New-ish Release: Leprous - An Evening of Atonement

Forget your therapist; the new Leprous live release, An Evening of Atonement, is here to handle your emotional heavy lifting with Norwegian precision. Recorded during their career-spanning tour stop in Tilburg, NL, this is the definitive document proving that yes, Einar Solberg can actually hit every single one of those absurd notes live. Having never seen the band live myself, I was questioning if his sometimes delicate voice and intricate voicings would translate live, and I’m happy to report, they do! He’s able to bring to bear an amazing amount of power while impeccably hitting ALL the notes.

The sonically complex songs from their newest original album Melodies Of Atonement all come off just as powerfully as the recordings (even without the orchestral bits), and they managed to reproduce specific-song dynamics surprisingly well in the live setting. While the entire band performed spectacularly, the standout for me was drummer Baard Kolstad who flawlessly executed his complex drum parts from Melodies with high level artistry and feel, providing the rock-solid foundation needed for the rest of the band to craft their individual performances.

My favorite track on this record is the same as my favorite track on the studio record it came from, Faceless. Simen Daniel Børven’s jazz bass opening sounds nearly as amazing as it does on the recorded version and really establishes the personality of the song from the first note. The song’s dynamics build similarly if a bit more quickly due to the live nature of the performance, but with no less subtlety in Baard’s hi-hat work in the quieter bits. Backing vocals from the entire band are also 100% on-point for the entire performance.

Especially interesting is the final song The Sky Is Red (Outro)... The 5 against 4 polyrhythm with sporadic and irregular accents (all of which, flawlessly executed) creates a perfect atmosphere for summoning other-worldly entities, never mind ending the show.

Final thought

Unfortunately, in today’s music landscape, bands are often content with a hit song and then re-hashing that formula for as long as possible and calling it a career. This is not the case with Leprous. If you listen to their last 4 albums back to back you can witness the obvious evolution of their artistry.

If you’re a fan of heavy, melodic, creative music that pushes the boundaries of the genre, check this band out immediately.

Videos

The final 2 songs from the performance in Tilburg, Atonement & The Sky Is Red (Outro) do a fantastic job capturing the presence, energy, and overall on-stage vibe produced by this amazing band.

Like A Sunken Ship (also from Melodies of Atonement):

Music:

An Evening of Atonement:

Spotify:

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/be/album/an-evening-of-atonement-live/1834439727

Melodies Of Atonement:

Spotify:

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/melodies-of-atonement/1746762447