ALBUM REVIEW: Aphelion – Leprous
A quick Google search will tell you that Norway’s main exports include petroleum, fish and aluminium. However, this is incorrect (fake news if you will) because set to release their seventh studio album Aphelion, LEPROUS should surely be hurtling towards the top of that list. Hailed by many as one of the finest bands to grace Scandinavia’s shores, they are earning their place among Northern Europe’s elite with each critically acclaimed record they produce. Half a dozen of their albums litter the past decade, from 2009’s brash, OPETH-esque debut Tall Poppy Syndrome, to 2019’s ambitious and theatrical Pitfalls, each one offering something slightly different from the last. As they have shifted in style, their experimentation has lost them fans yet gained new support tenfold, helping them grow from cult icons to a truly unstoppable force in Prog airspace.
They may no longer be ‘metal’, but what LEPROUS consistently offers is music that sparks debate and more importantly, sheer, unbridled excitement. Aphelion is no different, and ironically is possibly the first time that the Norwegians have had one eye on the past. It is undoubtedly a progression from the more audacious albums of late, Pitfalls (2019) and Malina (2017) yet also feels something of a nod to the bands more precise and reserved earlier work, combining two approaches with apparent ease. Perhaps this is the band’s coming-of-age album, or perhaps it’s their most defining work to date.
Our first taste of the action is Running Low, released already as a single and showcasing LEPROUS at their flamboyant best. It’s dramatic and huge in construct, mixing huge riffs with vocal hooks to create an impressive amalgamation of vibrant prog and easy-on-the-ear pop. The lyrics will become lodged in your head (cue vocalist Einar Solberg belting out “it’s a miracle, miracle, miracle…” and the size and scale is pretty impressive. Then we run into Out Of Here, where things are taken down a notch and a more delicate intro takes hold. As huge as Einar’s vocal range can be, one of his most impressive skills lies in his delicacy, something encapsulated here. He croons through the early stages of the track as synth gently pulses beneath and haunting backing vocals add to the lull. Of course, in familiar style the track builds towards a finale as guitars start to sweep and the vocals take a turn towards the more prolific.
Silhouette could have been taken straight from The Congregation (2015), a mid-era LEPROUS offering, upping the synth work which becomes a throbbing heartbeat for the track. Combining with proggy guitar work and strings, the atmosphere feels tense and moody, a perfect setting for one of the album’s most enigmatic tracks. Cue All The Moments, where things take a turn for the more upbeat, before Have You Ever? impresses yet again. Arguably the album’s best individual offering, it is an intricate and tense listening experience that dances between haunting electronics and colossal musicianship.
Purposefully ignored up to now is the immense drumming of Baard Kolstad, which deserves a paragraph of it’s own. Fans of the band will not be surprised to learn that his contribution is as invaluable as ever, but his work feels even more impactive this time round. As great as Pitfalls was, one of its major criticisms was that the vocals felt too front and centre, at times drowning out some of the immaculate instrumental talent with which LEPROUS are so synonymous. Here, Baard is allowed to thrive, and his choppy, exuberant percussion adds an ornate edge to the music. He is a main contributing factor to the atmosphere the band creates, combining impossibly concise fills in tracks like The Silent Revelation with more frenetic prowess when called upon.
The key word here is balance. LEPROUS are still demonstrating that they can go ‘bigger and better’ with Aphelion, but as they prove through the likes of On Hold, they can also reign in the bedlam and produce music that hangs on a knife edge, perfectly poised and thoroughly engaging. They still have their groove. This kind of versatility sets them apart from the masses. They’ve slotted into their own niche, operating in waters that no-one else has properly explored as yet. They excel because of their uniqueness, and an undying desire to push their own boundaries, somehow managing to keep us on board every step of the way.
It’s a cliché, but Aphelion is an album that will appeal to fans new and old (Einar even blows off the cobwebs and gives us a taste of his screams in closing track Nighttime Disguise). Earlier in this review we talked about this possibly being the band’s defining album. It could well be. The way that it pulls together the best of ‘them’, showcasing them at their most vulnerable, their most confident, and ultimately still making the music that they so passionately want to produce after two decades on the horse. Members have come and gone, their fans have matured and grown, yet one fact remains the same. LEPROUS have still got it.
Rating: 9/10
Aphelion is set for release on August 27th via InsideOut Music.
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