MELODIES OF ATONEMENT

Leprous have returned three years after their last release. I've been pretty blunt in my disappointment with Aphelion, Pitfalls, and Malina. (Malina came out before I started this site, but I've mentioned it.) They went from being an inventive, dynamic metal act with some creative songwriting to a rather bland art-rock act that leaned way too heavily on sudden quiet-loud contrasts. Bilateral is one of my favorite albums of all time, so the last decade or so has been rather disappointing.

Vocalist and primary songwriter Einar Solberg said he wanted to strip away the orchestral elements that have been prominent on their last few records for this release, and that experiment largely pays dividends. Melodies of Atonement is Leprous's best album since The Congregation, though I wouldn't quite call this "good" as a whole. They're on the right path, however!

I'll start with the good parts of this album. Firstly, and most impressively, there are multiple songs here that I would call "good" without qualification. Aphelion and Pitfalls only had one of those apiece.

"Like a Sunken Ship" is pretty solid. The intro has a subtle, bluesy funkiness to it, and the electronic flourishes call to mind latter-era Porcupine Tree or 2000s King Crimson soundscapes. The heavy parts of this song are the best music on the whole album, and Einar even busts out some growls here. Leprous's strength has always been their metallic side, so it's nice to hear them embrace it more than they have in recent years.

The following track, "Limbo", is the best overall composition on the record. I'll touch on this more in a moment, but the build-up here is quite nice. I like the gradual evolution from its quiet opening to its tumbling, powerful climax.

"Starlight" is another solid track. Einar's vocals are varied here, as opposed to his usual vacillation between willowy falsetto and belting his lungs out. The guitar work is fun and distinctive, and it reminds me a lot of the growling guitar lines in Pink Floyd's "One of These Days".

More broadly, I appreciate the album's overall heavier feel. Parts of this record could definitely be called metal, though most of it is not. Aphelion, Pitfalls, and Malina all suffered from timbral and textural monotony, which made them grate on me. When the only difference song-to-song is the particular pattern of LOUD-quiet, it gets old. Here, the dynamism feels a bit more impactful and purposeful.

Unfortunately, the mediocre outweighs the good here. I wouldn't call this album "bad," for the most part, but a lot of it is just sort of dull.

As on Aphelion, most cuts open with gentle electronics of some sort, and that gets tiring after a while. What's especially jarring is that on the first few cuts, they integrate dubstep-style wub-wub-wubs into their music. This instantly makes everything feel very dated, like it's from 2012. Melodies of Atonement can feel somewhat backward-looking at times, evoking acts like Muse. "Self Satisfied Lullaby" even reminds me of Imagine Dragons in certain parts.

Einar frequently uses his falsetto during quiet moments, and I just don't like that. His vocals in these parts will have a willowy, whispery quality to them, and I simply do not enjoy whispery vocals. It's why I can't enjoy Billie Eilish.

Speaking of this band's quiet moments, they continue to simply slam quiet and loud parts together on most songs. Build-up of any sort is rare. That sort of bombast usually feels unearned and flat. It doesn't evoke any sort of emotional reaction in me.

Leprous made clear improvements on this record over Aphelion. It's nice to see them dipping their toes more consistently back into heavier waters. The songwriting was a bit more varied here, too. Melodies of Atonement isn't without its drawbacks. The band's incessant alternations of quiet electronics with gentle vocals and over-the-top explosions of melodrama with no buildup loses any impact it may have had rather quickly. Several of the songs here come across as samey. I'm hoping Leprous continue to improve on their next album, whenever that may come out.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/08/26/album-review-leprous-melodies-of-atonement/