COAL

I'm not a huge fan of Leprous. I somewhat liked "Poppy", but the lack of melody at times burned out my brain. I wasn't a fan of the harsh vocals either. But, I did appreciate the originality and the cool grooves.

After hearing that this new album is more melodic, I gave it a shot. It certainly is more melodic. I was massively impressed with the interesting arrangements and structures in this album. Some songs are very delicate, such as The Cloak. Others sound more like behemoths of sound crisscrossing and playing with each other. Melody is almost always in the mix, and it plays well with the strange riffing style and the ethereal vox. This is no ordinary grinding tech metal album. In fact, I don't even like tech metal. But this album is just so much more interesting.

I was surprised at times that the vocalist reminds me of Jonathan Davis of Korn. Weird, I know, but I couldn't shake it, especially in the final track. I also noticed how each song really grows on you before you've even listened to the track in its entirety. "Foe" just sounds so strange, but half-way through, I "got it". The same thing applies to "Chronic" and "Coal". Leprous obviously tried to create something completely different here, and I applaud them for that. This is not music that I will listen to countless times, but because it is very good and especially because it is very different, I will give it 4 stars.

There is no doubt that when these guys released 'Bilateral' in 2011 that they created a lot of noise in the prog scene, literally. Here is a band that is happy, really happy, to be a metal outfit and tour with bands like Amorphis, Therion, Opeth, Pagan's Mind et al yet also have one foot firmly in the prog camp. And if you didn't know, these guys have acted as fellow Norwegian Ihsahn's backing band so they really have no qualm with producing music at the heaviest and most complex level. When I started playing this two bands sprang to mind immediately, and the more I played it the more I was convinced that I was right. Here is a band that takes the melodic soundscape of Muse, and then mixes it up liberally with Devin Townsend to create something that at times is almost breathtakingly beautiful and yet at others is a wall of sound as they crank up the energy and the volume to 11.

There is no doubt to my mind that this is metallic prog metal of some class and power, yet I am sure that it will upset some listeners who feel that prog should be more sedate and not in your face quite so much. But if prog is about progressing and pushing the boundaries as opposed to regressing and attempting to be a clone of the great bands that have gone before then this is it. This is modern, with the odd nod back to King Crimson, and is very much modern metallic progressive music for the 21st century. The more I have played this the more I have enjoyed it and while I think 4*'s is the right mark for now, ask me again in a few months and it may have made it up 5. If you want a dynamic soundscape then this is it. www.insideout.de

'Coal' - Leprous (84/100)

It now seems strange to think there was a time I didn't understand the hype and excitement surrounding Leprous. Their first full-fledged foray into album-making, "Tall Poppy Syndrome" was met with some pretty wild acclaim in progressive metal circles. Though I was impressed with their skill and musicality, I was left wanting for a more distinct, unique style of progressive metal. Though I was certain that the band would improve and refine their craft, nothing could have however prepared me for "Bilateral". As if my imaginary Leprous wishlist had been thoroughly studied and referenced, the band's second album marked a large step towards more experimental territory and a sound of their own. Two years since its release, "Bilateral" has become one of my favourite-ever albums, and that's a big part of why I was so anxious to hear "Coal". My excitement aside, Leprous seem to have been up to some great things in the past two years; with their third record, they have fostered an even more distinctive style for themselves. Evolving their sound once again, Leprous are proving with each new album that they are the greatest band of the new progressive metal wave.

Though I've never once had the fleeting impression that Leprous might follow up "Bilateral" with a subpar album, I was self-aware of the exceedingly high standard I would hold the new record up to. After hearing "Coal", it seems impossible to meaningfully compare the two albums. Leprous have once again maintained an incredibly high musical standard, with regards to both the composition and execution. However, though it's clear that "Coal" is cut from the same cloth as "Bilateral", the tone and mood have evolved significantly. While the second album revelled in being all-over-the-place and pleasantly quirky, "Coal" puts a much greater emphasis on atmosphere and focused compositions. There remains a playful, catchy element to the music, but the tracks here come across more directly and purposefully than before. Neither approach is inherently superior to the other. The songs on "Coal" have less surprises and twists to them, but the epic payoffs have never tasted so sweet.

Many of the songs here unveil a more static side to Leprous. By 'static', I do not mean dull by any means, but rather emotionally unchanging. "Coal" earns points for variety as an album holistically, but it's as if each track focuses in on one particular atmosphere, and fleshes it out until it reaches a critical mass. More often than note, that atmosphere is one of sombre reflection and melancholy; quite the departure from the zany antics of "Bilateral". Though Leprous have very little in common stylistically with Summoning, the approach and structure of the compositions here is reminiscent of Summoning's latest album in the sense that there is a notable emphasis on realizing the potential of a handful of really strong ideas, rather than filling out the album's length with a bunch of smaller-sized components. Tracks like the breathtaking "The Valley" and gorgeously morose "Echo" spend much of their time building up to a rapturous climax. The arrangements tend to dwell on certain ideas for longer than one might tend to expect from a 'progressive metal' release, and though I might have missed that 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach of Leprous' earlier work, it's a joy in its own right to see an idea develop and mature within the context of a track.

