Leprous – Bilateral (2011)

Having been introduced to Leprous because they are the ‘live band’ of ex-Emperor Ihsahn’s solo project, the band never ceases to amaze me with their very intricate and well crafted release. “Bilateral” marks the band’s latest and third release and it is very impressive, good enough to be the best Progressive Metal album of 2011.

Featuring ten expertly composed songs, the band draws influences from 70’s prog and delivers a very dynamic and multi-textured album that will impress any prog listener. Particularly the synth and guitars create a very pleasant atmosphere that eases the listener through each track. The soaring vocals of Einar Solberg mixed with the backing ones create a multi-leveled attack that is as effective as any of the big-name bands of the genre.

“Bilateral” opens this release with high energy vocals and trippy atmospheric elements, quick statements that grab your attention and never let’s go. The guitar work is top notch and the synth gives this song just the right atmosphere, even if it’s only 4 minutes long. Progressive brilliance is quickly achieved on “Restless”, a song that nicely builds up and delivers a very engaging vocal performance.

In the monumental “Force Entry”, Leprous takes advantage of some very interesting opening section (a la Shining, the Norwegian one). Again, the buildup is very intense and the vocals are just brilliant in creating the right atmosphere. The guitar work is very intricate and well crafted, going back from very powerful and up-front, to taking a backing role to the soaring vocals. “Thorn” delivers a catchy bass line and very psychedelic elements that nicely shift the pace of the music a bit.

As a nice change in the album’s flow we have “Mb Indifferentia”, a very interesting and considerably slower track that the previous ones. The hypnotic atmosphere is very intoxicating and paired with the dramatic vocals; we have a very emotional track that in a way divides this release very nicely. “Waste of Air” again brings us some memories of Shining’s “Black Jazz” album and it is by far the heaviest track of this release. With pounding guitar riffs, aggressive vocals and a very interesting and penetrating atmosphere, this is our favorite song of the album.

Stuff get’s even weirder with some electronic elements in the very odd “Mediocrity Wins”. With high similarities to what Ulver was doing once they dropped the Black Metal influences for good, but mixed with Progressive elements, Leprous truly delivers a very unique and fresh sounding track. Going a bit on the Dream Theater way, “Cryptogenic Desires” is a very interesting song that combines aggressive elements and some Meshuggah like stuff with the typical Progressive elements found in the best releases of the last few years.

The melodramatic “Acquired Taste” is our second favorite song of this release due to its melodic guitars and dramatic vocals. The closing eight minute track “Painful Detour”, delivers a nice medley of many of the best elements of this release and nicely closes a very rich and diverse album. If you like Progressive Metal and are a bit open minded to some experimentation, “Bilateral” will be the release for you. Leprous is surely one skilled band and with this release they will get even closer to be fully recognized for their amazing work.

Release: August 23, 2011

Country: Norway