LEPROUS

Some albums you just know are going to be works of musical awesomeness from the opening bars of the first track, or at least you can only hope that transpires to be the case where the quality and your enjoyment of it is sustained throughout. Young Norwegian quintet Leprous, session band for Ihsahn, are one such case and this, their second album, is like discovering Opeth again. It reminds me of when I first heard 'Orchid' all those years ago and the excitement that filled me with. And some rather lazy journalists have, I believe unfairly, over-compared Leprous to the Swedish prog-metal titans. While there are similarities in their chosen dynamic and contraposition of mellow/extreme elements, the comparison is only a tenuous one as Leprous have carved a sound that is unique to themselves in the eight compositions on 'Tall Poppy Syndrome'. Frontman Einar Solberg, also responsible for synths on the album, has a singing style with a range as wide as Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlöw with overtones of Kristoffer 'Garm' Rygg, Ihsahn himself, and dare I say Mikael Åkerfeldt. His vocal performance is truly awe-inspiring from the smooth, clean tones over the opening bars of 'Phantom Pain' to his commanding delivery on closing track 'White', and some sporadic growls throughout. The music itself weaves a sonic landscape that takes in metal, rock, and even jazz parts with a mature progressive sensibility that is rather astonishing considering the young age of this band. Leprous even flirt with elements of black metal in the tremolo picked main theme from 'Not Even a Name'. Recorded during August 2008, it has taken just over a year to see the release of 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' and thank fuck it has finally seen the light of day. Music this good needs to be experienced by everyone. So what are you waiting for? Order this masterpiece right now.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Sensory Records

Album

TALL POPPY SYNDROME

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

63:04

RELEASE DATE:

12th Oct 2009

TRACK LISTING

1) Passing
2) Phantom Pain
3) Dare You
4) Fate
5) He Will Kill Again
6) Not Even a Name
7) Tall Poppy Syndrome
8) White

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Norway

"The music itself weaves a sonic landscape that takes in metal, rock, and even jazz parts with a mature progressive sensibility that is rather astonishing considering the young age of this band."