Fortunately, Leprous offer a handful of more traditional pieces to help balance out their experimental flair. "Chronic" is an energetic, quirky piece that would have fit snugly on "Bilateral". While "Salt" may work as a four minute extension of "The Valley", it functions excellently as a track of its own, its wonderfully ethereal chorus being one of the album's highlights. While "Contaminate Me" could have used a little variety to spice it up somewhere around the halfway point, it's a powerful way to wrap up the album, adapting the spawled- out structure of the album's longer tracks to a more severe, aggressive atmosphere. While the opener "Foe" sits at a comfortable five minute length, it just might be the most experimental cut from the album, featuring some of frontman Einar Solberg's most compelling vocal work to date. Although it probably won't surprise anyone, the weakest track here is the apparent 'single', "The Cloak". Although it works well as a break between the groove metal pyrotechnics of the title track and the masterful "The Valley", it doesn't tend to have the jaw-dropping quality of the rest of the album. The mellotron presence is very much welcome, but "The Cloak" ultimately comes off feeling like a Muse ballad more than anything else. On most other albums, it may have been a highlight, but I would have hoped Leprous could have delivered something a little bit more enticing for their album single.

The evolution of Leprous' sound on "Coal" is sure to grate unpleasantly with some listeners at first, but one thing that remains evident from the beginning is the band's standard of musicianship, which is virtually without par in the progressive metal genre today. With this across-the-board virtuosic skill in mind, it's all the more impressive that Leprous manage to restrain themselves to sporting their talents within the bounds of the songwriting. Although Leprous' sound is decidedly more experimental, comparisons could be drawn with Sweden's Pain of Salvation and their peak material from a decade past. It's possibly a less inviting dish than the albums Leprous have served in the past (at least initially), but there's no doubt that Leprous have broken into fresh territory.

It's pretty incredible how much a band can change in four years. From "Tall Poppy Syndrome" to this, the level of ambition and left-field wizardry has increased with each step. Although it will be some time before I'll truly know where "Coal" stands in comparison to the rest of the band's work, Leprous have delivered one of the most musically compelling experiences of the year thus far.

8/10

Leprous' Most Emotionally Lush Album.

Along with just a handful of bands all over the world, Leprous is one of the game-changing legacy-carriers of Progressive Metal. Their style is distinct, but unafraid of revealing influences such as Pain Of Salvation. Behind their backs, they only have three albums; the debut, "Aeolia", is somewhat of a forgotten LP, but the latter two are the main reason the band is now at the center of the stage for many Metal and Progheads. 2011's "Bilateral", album number three, is most definitely the most ground-breaking and mature, and stood out as one of the key albums of this new wave of Prog Metal.

"Coal", against most odds, maintains almost all of the "Bilateral" qualities intact. It blends the same ingredients, and molds them with a new formula. The most noticeable new change is how the band has put Einar Solberg's voice even more up-front than usual: he sings almost all over the place, delivering beautiful, extended falsetto vocals, as well as melodic phrases that serve a given song as a completely independent additional instrument. In songs like "Echo" and "Foe", it is most apparent. This is for the most part Einar's album, even because the keyboards have most definitely toned-down, resulting in an overall drier atmosphere. This is not necessarily a fault of course, since Leprous' intent naturally was to craft something punchier, more straight-forward and song-based, rather than a moody album.

This leads to the song-writing. Looking back at 2009's "Tall Poppy Syndrome", it is amazing to see how far ahead they've brought themselves since. There is not one single track that fails. "Foe" starts the album off perfectly, boasting one of the most memorable and relevant vocal performances by Solberg; "Chronic" and the title track are easily the busiest and heaviest tracks, showcasing incredible interplay and progressive song structures; "The Cloak" and "Salt" are calmer pieces, both of them strategically well-placed throughout the album, as they generate a nice change of pace for the LP's momentum. "The Valley" is a long-winded, multi-faceted masterpiece, with perhaps one of the best hooks that the band has ever come up with; "Echo" is of a similar nature, but with a much more dramatic, slow tone to it. It is by far, the moodier and more emotional piece of the album, which is saying a lot. The album ends on a very heavy note, with guest vocalist Ihsahn killing it with one of his most fear-inducing performances: "Contaminate Me" is a throw-back to the band's more extreme roots, ?as a matter of fact Leprous used to be Ihsahn's backing band- nevertheless Leprous is able to sound as if it was brought up in a new, original fashion.

"Coal" comes so near to the levels of "Bilateral", and is once again striking proof that Leprous are one of the very best Metal bands out there. The best part of it is that they sound as if something even greater will eventually be in the works.

Ok...If I must admit...these guys have been below my radar for a very long time. I was aware of the praise their first 2 albums got, and always had a slight interest in them, but whether it was a lack of interest in prog or infatuation with something else, I never gave these guys any attention. So...after all these years, I decided to finally give these guys at least some looks and peeks. And low and behold, I'm incredibly impressed and regretting not giving these guys a listen when they first appeared on the Prog music scene.

