholic tone, off-kilter rhythm, and even the chunky guitar riffs themselves â itâs probably the most ânormalâ song on the album. From that point on, however, the clash of old and new, as well as the way these elements are executed, make for a strange and challenging album. Thereâs the programmed dance beat of âSelf Satisfied Lullabyâ that shares time with Enya-levels of new age ambient layered vocal melodies and sounds. Earlier in the album thereâs the bizarre juxtaposition of an almost half-time bass-guitar driven dub groove with one of the chunkiest guitar riffs on the album (complete with a token growl near the middle), combined with an almost mantra-like âla la la la la laâ throughout (sorry⦠how else do you describe that).
Every Leprous release has been its own self-contained performance delivering equal parts refinement of the past and forward-thinking new additions. Melodies of Atonement continues this trend of refinement while exploring new sonic territories, merging the electronic art-rock of their past three releases with the dark melancholic prog of The Congregation, while retaining the emotionally driven approach theyâve always been known for. Essentially, Melodies of Atonement is Leprousâ best-of-both-worlds release pulling the most prominent elements from the last decade of their career and presenting them in one seamless package to deliver what is quite possibly Leprousâ best work⦠just be ready for levels of strangeness not seen since the bandâs early days.
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| user ratings (77) |
great |
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| Comments: | Add a Comment |
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| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Silently Walking Alone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsLXRWIN640 Atonement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-po0_DnsJk Like a Sunken Ship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAFPje41KtY Also, just so you know where I'm coming from... Malina was the first Leprous album I heard, so I'm already more inclined to that version of their sound. Also my top albums for them are: Melodies of Atonement > Pitfalls > Malina > The Congregation > Coal > Aphelion > Bilateral > Tall Poppy Syndrome |
| Pikazilla August 30th 2024
30943 Comments | haven't heard yet, but I swear if it's another record where they use the same dumb trite pattern of vocals + keys for the first half/three quarters of a song, then do same sh*t but more dramatically with an underwhelming guitar riff underneath, I'm slapping a 1 on this bitch and not looking back |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 They still like their loud/soft dynamics but it's not just one long build with one final payoff like it seemed to be on the previous few albums. The switch is a little less predictable like on their earlier albums. |
| Pikazilla August 30th 2024
30943 Comments | okay, I will take your word for it will peep tonight |
| cloakanddagger August 30th 2024
758 Comments | Album Rating: 4.0 Enjoyed this album way more than the last Leprous album. Glad they've gotten a little heavier again and even brought back the harshes (albeit sparsely) |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 @pika: Keep in mind that some of the unpredictability isn't just where they decide to pick up the energy levels, it's also how. It's not always a "song is about to end and I can hear the music getting louder... oh, there's the rest of the band... and, yep, that's Einar's vocals jumping into the stratosphere" anymore. Sometimes they'll bust into more of a dance style, sometimes they'll get heavy, sometimes they'll drop a twitchy rhythm or some atonal guitar sound, and it's not just to close out their songs, it can happen at any point in the song and more than just once. @cloakanddagger: Same. It's easily my favorite Leprous album, and currently my album of the year. |
| cloakanddagger August 30th 2024
758 Comments | Album Rating: 4.0 Nice, I think my personal favourite album is still either Coal or The Congregation but you said you prefer their newer stuff so I can see why this is your number one pick. I will say that this is at the very least on par with Malina for me as my favourite latter era leprous album. My AOTY pick is still children of the moon and I doubt that will be topped. |
| Fowo August 30th 2024
727 Comments | Okay but the serious question is, does it djent? |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Ha ha. Two things I don't think Leprous will ever seriously incorporate into their sound... Djent and -core. --I will say that this is at the very least on par with Malina for me as my favourite latter era leprous album. My AOTY pick is still children of the moon and I doubt that will be topped. -- I think this should bring back at least a moderate subset of fans that had kind of been turned off by their last few releases, but were okay with Malina. What is this "Children of the Moon" you speak of? |
| Toondude10 August 30th 2024
15213 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 "What is this "Children of the Moon" you speak of?" That's the new State Faults album that came out a few weeks ago I had some concerns going into this but I'm glad to see that Leprous hasn't let up an inch. Sure it's their weirdest album, but that's what makes it so good imo. That and this might be my new favorite performance from Einar in a long time. |
| Pikazilla August 30th 2024
30943 Comments | after the first listen, can confirm this is the best post-congregation leprous they've definitely switched things up a bit that said, some of the tracks are still guilty of what I had complained about in my post above, but overall I think there were like two that really rubbed me the wrong way |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Which two? |
| fmelogeek August 30th 2024
7 Comments | I'm giving a first listen right now. You review hyped me to stop all my doings. |
| Pikazilla August 30th 2024
30943 Comments | @willie Like a Sunken Ship and Self-Satisfied Lullaby the two worst tracks on the album imo |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 --That's the new State Faults album that came out a few weeks ago-- I'll have to check it out. --I had some concerns going into this but I'm glad to see that Leprous hasn't let up an inch. Sure it's their weirdest album, but that's what makes it so good imo. That and this might be my new favorite performance from Einar in a long time.-- I think it is my favorite performance from him. I had concerns too before I heard it. After the last Leperous album and his solo release (and the stripped down version of The Congregation), I assumed they were going to move into easy listening AOR-radio music with occasional crescendos. @fmelogeek: Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Especially considering you like the newer sound more. @Pika: I agree that "Self-Satisfied Lullaby" is one of the album's weaker tracks, but I really like "Like a Sunken Ship". It's got that off-the-wall weirdness that I kind of associate with Tall Poppy Syndrome. |
| Toondude10 August 30th 2024
15213 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 "I assumed they were going to move into easy listening AOR-radio music with occasional crescendos." Kinda like how some are accusing Soilwork are doing the same time? (even though, let's be real they really f*cking aren't lmao) |
| Willie Moderator August 30th 2024
20282 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Ha ha. What? Is there some new Soilwork single I've missed? |
| Pikazilla August 30th 2024
30943 Comments | maybe the listened to nfo by accident |
| korgjoonas August 30th 2024
8 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Indeed this is the best album since Congregation. Songs that stuck in my mind: Atonement, Faceless, Limbo, My Specter. |
| korgjoonas August 30th 2024
8 Comments | Album Rating: 4.5 Like a Sunken Ship also |
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