Looks like they've gone and done it after threatening for a few albums now. Leprous have gone full art pop, admittedly this is the brooding, darkly romantic Scandi pop that Norwegians do very well but it seems Leprous have put away the distortion pedals for this new album and fully embraced ambience and atmosphere.
Since Coal really the band have been shaving their heavy beginnings away, creating a sound that is now much emulated in progressive circles, but on Melodies Of Atonement they go further still, slowly evoking a feeling of unease and repentance with balladic numbers that don't explode but smoulder, undulating with passion and emotion, almost as like you could call it "sexy prog".
Catharsis comes from the angelic voice of Einar Solberg, as tracks such as Silently Walking Alone and Like A Sunken Ship have guitars but much of the heaviness comes from the industrial thump of synths reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails, on the former or Depeche Mode on the latter (a huge influence on this album). Things take a more traditional route with Atonement as Baard's percussive fuel stokes the start stop riffs, similarly on Unfree My Soul there's still much of their most known sound here but Leprous are not a band to fear change, opting to strip back the orchestral sounds to and try to create a more focussed, interesting soundscapes of doing more with less, starting work on this eighth album right after finishing their Aphelion tour.
As mentioned so much of it is hooked on electronics, quietness used brilliantly on the Muse-like My Spectar which builds into a huge wall of shimmering synths an a bass that you'll feel in your loins. Einar has stated that all the songs on this album could work as singles and thus me saying about them going pop, that's not a bad thing as crossover is a big thing these days and with the variation and experimental nature of this album, tracks like Faceless or Starlight come under the bracket of being outside of the normal Leprous remit but feel like a forward movement in the evolution of the band. Leprous say this is the album they're most proud of, a thrilling, different, art prog pop record. 9/10
Norna - Norna (Pelagic Records)
A power trio with emphasis of on the power, Norna crush indiscreetly on their second album. Self titled as if to signal rebirth, Norna is an album that relies on extended doom/sludge the Swedish/Swiss trio make doom dirty, heavy distorted riffs, raw visceral vocals and thick fuzzing grooves.
Norna have something I like to call 'slow aggression'. Anger, rage and bile fuelled but brought to the fore with ear bleeding volume. The three men have a long linage in the noise industry, they come from post metal, hardcore and sludge so it's no wonder they have called upon Cult Of Luna's Magnus Lindberg to produce this beast.
Samsara is the opener you want, a wall of uncomfortable crushing riffs, that just shifts into dissonance in the middle of the track. From here there's little let up, the music gets darker, dingier and more vicious but with a lot of focus on the idea of duplicity, on the chilling Shine By It's Own Light, while they also explore newer sounds on Norna, Ghost is corrosive hardcore as The Sleep is pure hatred distilled closing the album.
Norna are a trio but make some of the loudest music you'll hear all year, make sure you're sitting down before you fall down. 8/10
Phaëthon - Wielder Of The Steel (Gates Of Hell Records)
Ah epic metal, it's a silly genre, full of posturing, posing and shredding. Melodic vocals, melodic guitars and plenty of muscle, inspired by the late-70's early-80's style of music that gave birth to both NWOBHM, thrash and power metal. Phaëthon are old school metal, raging in shirtless, muscular, clad in leather and glistening in sweat, they are inspired by Manowar, Cirith Ungol and Mercyful Fate coming from the fertile London underground scene.
Wielder Of The Steel is their debut album and the band built around vocalist/guitarist Vrath with lead guitarist Decado, bassist Aees and drummer Oskarath, Decado and Aees also contributed to the song writing on this record, recording the whole thing in four days, in a converted church meaning that this is holy heavy metal, a band in union allowing Wielder Of Steel to feel cohesive and natural. So what's it like? Well Eternal Hammerer sets a brisk pace, the production is very old school like the tape trading days, the songs all about gods, superstitions, or outright lies, it's lyrically got plenty of valour and conflict.
Epic lyrics, atmospheric intros on song such as Vanguard Of The Emperor, the mid pace Saxon-like chug of For The Greater Good Of Evil and cinematics on Tolls Of Perdition, a lot of Phaëthon's sound is similar to British legends Satan, especially on Forgotten Gods, so they are trying to emulate the veterans of this game. Classic metal can rarely miss and Phaëthon is as classic as it gets. 7/10
Lectric - Thrillseeker (Lectric Records)
Thrillseeker, sounds like an AC/DC album, unfortunately Lectric aren't AC/DC, or even Airbourne, but they are inspired by them, heavily. Any hard rock band will try to sound like masters, but Lectric are a little glammier, but do have grit. I'd liken them to a band such as Jettblack or Massive, The Only One has that Acca Dacca blues swagger but Take Your Shot and One For The Road bring more of G'N'R or The Treatment, a bit sleazy, a bit anthemic and all about the joy of rock n roll.
The Suffolk band enter into a very oversubscribed genre of punchy hard rock but the songs on this record will go down well on stage, the vocals are great, there's plenty of guitar play offs on Lost Cause and even the ballads such as The Feeling have a bit of muscle and modernity behind them. As I said Lectric are a new addition to a British rock scene that is good health, Thrillseeker just needs some rock radio play *coughs* Planet Rock *coughs* and it'll see Lectric get the recognition they deserve from this album. 7/10
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