The best quality about this band is the unique sound that the band offer. When it comes to music in general, I like it when bands are able to shake off stigmatized genre labels, allowing the band to adopt their own sound. When it comes to describing the band, I like to think of them having the perfect elements of standard progressive metal and post metal. There is the technical side to the music but there is a lot of atmosphere throughout these tracks. Another positive is the songwriting, which is really strong on these songs and is a big positive on this album.

The real highlight that this band has to offer is the vocals. Vocalist Einar Solberg really shows off the diversity of his vocals. In many ways, he reminds me of a younger Devin Townsend. At times his vocals go from the most extremist of screams to a more beautiful sombre tenor with at times operatic warbles. A weird comparison I've heard is The Darkness...and vocally at times, Einar does hit very high notes which I've heard Justin Hawkins from The Darkness been able to tackle (especially on their last album "Hot Cakes.")

Now for a little history lesson. These guys used to be Ihsahn's (Emperor front man and overall genius) backing band. He also produced the album and lended vocals on some songs. Now, I didn't know this until today...but I can't say I'm surprised. In fact, with this album, these guys have been able to outshine their former boss, and upstaging Ihsahn really isn't an easy thing to do.

The album opener "Foe" is a real shock. A big rhythmic kick in the face. A song that really grabs you by the balls, and sets you up for an amazing ride.

"Chronic" is a track that really surprised me. A brilliant build up throughout the verses, the chorus comes in and takes you by suprise. The difference in tones really adds to the interest of the song.

The album's most impressive moment has to be "The Valley." A brilliantly arranged song with some really impressive vocals. The chorus is catchy as hell, and will be stuck in your head for days. The breakdown in the middle and arrangement throughout is very impressive and pretty enjoyable.

The albums single, "The Cloak" is a very odd but really enjoyable tune. Almost ballad like, Einar shows of some really beautiful vocals. It is rather cheesy at times, but it's also really unique and really enjoyable.

The albums last song, "Contaminate Me" features the band's old boss, Ihsahn. And I have to say...Ihsahn has really impressed me. Being a big fan of Emperor, I have always been a fan of his vocals...and on this song he really goes into very extreme territories with his vocals, and even takes away the focus from Einar...which is a very hard thing to do.

The only negative that I would have with this album is that the first half overshadows the second. Now, this doesn't mean that the other half isn't good, it's just that the first 5 songs really are the greatest moments. "Salt" for example has some really nice Opeth like melodies and has a pretty nice arrangement. The same goes "Echo" although the only gripe I can hold would be that it's length may be a bit too lengthy and a good bit could have been cut out. Also, the booklet of this album annoyed me, because the artwork seemed to blur out some of the lyrics...which was a slight annoyance.

The bonus track "Bury" also easily could have been on the album as a single track, and I would have enjoyed the album, maybe even a little bit more. An almost Dillinger Escape Plan sounding track, this could have been the albums single.

In conclusion...I'm impressed. These guys are going steal and obtain a lot of attention in the next few years, and it's because of this album. I haven't heard the first two yet, but I will listen to them soon, and anything they release in the next few years, I will definitely buy.

8.7/10

Leprous are not a band who stands still; comparing this album to 2009's Tall Poppy Syndrome reveals substantial and well-honed artistic growth. The influences of the likes of Porcupine Tree and others which could be heard on the earlier album are now much more difficult to detect, Leprous' sound having taken on a unique cast which pits them as true originals. The closest comparison I can think of is "what if a more tasteful version of Muse went prog metal, having listened to heaps of Porcupine Tree?", but even that doesn't encapsulate all the dimensions available here - for instance, it would obscure the extreme metal influences of the eerie closing track, Contaminate Me.

All very well, but I've found over time that I've become less and less taken with the album, its undeniably pristine production and technical accomplishment not quite translating to material which feels compelling to me. In particular, the sparser and more minimalistic approach, whilst compelling at first, over time feels increasingly hollow.

I have come to learn about Leprous in early 2013, having listened to a few impressive samples and later in the year to this, fourth, album by the band. One thing is for sure: their sound is generally outside the norm, experiments freely and has character.

The initial impression I got from "Coal" was that of awe, listening to this powerful combination of Devin Townsend soundscapes, pounding heavy mid-tempo riffology and atmospheric experimentation. On the other hand, extremely melodic refrains and well-crafted harmonies provide the softer side and (arguably) keep the balance. With an average track length of 7 minutes, there is much on which to ponder, however Leprous don't always provide the necessary variety to make this a remarkable release. There are sporadic moments of glory and some majestic tunes that are genre-defining but the overall package lacks, I feel, the consistency and quality. The first three and last track are rather heavy-experimented tunes, often with Townsend-type chaotic moments, while tracks 4-7 are far more melodic, almost splitting the album into two different types of songs. In addition the indie/Muse influences on tracks like 'Chronic' slightly dilute their effort.

