Leprous
Aphelion

The evolution of Leprous doesn't stop. It is now the third non-metal album for the Norwegian band (I reiterate, always assuming they were really metal in the past). After the deconstructed rock of "Malina" and the pop temptations of "Pitfalls," Leprous surprises again. However, those who did not appreciate certain too catchy solutions of the previous album can rest assured; there is no underlying pop ambition here. On the contrary, everything is directed towards utmost delicacy, almost exaggerated at times.

The sound is a caress; this seems to be the apt motto to describe "Aphelion," the seventh work of the Norwegian band. In most of the tracks, we hear the band stimulating their instruments just enough and Einar Solberg emitting whispered laments to create a relaxed yet suffering atmosphere, a repressed suffering to the max; this is then released but without exaggeration, as if the band perfectly controls it, as if to say, "okay, let it out, but self-control is important"; a self-control that Leprous have only recently acquired; in past times, that anger was literally spewed out, think of what happened in tracks like "The Flood," "Slave," or "Down."

The caresses are never repetitive, never the same as each other; rightly so, if you set out to play with the same softness throughout the album, then try to do it in a slightly different way each time. "Out of Here" does it with synth touches at minimal power, "All the Moments" is a kind of deliberately weak and original soft blues; "Have You Ever?" surprises with its small but regular drum hits, it sounds like a clock ticking in the dark or like silent heels in a dark house upon return from an evening; "On Hold" opts for an electric piano in rather gray tones, while in "Castaway Angels," a velvet hand delicately rubs the acoustic strings with surgical precision. These are tracks that also feature stronger moments, but only one brings out a certain anger and holds back a little less than the others: it's "The Silent Revelation," where the dark, minimalist percussion in the verses becomes massive in the chorus, where roaring guitars also emerge.

The other tracks are somewhat different and do not rule out bursts of originality. "Running Low" has the stride of a funeral march, two dark piano touches at regular intervals creating the perfect sepulchral track. "Silhouette" is the most modernist track, it has an electronic beat that almost mocks trap, a truly successful way to poke fun at that pseudo-genre, it simply takes the beat, refines the sounds, and avoids auto-tune and other nonsense; the comparison is bold and imaginative, but I'll stop here because I want to avoid comparing crap to chocolate. The track with a more pop feel and closest to the approach of the previous album is however "The Shadow Side," which flows light and orchestral without overdoing it. "Nighttime Disguise" is instead the most classically Leprous track of the bunch, the most varied and dynamic, more in the old way, but for this reason, it is the least interesting and curious of the album, even the most criticizable; the same can be said for "The Sky Is Red" from the previous album, it really gives the idea of a track composed to please the old fans, it seems to say "guys, look here, we can still make a kick-ass track like in the old days," so much so that to make it believable, they throw in a stomach yell and a brass section at the end; maybe it achieves its goal, it's a very valid track but it doesn't really hit hard.

Regarding the instrumentation, it's appropriate once again to highlight the string work, which reconfirms a characteristic element of this artistic phase of the group; these strings are once again given a unique identity, not exactly related to a certain classical music, they sound soft, slightly dark, never flashy even in the most intense moments. Another element that is now a guarantee is Baard Kolstad's drumming, which here regains some of that aggressiveness set aside in the previous album, at least in the more active moments; truth be told, he doesn't dazzle as he did upon his entry in "The Congregation," the overly crazy drum rolls remained an isolated episode in that album and haven't had a real follow-up; one might say Baard joined the band too late when the artistic intentions were evolving, but even in the new style, he stands out proving to be one of the best around on the drums.

Leprous have surprised again, it was an unanticipated album in its immediacy, it's one of many albums resulting from the suspension of concert activities due to COVID. Diving into work like this all of a sudden is not a safe choice, there's a risk of creating a rushed product without significant underlying ideas. But they are Leprous, and they can do anything. In one way or another, to use a football expression, they remain the band to beat.