In retrospect, it stands to reason that Norwegian quantum proggers LEPROUS started heading in a new direction after their fourth album “The Congregation,” released on May 25th, 2015, via InsideOut in Europe. In a way, this particular LEPROUS album is reminiscent of OPETH‘s 2008 album “Watershed,” by which those Swedes reached the zenith of their “old sound.” What could you possibly do after honing your signature style to its peak? You try something different, start repeating yourself, or call it quits. “The Congregation” is a cohesive and mind-blowing progressive-metal extravaganza on a scope that the band’s previous outings only hinted at. I reckon the years of performing as Ihsahn‘s protégées really paid off on this album. It was the last album to feature longtime guitarist Øystein Landsverk and also the first album without drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen, who was replaced with the human marvel of drumming, Baard Kolstad. Even with the album’s runtime being over an hour, the songs are highly engaging and enchanting to the very last minute. The secret boils down to the perfect balance of progressive twists, atmosphere, and vocalist Einar Solberg‘s otherworldly vocals. With this behemoth of an album, LEPROUS tore down the age-old conventions of progressive metal; there are no 15-minute epics whatsoever, the songs are surprisingly short by the prog standards, plus the songs come with clean-cut choruses! Okay, the percussive, off-kilter riffs make the songs a tad difficult to shake your booty to, but still, for a prog band, LEPROUS lays down a diabolically catchy boogie.
The album kicks off with staccato riffs that resonate with a familiar air; yes, you instantly recognize that this is LEPROUS. In a way, “The Price” continues on the minimalist, atmospheric trajectory set by the previous, 2013 album “Coal.” Emotions are masterfully invoked through minimalist means – Solberg‘s falsetto wails wandering atop the mathy, somewhat THE SAFETY FIRE-esque riffs, or a well-placed, slightly detuned synth line. Right from the get-go, the band shows that they mean business again. When the chorus kicks in, in the space of a few breaths, you will feel like you have entered a time warp.
Next, the tension builds up with the songs “Third Law” and “Rewind,” even though I’m pretty sure they aren’t necessarily more uptempo. Obviously, the band has matured over the years; these new songs gather momentum, pick up the pace, and build up tension with more sophisticated gimmicks than by pacing restlessly about like some of those early LEPROUS songs. The years spent with Ihsahn shine through especially in the coda of the latter. You almost expect Ihsahn to start snarling in unison with Solberg‘s harsh vocals in the end, just like he did in “Contaminate Me” on the previous album.
While the songs up to this point have been rather impressive, the first song to punch you in the gut in a good way is one of the slowest in the selection, “The Flood.” Just like “The Valley” from the previous outing, this song compelled me to put it on repeat immediately after first hearing it back in the day. I think I didn’t listen to anything else for a couple of days. The uncanny minimalism of the verses is slightly reminiscent of the brooding atmosphere of THAT Phil Collins classic from yesteryear as Solberg‘s wistful wailings wander atop a very simple bass ostinato, only to explode into a maelstrom of emotion in the blood-churning chorus. If this song does not send shivers up your spine, you may need to see a doctor. This song remains one of the absolute best LEPROUS songs ever to this day. The song, “Red,” is somewhat similar to this – atmospheric and crafted around a few punchy ostinatos – but while it is easily one of the catchiest bangers on the album, it is not a timeless, gut-punching masterpiece like “The Flood.” I guess it speaks volumes about the album that the best tracks are so good and numerous that the few other tracks, such as “Triumphant,” “Down,” and “Lower,” felt almost like fillers, back in the day. Over the years, I’ve grown to like each track, while the highlights do still give me goosebumps.
The other two emotional peaks of the album represent the more mellow side of the band as well, if you will. “Slave” delivers another gut punch in a relatively mellow tempo, with the choruses almost bordering on ambient music altogether. Then, “Moon” is another mid-tempo banger with nothing short of a heart-wrenching Rhodes-piano motif – and the chorus sticks to your head for days. In early 2017, LEPROUS played in Helsinki, and the setlist had all of these beautiful gems from “The Congregation,” so I guess I must consider myself one lucky bastard. While I do like the band’s new direction, too, this album holds a special place in my heart; at the time of its release, I was going through a rough patch in my life and, of all things in the world, I found solace in the lyrics of quite a few songs on this beast. I mean, quantum prog is not necessarily the first thing to seek empowerment from when life is being a real bitch.
After releasing this progressive magnum opus in 2015, LEPROUS started to flirt more prominently with pop elements, with outstanding results, I might add. Now, 10 years later, “The Congregation” stands as a mighty testament to that convoluted, mind-boggling prog-metal sound that could only have emanated from this very band. What “the old” LEPROUS did was something so unique that I have yet to come across a band bold enough to try to duplicate that – and even if I were to see someone try one day, I reckon it will be nigh impossible to top this grand achievement from 10 years ago. Maybe the band itself knew that this endeavor would be impossible to top if they kept doing what they did, and that’s why they chose to opt for a new style. This album is just SO huge.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- The Price
- Third Law
- Rewind
- The Flood
- Triumphant
- Within My Fence
- Red
- Slave
- Moon
- Down
- Lower
Lineup
Einar Solberg – lead vocals, keyboards
Tor Oddmund Suhrke – guitars
Øystein Landsverk – guitars
Simen Børven – bass
Baard Kolstad – drums
Label
InsideOut Music