My preference in "Coal" tends towards the more melodic aspect, with 'The Valley' and 'Echo' being the highlights of this release. An interesting release but not a top-10 album, "Coal" will appeal to friends of experimental progressive metal. I look forward to exploring in depth all their releases as the glimpses of the highest quality are on this album, albeit not enough.

A marriage between traditional prog metal and that atmospheric direction that the more adventurous black metal bands have taking recently. A true marriage, half-way, not just a black metal with progressive structures or prog trying to seem cool. Tracks are divided between more metallic numbers, at the start and end, and more laid back in the middle. From prog metal side it has powerful production values, off-beat rhythms and a show-off-y vocal, when its normal. From other side of the coin, it retains riff-based atmospherics, non traditional structures and occasional Cookie Monster vocal.

Even if I appreciate the more distinctive style here (some ideas similar to recent Haken release), it doesn't mean I like the end result. Songs lack variation inside, usually centered around one or two repetetive melodic ideas, that in a post-rocky fashion are tweaked slightly along the way, but not nearly enough to justify the 7-minute length. There are no "wow" moments that would make say, like, wow that's impressive. And then there's the squeeze-the-nuts-of-the-Cookie-monster vocals. Luckily, its mostly guest-done, courtesy of Emperor's vocalist.

All in all, you've go to hand it to Leprous guys, each album shows evolution. For better or worse, up to individual tastes. Compared to previous, Bilateral, Coal is more streamlined, but less diverse.

Coal Syndrome

Definition: when a new album from a band you consider highly does not reach your high expectations, but even after time and learning that the album is actually very good, you still feel disappointed in it.

I think my review for Dead Letter Circus' The Catalyst Fire sums up my feelings about Coal pretty well, with a few differences ? the main one being that I had no expectations for that album, but I was hoping for a 10/10 masterpiece from this. Every time I come back to this record, no matter how much I have learn to love it, I still feel ever so slightly disappointed, because it could have been better. Coal certainly has the melodic material to constitute an album as good as Bilateral, but it missed the mark on so many tracks, and many moments here feel half-assed, as if Leprous were writing on autopilot. But as my ever-increasing rating for this album implies, I really, really like it now. Every time I hear it, I still slightly wish they had done things differently, but I can't deny that this is a logical continuation of Bilateral.

Many people have noted the 'static' element that Coal holds, and that may have been what made me so disappointed at first. The songs here don't push too many moods at once; they don't fly from ridiculous to ridiculous; they are more concise and focused, staying on one mood or melody for longer times, and building the songs to crescendos and endings as opposed to puzzles of fiddly bits. I would argue that Bilateral still did this better ? a track like "Forced Entry", even if it is dozens of melodies thrown together, still feels like it has a concise direction. Coal boasts three 9-minute tracks, and of them, none of them really feel their length. "Echo", the longest one here, builds entirely around a rather basic melody, but with its beautifully subtle chorus, creates a fantastic mood that it drags out to the end of oblivion. Whether this is a good thing or not is up to you, and I'll admit ? I didn't really like it at first. Even now, the midsections of "Echo" and "The Valley", and the final two minutes of opener "Foe" still get on my nerves a bit in their repetitiveness. I can appreciate focusing on build and theme and mood, but sometimes it's just too much, and no part of me really wants to hear Einar sing the same few notes in 7/8 for two whole [%*!#]ing minutes. And the fact is, by the time they're done, all sense of mood from the fantastic first half has vanished, and the intro to "Chronic" is nowhere near as punching.

But I'll try and stay away from being too negative about this album, because the fact is that now I really like it, and I do believe it holds a good place in the Leprous discography, even if it is the weakest of their studio albums. As I mentioned ? for the first three minutes, "Foe" is absolutely glistening. I have praised Einar's voice to the end of the universe in my review for Bilateral, but I feel this could even be his best yet, creating such a punching feeling over the syncopated guitar and drums. He sings so high up in his range, yet every syllable smashes the note in the face with a mallet, to the point where "punchy" doesn't even cover it. The song's chorus is another testament to the great vocal technique that he began on Bilateral, although it is the only true appearance of it on this album. The way he melodically screams "sentiMENTAAALL" is as spinechilling as it is impressive, but I still can't help but complain about the way the song ends (again).

On the whole, Coal features a series of tracks that don't really achieve masses on their own, but add to a bigger picture in their own way. There's no denying that I would be impressed like hell by this album if I hadn't already heard their other stuff, but in comparison, I'm used to hearing a Leprous song have 15 fantastic hooks, not just one. The album really hits its stride with the title track though, although "Chronic" is decent, it feels a bit like a Leprous-doing-Leprous song. The Title track here, however, is unlike anything they have ever done, and honestly unlike anything I have heard in metal. The song is insanely groovy, putting all its energy around that toe- tappingly good beat that never dies throughout the track's rather lengthy (for a song of its sort) duration. Some of this track could even be called quite djenty, if Leprous had not opted for a far more bearable guitar tone. The song is undeniably one of the heaviest songs the band have ever done, but for once I'm actually loving this metal side. I complained on both the previous albums about the guitar tone, but here, it's just so damn groovy. The tone is thick and chunky, dark and murky, and is accentuated perfectly by some of the best drumming I have ever heard.

