BoomBoom
11-16-2017, 10:56 AM
http://www.hostpic.org/images/1711151238090092.jpg
MP3 CBR 320 kbps | 00:58:54 | 135 Mb
Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal | Label: InsideOut Records
Leprous is one of Norway's finest acts and one of the excellent stable of modern prog bands that we have covered here at AMG in the last 5 or 6 years. In recent times, their profile has risen as their singular approach to progressive metal has inspired high praise from myself, Kronos, and the metal world at large. I adored Bilateral, but (as one might have expected, given AMG's Law of Diminishing Recordings™) the band's later material has been spottier. I did enjoy some of Coal-which featured one of my Songs o' the Year-but I found 2015's The Congregation to be difficult to enjoy. With time, Leprous has dialed down the heavier elements of their sound, developing a chorus heavy style that didn't work for me on The Congregation. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I got my hands on Malina. Was I hopeful? Not really. Was I surprised? Pleasantly.
Leprous doesn't sound that much like a metal band in 2017. Scoff if you want, but the more I listen to Malina, the more I've come to accept that it's a glitchy indie pop record. Malina sounds like Leprous made a super fucking weird Arctic Monkeys album; albeit infinitely more interesting than the aforementioned band of hyperborean simians. Rather than falling into the simplistic groove of a pop band, Leprous' songs lilt along, with their trademark polyrhythmic glitch-or as my grandpa called it, "arrhythmia"-punctuating their songs. Malina hews to the arc of Leprous' sound since Coal, playing heavily with syncopation in what would otherwise be straight time, and resting heavily on the voice and melodies of Einar "Fucking" Solberg to keep their songs memorable.
Calling Malina an indie-pop album is only a slight exaggeration for comic effect. The album's tone is different from their earlier albums. The most obvious difference is the guitar sound, which is cleaner, brighter, and thinner. The intro to "Stuck," an undeniably sticky song, features the bright-almost surfy-tone favored by dudes with mustaches, flannel shirts, and winter caps that only cover their bald spots (see: Beaten to Death). The bass and drums hold the album on the heavier side of the spectrum, fortunately, with the rhythm section eschewing minimalist tendencies and tone. Malina still has a heft to it that will translate well in the live setting. Moments like the bass slides on the title track are reminiscent of the title track off Coal, while "Coma" features a pummeling rhythm section topped by an ethereal vocal performance that could have passed on any of the band's previous albums. But you'll be unsurprised to know that the screams that accentuate "Coal" get nowhere near Malina. The rough edges have been hewn off, replaced with something that is unapologetically chill and groovy, though swelling and dark. There's still something here which threatens to break loose, but it never does.
Yet, I think this is Leprous' strongest work since Bilateral. The strength of Malina is carried in its songs. The songs have a high Rush Quotient™, hitting that elusive balance between catchy and proggy. Particularly effective is the band's continued mastery of choruses-which tend toward epic and are always memorable. Songs like "From the Flame," "Stuck," "Coma," and "Illuminate" are infectious. But Leprous doesn't have the metalcore tendency of writing throwaway verses that are just foreplay to gaudy choruses. Malina's songs feature sophisticated builds, savvy writing and subtle, haunting harmonies. None of what I'm describing cleaves far from Leprous' beaten path, but Malina sees the intensity dialed back and a vision that is more circumspect. Rather than hitting hard, the tracks seethe along-"Bonneville" opens Malina at a crawl, while "The Last Milestone" is an orchestral dirge. The peaks and valleys have been replaced with beautiful, rolling foothills and foggy glens.
Malina will split fans, for sure, but I have trouble seeing how admirers of the band's previous work won't find something they like here. This album echoes Bilateral and Coal, even if it lacks the heft of a young Norwegian band's developing sound. Malina is a poppier, simpler, more polished album than anything Leprous has produced. And maybe I'm just getting old like they are, but the slicker songs and their distinctive pop profile just seem to work for me.
