Tall Poppy Syndrome

So we have a new up and coming band with some really interesting jazzy progressive metal that’s gotten a fair amount of attention in the black metal scene as Ihsahn’s backing band. So how does eclectic prog and Ihsahn’s brand of insane proggy black metal work together? Very well it turns out. As weird as the title and cover art would insinuate Leprous’ first (or second depending on how you consider Aeolia) outing is conventionally structured with some really neat splashes of jazz and black metal. The harsh vocals that vocalist Einar Solberg occasionally provides are probably different than any you’ve heard before, somewhat reminiscent of Ishahn’s own black metal shrieks for obvious reasons. The transitions between the clean and harsh vocals is done really well and no matter what’s going on in the music you can always expect complete vocal intensity from Einar. You can tell he really loves the music he’s performing.

Right off the bat “Passing” blows your mind with heavy but slow riffs and a great hook. At first it sounds dark and almost dirgelike, but then the chorus kicks in and it sounds more like traditional power/prog, albeit very catchy power/prog. The opening track also contains one of my favorite moments from any leprous song. You hear the final resounding chorus and then soft piano that begins to fade away almost like the song is about to end, and then just when it seems like the song is over out of nowhere you hear Einar shriek “Tonight I’m passing your way!!”. It’s startling and completely overwhelms your senses, but then the rest of the band comes back in even more epic fashion before complimenting Einar’s departing screams very well.

The end of this song absolutely blew my mind and after that I was left wondering where they would go next. Phantom Pain, Dare You and Fate change up the formula a bit with some jazzier passages like from their demo Aeolia, but throughout Einar’s emotional intensity resounds and really puts the spotlight on him and the keyboards. He Will Kill Again finally brings us back to the peak that Passing left us hanging on. It contains one of my favorite choruses by Leprous and coupled with some really intriguing counterpoint between the keyboard and the guitars this song comes off as one of the more unique progressive metal songs I’ve heard. Not Even a Name is easily the heaviest and fastest songs on this album, at times even feeling like really dark, twisted version of power metal. Tall Poppy Syndrome sadly contains my only real gripe with this album, this is where they start repeating their ideas but this time we don’t even get any vocals to spice things up. Plus I really don’t like narration in music, especially when bands use it to make really heavy handed “pseudo intellectual” political points. It just comes off as gimmicky and ridiculous. So sadly I’m forced to dock Leprous a few points there. But then Leprous comes roaring back to even surpass the brilliance of Passing and He Will Kill Again. White is easily one of my all time favorite Leprous songs. With Eleven Minutes to burn they finally have time to show off what they’re really capable of. This is the first song where the guitars really get to shine through working hand in hand with the keyboards and vocals melodies they create some really interesting contrast. With the chorus Leprous begins to establish the formula that makes their music so special for the first time.

What really makes Leprous stand out from their peers is how they handle choruses and hooks, regardless of what weird wacky song elements they throw in the choruses are where they really make the magic. The chorus repeats multiple times and at first that might sound boring and unappealing, but what Leprous does is every time they repeat it they change it slightly, either with the harmonies, the vocal layering something about it changes, plus the build up to the chorus is mesmerizing. In their harmonies they found something truly special and obviously the band recognized it as well as they have used it on every album since. Another element that I love about their style is how they create a theme and weave it throughout the whole song with variations really making it an integral part of the song and it’s extremely easy to get the melody stuck in your head, especially with White.

With Aeolia Leprous made themselves something of an oddity for sure, but with great potential. With Tall Poppy Syndrome they set themselves apart from almost everything in the progressive genre and really cemented their style. The emotional intensity Einar and co, put into this record really shows through and if you’ve ever seen them live imagine that intensity multiplied by ten at least. It’s crazy, weird and hooky, not everyone will get it, but for those who do they are in for a treat.


Originally written for Progulator.com in 2015