Oh yeah, I should really mention the drums, because they are one of the things that make this album, and not just because of how they're played. The title track, after its first chorus, spins into a ferociously intense 'breakdown', with guitars being chopped and edited and spiraled in circles, and those drums playing all sorts of spastic tones. It's seriously such a thing to behold, the way these drums make chaos into unfiltered awesomeness through their tone and placement. The snare and kick both have such a round and punchy sound that meshes with the guitar tone so well. The other time when the drums come forward is during the rather divisive closer "Contaminate Me", which received my award for best drum performance of 2013. From the glitchy grace notes that adorn the snare during the verses to the sprawling and chaotic smash-fest that comes under Ihsahn's black metal rage at the end, this song is created almost entirely to showcase how [%*!#]ing good these drums sound, and even though I wasn't a fan of this track at first, I can't help but be enthralled by the sounds on offer here.

Musically though, this track is very divisive for me personally, and is the first Leprous track since Aeolia to really embrace their avant-garde metal side full-on. I think the reason I was a bit shocked by it at first was that it really didn't sound like a Leprous song, but I sort of came to the realisation that if I had heard it on one of Ihsahn's solo records, I would be impressed. I'm still not completely sold on it, and it's almost entirely down to the man himself. I want to love his vocals here. I mean, this is basically Leprous going full avant-garde black metal for the first time, and Ihsahn, the king of black metal, is taking the lead vocally. And honestly, I didn't mind his part in "Thorn" from Bilateral, and on his solo albums his screams are pretty inoffensive, but holy [&*!#] I can't stand his vocals here. But it's like he's not trying. I know that Ihsahn can hit that glory spot in his screams, the "crisp" and "crunchy" texture that he gives them, but a lot of these screams are without that, he's gasping for grip on that harshness, and many of them sound like a dying pig, or like a cool 13-year-old who is trying to learn how to be kvlt. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the ridiculous drums and guitars and Ihsahn screaming "CONTAMMINAATEE MAAAYYYAYAYYYAY" in the most menacing way, but I really just wish he hit the notes a bit better. As much as I love the idea of this track ? and if I had read "Leprous ends this record with a 9-minute epic that starts of melodically then spirals into atmospheric avant-garde black metal chaos with Ihsahn screaming feelings everywhere" I would have been very excited, but this just doesn't hit it.

Of the less metal tracks here, every song has a chorus or lead melody that is really fantastic. I mean, this is Leprous, and they've always had strong choruses, but my problems lie in that the songs lean on them way too hard. Both the epic "The Valley" and ballad track "The Cloak" have stunning choruses that would rank among the best on the previous two records, but the rest of the song always seems to be building to it instead of finding its own identity, and no matter how good the choruses are, they cannot hold aloft a whole song. "The Valley" utilises a dreamy and atmospheric bridge that is quite nice honestly until it keeps going for 45 minutes, culminating in one of the best syncopated guitar patterns on the record, and that final chorus. Oh yeah, it's good, but take it away and the song is mediocre at best.

Coal is a very different record for Leprous. The songs all have strong centres, but the rest of the music floats around it, unlike on Bilateral and Tall Poppy Syndrome, where the songs were built out of several strong themes that could all stand on their own if necessary. I do love this record, and its purpose as "the dark brooding one" is evident, and I guess I can never complain about a band changing up their style. This album is dark and intense, it is their heaviest yet, but it is also somehow their most accessible. I know some people who have never been a fan of them come to like this album, so what do I know. Well, I know that I was wrong about Coal, as much as I am still disappointed in it. Leprous can do know wrong, and this is evidence of that.

8.5

Originally written for my Facebook page/blog: facebook.com/neoprogisbestprog

When I was curious about the rest of Leprous's music after giving a listen to BILATERAL, I decided to check out their other albums. TALL POPPY SYNDROME was okay, but slightly lackluster in my opinion. I decided to move to COAL, their most recent albums.

Wow. Just wow. Leprous are simply getting better and better as time goes by. Let me explain why this album is so great.

As you can see, they reverted to their original short number of long tracks on the album instead of more short songs. This time, I feel like they knew their way after BILATERAL how to deal with their sound. In fact, they perfected it from the last time they used it. Their longer longer tracks show this change in a very positive light.

There are some of my favorite metal songs of all time on this album as well, such as 'Chronic', 'Coal', and 'The Valley'. None of the songs are bad; in fact, all of them are at the least 4.5/5 rating songs. The album has an even number of tracks, so I can easily split it up into two different parts. Therefore, I shall rate both parts of the album as it's own.

