Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 10:49 AM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Progressive Rock
Country: Norway
Label: InsideOut
Year: 2019
The chill of light drizzle, the smell of humidity in fog, the texture of unworked stone and other synesthetic shit like that are evoked by listening to Leprous’ latest and greatest, Pitfalls. Leprous aims for rich concepts with subtle execution in this release and I dare say they absolutely achieved their goal. The sonic textures in this record are absolutely breathtaking. The overall arrangements are crafted with a modest – almost shy – minimalist approach, making every single element that much more impactful. The finely tuned synth sounds feel less electronic and more like undiscovered or alien instruments. The guitar work is very reserved, as it has been for the latest few albums for the band, but escaping from the clutches of my addiction to TrVe MeTuL for a second I found its monolithic simplicity very satisfying. The drum work is as always intricate and haunting, giving an elevated and intellectual grain to the music that really sells the feeling that ‘you’re deeper in this than you think’. The instrumentals in this release are overall a very unique, evocative blend of sounds, charged with emotion and rich in nuances.
I purposely saved the vocals for last because of the highs and lows that come with them – irony absolutely intended. It is undeniable that Einar’s vocal chords should be preserved in a museum or examined by science after his death. In this release, just like with pretty much any Leprous album he has time and again risen to the demands of the compositions and delivered breathtaking performances of some very technically and expressively demanding parts. But these same parts also provide the only real drawback to this record, aided by the production. The theatrics and wild leaps of the vocal lines are very often alienating and can break the immersion at a few key points. Additionally Leprous’ insistent choice to keep mixing the vocals louder and louder in each release since 2015’s The Congregation and compressing the instrumental section further towards the back burner prevents the songs from truly reaching their potential. Case in point, the opener Below is a powerful track whose breaking point is severely watered down because of this phenomenon.
Despite its importance, this is in the end a very minor drawback for me. The entire record is a very potent drug, guiding you towards a primal grey world with grace and subtlety. All the tracks are in their own regard very minimal but feel clever and purposeful, with the exception of the last two who feel like a return to the days of Bilateral with more proggy heavines although without breaking style. The 11 minute closer is probably the only track which I feel is average, although that is mostly true for its filler-y first section, which is yet followed by one of the most gnarly and nerve-winding buildups to ever grace my eardrums. All in all, this is a stellar job by one of the most talented modern bands in the scene and I can’t wait to listen to it over and over again until their next one.
