LIVE(STREAM) REVIEW: Leprous @ Cederberg Studios, Norway
In these unprecedented times, many musicians are turning to the powers of the internet and dedicating their efforts to constructing live streams to help supplement the gaping void that is the performing arts scene and thus far it is proving rather fruitful. Progressive metal titans LEPROUS have already found success in their endeavours with their previous stream at Urban Sound Studios in Oslo but this time around they wanted to do something different, potentially an event which may never happen again.
The set was left entirely in the hands of the fans which opened up a wealth of possibilities for how this would unfold. Splitting the set into three sections the band offered the chance for VIP ticket holders to choose their most loved tracks as well as introducing a competition for four lucky fans to choose their own individual favourites. To round it off there would also be a string of live votes giving the fans the opportunity to choose between four ranges of songs leaving LEPROUS with the opportunity to play one of the most unpredictable sets in their history. There is always an air of trepidation about the open book approach as historically for some perplexing reason fans have had a tendency to choose the tracks which have been played 1001 times (METALLICA By Request anyone?). If you were given 1001 guesses there is a high chance you would’ve been nowhere near to what actually unfolded.
In preparation for this landmark event, the quintet rehearsed over 40 songs which is a monumental effort in itself. Ironically it was probably a good job they did! First up was the four top voted tracks from the VIP vote prior to the performance and the band were just as stunned as the fans watching from home. Like a nostalgic trip through their entire catalogue Chronic, Forced Entry and Moon were selected, all from completely different periods in their arsenal and have been played sparingly over their more recent bouts of touring. The real surprise laid at the number one spot. Frontman Einar Solberg reacted in appropriate fashion jokingly responding with “no one is buying this and no one is streaming this so where do the votes come from?!”. This track was none other than the first track from their first album Tall Poppy Syndrome entitled Passing. Being able to hear this track ‘live’ provided a very special moment as it shows just how much LEPROUS have progressed in style over their career, this track being suitably more aggressive than their more recent outings. It was no shock that despite this being such a deep cut that they still executed it with incredible precision.
The four lucky winners of the fan competition followed suit, picking a mouth-watering selection of tracks from different time stamps in Echo, Mirage, Slave and The Sky Is Red. This round certainly put the band through their paces as they all contained high energy, intense sections which are particularly challenging and would’ve sapped the vitality out of most mere mortals. A live stream, offering up crystal clear 1080p audio and video quality is a great asset but can also be a deadly adversary as there is not the veil of distortion to hide behind and mask any potential blips along the way. If anything LEPROUS took this in their stride and powered through like consummate professionals of their craft.
If what had transpired wasn’t enough to whet your appetite there was one final selection of songs which were chosen in the form of a live poll which was occasionally displayed on screen during the performance to give you an idea of what may be coming up next. These tracks were individually revealed (some narrowly defeating their counterparts in the vote) as Acquired Taste, Down, Rewind and The Valley. As soon as Down was confirmed the band looked to each other and chuckled as the last time they played this it didn’t go quite as well as they’d hoped. Einar stated in jest “Why do you have to choose the songs we know the least? We’ll never let you choose the setlist ever again”. Guitarist Robin also responded with “Wasn’t that one of the tracks I wanted to rehearse one more time and you guys went ‘Nobody will choose that'”. Regardless of this they still continued to brush it off like it was just another normal day at the office.
Even when put under extreme uncertainty LEPROUS still continue to amaze with their phenomenal skill, unwavering musicianship and sheer muscle memory! It was intriguing to witness a setlist which only contained one song from their most recent, highly acclaimed Pitfalls release but this will certainly stick in the minds of any fans of the band or progressive music in general that were fortunate enough to experience such an exciting event and forget about the trials and tribulations of the world for a couple of hours.
Rating: 10/10