The original part is good, aside from the slightly boring 'Foe'. Is immediately salvaged by the second track 'Chronic', which takes their slower music and gives us a hugely suspenseful buildup. The second part is equally good, with the amazing 'The Valley'. I totally recommend this album for any metal or a prog fan for that matter.

Go give it a listen.

(Originally Written for the Metal Music Archives on 2014-10-27)

Syncopated riffs and soaring clean vocals make a bigger presence in excellent metal album

Coal continues the incredible musicianship and complex rhythms from previous albums, but the songwriting is less unpredictable. The album concentrates on developing single ideas over extended periods of time once a mood has been established. The sound overall is darker and more atmospheric, like a vivid nightmare at times. The album also better showcases the strength of the vocalist. The death metal harsh vocals are still there, but limited to fewer songs as opposed to scattered across an album. They still don't work for me, especially when they come from a guest vocalist, but the ratio of harsh to clean vocals continue decreasing album after album.

'Foe' is an interesting introduction to the album and indicates a change in sound. It revolves around a simple off-kilter riff in 7/8 during its second half and highlights the range of the vocalist given the more retrained instrumentation that backs him up. The second half is an extended acapella section with minimalistic instrumentation - very atmospheric and haunting.

'Chronic' is a more traditional track and therefore among the least interesting in the album. The usage of frequent explosive short bursts of very heavy metal with harsh vocals at times distract the flow of the song as I negatively anticipate them when they are not there. This is unfortunate, as the more extended metal passages are remarkable.

'Coal' is also a more traditional song (with its intro heavily reminiscent of 'Forced Entry' from the previous album) but benefits from greater coherence and having some of the heavier moments attempted with more pleasing 'melodic screaming' instead of growls. Not the most melodic song, but very entertaining.

After the title track ends with a haunting reprise of its main theme, the next several songs is where I feel Leprous found their sound, polished further in future albums. These songs also have no harsh vocals whatsoever for a 25+ minute stretch which is a welcome break from the heaviness of 'Chronic' and 'Coal'. These songs generally find a particular sound and flesh it out as much as possible over several minutes.

'The Cloak' is a ballad with restrained but interesting instrumentation that makes best use of the vocalist. He is consistently melodic throughout and does impressive falsetto performances. His performance invokes crushing depression. The song gradually introduces metal elements and the unmistakable syncopated riffs associated with the band. It is one of the most memorable songs in their catalog and a perfect choice for a single.

'The Valley' is a clear highlight of not only this album, but the entire career of the band. The song starts mid-tempo with computerized bassy synthesizers that will become more prominent in later albums. The first hook has a tremendous vocal melody and insane fun syncopated rhythms playing against traditional time signatures. The middle section is an unforgettable 3 1/2 minute build-up. It begins with a chilling synthesizer, static 17/16 fast paced drumming, extremely complex syncopated rhythms in bass and guitar, adds a haunting wordless vocal melody, then gives you an anticipation of doom as it slowly builds the tension solely via its syncopated riff over the next 3 minutes. Given the strength of the riff, I do not mind the repetitive nature of this passage. The buildup transitions seamlessly into a very epic brief passage and then a reprise of the intro with a heavier emphasis on the computerized synths. The song ends with the tremendous vocal melody of earlier.

'Salt' is a calmer piece and less complex, focusing on ethereal vocalizations. The song is brief, but very enjoyable throughout. 'Echo' has a dramatic slow tone to it and takes its time introducing and developing its themes. The usage of strange, but haunting synthesizers continue being a unique feature of the band and the song's wordless vocal harmonies dominate the song.

Unfortunately 'Contaminate Me' harkens back to the death metal era of the band and to make matters worse, a guest vocalist performs the harsh vocals. This guest vocalist at times sounds like a teenager attempting to sound 'evil' but the raspy style sounds corny and in no way matches the instrumental heavy sound. When the instrumentation dials down into an slow ambient atmospheric section, the guest vocalist unfortunately growls throughout it, which is a shame as the instrumentation is so good here. While the growls are better performed in the second half, I wish this section was purely instrumental.

4.5 to 5 star songs: *The Valley*, *The Cloak*, Echo 3.5 to 4 star songs: Foe, Salt, Coal 2.5 to 3 star songs: Chronic, Contaminate Me

Sadly, after having heard this album thoroughly, my impressions are very similar to the feelings I had when I saw them live together with Devin Townsend in Madrid a few years ago!

I get tired of their music after a pair of songs... And I don't know why! Because they practice a style of prog metal that I usually love. An stimulating mix between dark riffs, strong drums and an adventurous (although not always good accomplished) songwriting very influenced by bands like Tool, Opeth, Devin Townsend and even more conventional acts like Dream Theater.

Maybe are the annoying operatic vocals the fact that makes me tired of their music? Maybe the monotonous and repetitive instrumental parts which lacks true progressive charm in songs like Foe or Echo?

So despite Coal has a pair of truly great moments, it's not catchy enough for me and I don't see me coming back to this album too often. And that's a pity, because I see some greatness in this band that sadly can't not be completely heard in this record.

