leprous tall poppy syndrome

Released: 12 October 2009 Label: Sensory Records

Leprous. Who?

Leprous are a Tech/Extreme band from Norway. Founded in 2001 by Einar Solberg (synth,vocals) and Tor Oddmund Suhrke (guitar,vocals), the group went through numerous line-up shuffles before settling on the current members Halvor Strand (bass), Øystein Landsverk (guitar,backing vocals) and Tobias Ørnes Andersen (drums).

The members of Leprous are young, but despite their youth this group packs some impressive musical pedigrees. Solberg played live for Emperor and Suhrke & Strand were members of Ihsahn's touring band.

This album isn’t easy to classify or review. There is so much going on, most of it pretty good, that it’s difficult to hang a label on it. There are so many influences, with bits and pieces lifted from other bands that it could be in danger of being a mash-up of sounds. My first thoughts were that they were like a lighter, airier version of Katatonia and Opeth, but there is much more to their sound than that.

A big risk with the vast majority of prog metal and rock is that the musicians are in danger of disappearing up their own fretboards in their efforts to follow their muse. In this case Leprous appear to stay pretty well grounded, with even the inevitable instrumental breaks staying accessible. Musical passages vary from ethereal to majestic to brutal, with a brief nod to the wider musical influences of the jazz world. Vocals vary between clean falsetto all the way through to screams and grunts, even using voiceovers, so if one particular style upsets you, it’s OK, there’ll be another along in a minute.

Who will enjoy this album? Anyone who likes prog should give it a listen, or even several listens, because it will take that long to get into it and appreciate it’s complexity. For those who don’t like prog, there will be parts in the album that you will like, and other parts you will hate. There’s no stand-out track, but on the other hand, there’s no filler either, so that’s a good thing.

by Alan Thomson