Leprous – Melodies Of Atonement

Leprous is a highly productive band and 15 years into their recording career the band is ready with their eighth full-length studio release entitled Melodies Of Atonement. The last couple of releases were somewhat dividing amongst fans, with the band experimenting even more than usually on 2019’s eminent Pitfalls, and only slightly less so on 2021’s Aphelion. So where does the band go with their album number eight? A logical move would be to either try to revisit their roots somewhat to please the fans of Leprous’ earlier work, or to create an album that encapsulates what the band has been doing in the past 15 years and pack it on one album. But then again, this is Leprous, and truth is, you never know.

And two songs in, the latter of the two seems like a strong possibility. “Silently Walking Alone” and “Atonement” serve as perfect examples of what this band is about. Intense and emotionally charged songs, with gorgeous melodies and instrumentation, yet with room for some massive razor-sharp edges in the form of simple effective riffs and catchy yet almost unsettling electronics. The two songs are also textbook examples of one of this band’s most important qualities – songwriting.

Another of the band’s very strong qualities are song arrangements, and those are just as eminent as ever. Just take for example “My Specter”, which on surface seems like a simple song, but there is put so much thought into arranging it, making sure that each sonic component has a purpose and that all those elements also play off each other. The atmosphere, catchiness and beauty are balanced out to perfection.

In general, this album feels more direct and even stripped down, well stripped down for a Leprous album that is. The massive orchestration which was such an important part of the previous couple of records is basically gone. But the keyboards and electronics in general still play a very important part, mostly adding texture as well as one infectious sample hook after another. The approach might be more stripped down, but there are countless elements to each song that play important parts in creating the overall feel of the album. And just like always, the band is simply eminent in incorporating them together. It could be a seamlessly gelling of short electronics sample, with gospel-like melody, and colossal guitar and topping it with “oooh-oooh-la-la-laaa”- vocals. The band makes it all work together and makes every part a crucial part of the overall experience.

Leprous have also dialed down on odd time signatures and there are no those 10-minute long songs on Melodies Of Atonement either, so one could argue that the album is less progressive in a traditional way. But the band never really dug deep into the classical progressive rock/metal approach and what mostly made their music progressive are songwriting, arrangements and nonetheless constant growth.

This album is another step forward, but unlike some of their other releases, it’s not threading unfamiliar grounds. On the other hand, it’s not looking back either, yet it’s undeniably a Leprous record. In a way, this album does capture most of the aspects the band has made their own over the years, but it doesn’t feel like a summary of their career. It’s more direct affair yet at the same time it’s layered and aesthetically stunning experience. And while it might not be a round-up of the band’s career so far, this album would serve perfectly as introduction to the band.

This is a band of many qualities, but aside from those classical ones, it’s their curiosity and hunger that makes them so interesting. Their back-catalogue is extremely strong and while the quality might vary, common for each release is that they all come across as highly inspired.

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