Best Tracks: Chronic (the most varied and best instrumental section of the album), The Cloak (a very welcomed break in the repetitiveness of the album in the form of a more mellow track) and The Valley (very good melodies and a fine chorus)

Conclusion: Coal is a good prog metal album, but it lacks something truly brilliant to be considered an excellent addition to any prog music collection. I get tired of the repetitive operatic vocals, the songwriting is not always catchy and compelling (Coal, Saturate Me) and the instrumental parts lack true magic and progressive power to be considered great.

Nevertheless, I will hear more Leprous albums because I see a truly great potential in this band that sadly in Coal is not fully materialized.

My rating: ***

Full disclosure, I'm a massive fan of this band. They are my favorite fully active band in this exact moment in time. They have consistently topped themselves in an ever evolving sound they've developed all their own and improved with each and every release (for the most part). To my great pleasure, it seems likely they have a contract that requires them to release a new album every two years because their release schedule is like clockwork.

Now, as for this album, i'm reviewing this one after the release of 'The Congregation' and 'Malina' albums, and in those reviews you would see that i had praised them as near perfection, and literal perfection in the case of 'Malina'. This one is damn good, but it sees the band in a transition period. This album is broken up into two versions of the band, the older Leprous that found itself a thinking mans death metal band; see 'Tall Poppy Syndrome', and the Leprous of today utilizing more atmosphere, subtlety, clean vocals, dynamic range, and breathing room in song structure rather than all out go go go found in much metal they took inspiration from originally.

Phase 1 (the original Leprous sound): The album starts just like the previous one. Foe, Chronic, Coal - These songs could have been ripped straight from 'Bi-Lateral', in fact either they actually were bleed overs from previous ideas or they may be there in the beginning of the this album because they are what the fans were expecting... more of the previous and more of the same. I like to think that Leprous was actually told that they needed some more 'Bi- Lateral' esque songs at least in the beginning of their album if they wanted to then experiment with a new sound and direction later in the album. And they do.

Phase 2 (cue the new Leprous): In comes The Cloak and we see the band as a whole take a back seat to Einar Solbergs' vocals. Gorgeous. Who knew? Well we've seen glimpses of this before, but really Leprous never allowed the vocals to take center stage in such a way. This is the turning point. There's no going back now, the band has revealed the big surprise, they are clearly reaching toward a different style of music entirely and here we go with the rest of the album

Phase 2 continued: The Valley, Salt, Echo - This is Leprous experimenting with the new sound that they would later expand upon for the future. Subtle keyboard textures, vocals take the lead melodically with a quite clean sound, electronic sounds that people like to now say sound 'Radiohead-esque' and swells of dynamics that flow throughout the length of each song.

You know what i've noticed though? The drums and bass take a backseat in these songs. As a drummer myself, i clearly see that Tobias hits his heads significantly less in these songs than in any of the previous songs and any previous albums. In fact, i would say that he has almost nothing to do on these songs. Why? Because he's not that kind of drummer. I would know, i play quite a bit like him. I trained myself on Dream Theater style metal. There isn't much dynamic range there. No ghost notes to be had. Subtlety on a drumset is an incredibly difficult thing to perfect, especially if you still want to be technically impressive. This is something jazz drummers do so well. Think Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree, or Bill Bruford. Tobias was out of his element playing in these songs - he faded into the background. He is no longer the driving force, Leprous isn't playing death metal anymore, how fast you can hit that double bass pedal isn't going to cut it. I do believe this may have been a deciding factor as to why either Tobias left the band, or was removed, i don't follow music drama i don't know how that all occurred but i can tell you with certainty that the drummer that replaced him is not only just technically better but also much more suited toward the sound a mature Leprous wanted to reach. I'm not bass player, but i do know from playing in many jazz bands that the bassist and drummer are really one unit so i wouldn't be surprised if the axing of the drummer required a new bassist as well - every ying needs a yang and the new addition of a drummer to propel this band into the future would require a counterpart equally matched and perfect symbiosis.

Phase 3 (The blackness rises from the depths one last time): In the last moments of the song Echo, the song fades out to nothing so gradually it is obvious that the album should end there? No. Leprous has one last hurrah for their fans of their previous sound and that is the final track

Contaminate Me - This song is probably the only true black metal song Leprous has ever done at the time of writing this review. The drums of Tobias go all out one last time, he blasts the heads and kicks his feet as fast as his limbs can take him. The vocalist screams with a wail so sinister this song could be mistaken for a song from something off of Enslaved 'Isa" album, or any from that of Acturus. This is Leprous saying goodbye to their heritage. It is time for Leprous to clip their demon wings and go forth into a sound all their own.

This is an excellent piece of music, even if it gets the honor of being a collection of songs that clearly do not match in terms of overall band philosophy. For better or worse. For me, it is for the better that Leprous break the shackles that bound them to a purely death metal sound.

And greatness was just on the misty clouded horizon, out of the depths we crawl.