Traclklist:
01. Bonneville
02. Stuck
03. From the Flame
04. Captive
05. Illuminate
06. Leashes
07. Mirage
08. Malina
09. Coma
10. The Weight of Disaster
11. The Last Milestone
Download
Download
DOWNLOAD
http://nitroflare.com/view/439B11A6F52BCDD/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar
http://rapidgator.net/file/2080645bcb6f32fc665005fe01962924/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar.html
http://turbobit.net/7nm5z88v1bd6/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar.html
MP3 CBR 320 kbps | 00:58:54 | 135 Mb
Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal | Label: InsideOut Records
Leprous is one of Norway's finest acts and one of the excellent stable of modern prog bands that we have covered here at AMG in the last 5 or 6 years. In recent times, their profile has risen as their singular approach to progressive metal has inspired high praise from myself, Kronos, and the metal world at large. I adored Bilateral, but (as one might have expected, given AMG's Law of Diminishing Recordings™) the band's later material has been spottier. I did enjoy some of Coal-which featured one of my Songs o' the Year-but I found 2015's The Congregation to be difficult to enjoy. With time, Leprous has dialed down the heavier elements of their sound, developing a chorus heavy style that didn't work for me on The Congregation. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I got my hands on Malina. Was I hopeful? Not really. Was I surprised? Pleasantly.
Leprous doesn't sound that much like a metal band in 2017. Scoff if you want, but the more I listen to Malina, the more I've come to accept that it's a glitchy indie pop record. Malina sounds like Leprous made a super fucking weird Arctic Monkeys album; albeit infinitely more interesting than the aforementioned band of hyperborean simians. Rather than falling into the simplistic groove of a pop band, Leprous' songs lilt along, with their trademark polyrhythmic glitch-or as my grandpa called it, "arrhythmia"-punctuating their songs. Malina hews to the arc of Leprous' sound since Coal, playing heavily with syncopation in what would otherwise be straight time, and resting heavily on the voice and melodies of Einar "Fucking" Solberg to keep their songs memorable.
Calling Malina an indie-pop album is only a slight exaggeration for comic effect. The album's tone is different from their earlier albums. The most obvious difference is the guitar sound, which is cleaner, brighter, and thinner. The intro to "Stuck," an undeniably sticky song, features the bright-almost surfy-tone favored by dudes with mustaches, flannel shirts, and winter caps that only cover their bald spots (see: Beaten to Death). The bass and drums hold the album on the heavier side of the spectrum, fortunately, with the rhythm section eschewing minimalist tendencies and tone. Malina still has a heft to it that will translate well in the live setting. Moments like the bass slides on the title track are reminiscent of the title track off Coal, while "Coma" features a pummeling rhythm section topped by an ethereal vocal performance that could have passed on any of the band's previous albums. But you'll be unsurprised to know that the screams that accentuate "Coal" get nowhere near Malina. The rough edges have been hewn off, replaced with something that is unapologetically chill and groovy, though swelling and dark. There's still something here which threatens to break loose, but it never does.
Yet, I think this is Leprous' strongest work since Bilateral. The strength of Malina is carried in its songs. The songs have a high Rush Quotient™, hitting that elusive balance between catchy and proggy. Particularly effective is the band's continued mastery of choruses-which tend toward epic and are always memorable. Songs like "From the Flame," "Stuck," "Coma," and "Illuminate" are infectious. But Leprous doesn't have the metalcore tendency of writing throwaway verses that are just foreplay to gaudy choruses. Malina's songs feature sophisticated builds, savvy writing and subtle, haunting harmonies. None of what I'm describing cleaves far from Leprous' beaten path, but Malina sees the intensity dialed back and a vision that is more circumspect. Rather than hitting hard, the tracks seethe along-"Bonneville" opens Malina at a crawl, while "The Last Milestone" is an orchestral dirge. The peaks and valleys have been replaced with beautiful, rolling foothills and foggy glens.
Malina will split fans, for sure, but I have trouble seeing how admirers of the band's previous work won't find something they like here. This album echoes Bilateral and Coal, even if it lacks the heft of a young Norwegian band's developing sound. Malina is a poppier, simpler, more polished album than anything Leprous has produced. And maybe I'm just getting old like they are, but the slicker songs and their distinctive pop profile just seem to work for me.
Traclklist:
01. Bonneville
02. Stuck
03. From the Flame
04. Captive
05. Illuminate
06. Leashes
07. Mirage
08. Malina
09. Coma
10. The Weight of Disaster
11. The Last Milestone
Download
Download
DOWNLOAD
http://nitroflare.com/view/439B11A6F52BCDD/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar
http://rapidgator.net/file/2080645bcb6f32fc665005fe01962924/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar.html
http://turbobit.net/7nm5z88v1bd6/y1sox.Leprous..Malina.2017.rar.html