While both Bilateral and Tall Poppy Syndrome displayed the core sound of Leprous, an eclectic core sound taking elements from various facets of prog rock and metal, exploring both more symphonic and extreme sounds, all with a strong focus on rhythmic interplay between the guitar and percussion, Coal is where I find that the band had finally developed a true identity, making a far more cohesive album in the process. The focus on the vocals of Einar Solberg is far more prominent here, the entire album having a darker, yet more melodic approach, while maintaining the disciplined, sparse tone that was strongly present on parts of Bilateral, evolving their sound in a way that makes them strongly stand out from mosst bands. To further exemplify the evolution of the band, the songs here are far more fleshed out and detailed than before, while simultaneously being far more noticeable in the experimentation that the album is full of, bringing everything together extremely nicely to create a highly memorable, relatively unique album.

The core identity of the album is immediately established on the opening track, Foe, with the first half based primarily around the soaring vocals of Einar and an extremely repetitive guitar section, the single, slow, repeated chord working excellently with the similarly minimalistic drumming. The gradually increasing complexity of the drums comprises a large part of why the song works as well as it does, but it's ultimately the second half that makes this such a great song, as everything for the last 2 minutes is heavily stripped back as more layers of vocals begin weaving between each other, creating a haunting, yet beautiful and almost gothic atmosphere. Chronic is a far more active, conventional song in many regards, with more standard application of each element of the band, but definitely doesn't suffer at all for this due to how great each role has in creating such an anxious tone through the instruments, the repetitive, urgent guitar and piano work especially contributing to the sense of unease that pervades the song. I love how the song gradually fills out more as it progresses through the changing guitar tone throughout, starting off sounding as if it's merely another element of the band before gradually becoming the main attraction of the song, all without having any sort of significant solo and maintaining the same riffs, another excellent song all around. While the title track initially feels somewhat less immediately striking as previous songs, the wall of sound production that phases in and out is excellent at creating establishing the song as being epic, making the buildup and subsequent climax at the back half of this song to be all the more powerful because of it, as the final couple of minutes are some of the most intense on the album without a doubt. The Cloak is definitely the track that one is most likely to remember first time through, being a very conventional track with a dramatic chorus, furthermore, it manages to maintain the darker tone of previous tracks, making it a simple, yet great song.

The turning point of this album is this second half however, as while the songs up to this point have definitely been highly competant and full of great ideas, it's the next few tracks that really shine, especially The Valley. I adore the guitar work here, nothing too out there or even melodic, but just like with Foe, extremely rhythm focused, playing perfectly off the off kilter vocal melody of the chorus. I find this to be building off the core concept of Foe in other ways as well, most notably the soaring vocalisations being the primary focus, endlessly repeating as the other band members create an expansive atmosphere with the main focus being on supporting this vocal performance, rather than attempting to overpower any particular element. The result of this is the creation of one of Leprous' greatest tracks by a wide margin. Bother Salt and Echo serve very similar purposes here, but both manage to perpetuate the trajectory from The Valley, both songs being focused on being extremely melancholic in tone, which it accomplishes absolutely perfectly, Salt being fairly inconsequential on its own, but bridging the gap perfectly in a way that heightens the overall quality of both itself and the pieces it's being used to enhance. Echo on the other hand is just straight up great, once again utilising the approach of the other 2 incredible songs so far, letting wordless vocals carry the atmosphere perfectly, although there isn't really much more to say about it that hasn't already been said, it's another extremely good song. I believe that the most surprising thing about this album is how effectively the closing track works despite the stark difference between it and the rest of the album, not to mention that despite this, it's also my favourite on the album. Rather than ending the album on a melancholic, soft note, Leprous belt out their heaviest song, Contaminate Me, with a fast paced riff bringing out an immediate feeling of intensity that is then further displayed with guest appearance of Ihsahn. This song is jjust so full sounding, the underling keyboard somehow adding a whole other layer of chaos to it all despite not even being all that fast paced, yet doing almost as much as the breakneck drumming annd guitar work. Altogether, this song, despite being extremely different in approach to the rest of the album, manages to conclude everything absolutely perfectly in my eyes, with the 4 minutes of screams over sparse, chaotic instrumentation being extremely impactful.

I definitely feel that while this album can feel a tad long in places, that it's by far Leprous' best album, taking the interesting song structures and soaring vocals of previous albums, and then creating an album that focuses primarily on atmosphere and tone instead, refining their core sound to create a dark, beautiful album that remains one of my favourite prog metal albums. I did find that this one took a few listens for me to properly warm up to, and I'm leaving a lot of that up to the fact that it's the second half of the album that really shines, but it's definitely a worthwhile time investment.

Best tracks: Foe, The Valley, Contaminate Me

Weakest tracks: Coal (if I had to pick)

Verdict: A stunning album that builds itself around a powerful atmosphere and equally powerful vocals, songs seeming difficult to grasp at first eventually revealing the true beauty that lies beneath. Definitely recommended for fans of prog metal in general, especially those who find particular satisfaction in a strong focus of the rhythmic elements of a song or album.