Weekly album: Leprous - Bilateral

Leprous - Bilateral

2011 / Progressive metal

1. Bilateral

2. Forced Entry

3. Restless

4. Thorn

5. Mb. Indifferentia

6. Waste of Air

7. Mediocrity Wins

8. Cryptogenic Desires

9. Acquired Taste

10. Painful Detour

Orostider: Those who know me are probably familiar with my affection for them. I am yet to grow tired of any of their albums. Those who are not familiar with Leprous should know of their past as the live band of Ihsahn. While both of the bands incorporate progressive metal and others, they do not sound alike. Leprous, as a progressive metal band, is the sort of band that trusts rhythmic plays and massive walls of sound. Instead of being overly technical, their output is addicting and unique with a mood range of infinity. My choice could have been any of their albums, but I picked 'Bilateral' because of it is widely considered to be their best one. 

'Bilateral' was a logical continuation to 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' and took Leprous to a less straightforward path. It is quite unorthodox to find blast beats from a progressive metal album and I myself was a bit cautious when I heard about this. After hearing 'Waste of Air', I was completely sold. The song struck me like a lightning bolt after the calm and soothing 'Mb. Indefferentia' in the middle. Like I told, this album throws unexpected moods and parts at the listener. The wonderfully built 'Forced Entry' and the playful and uplifting 'Cryptogenic Desires' are prime examples of the unpredictability of 'Bilateral.'

Even though I'm insanely in love with the instrumentations and the structures of the songs, the vocalist, Einar Solberg has to be praised separately. Some people may have problems with some of his vocals, but it can't be denied that Einar is one of the best vocalists in metal music today.

'Bilateral' is an essential progressive metal album of today and should be heard by anyone whose into prog. My recommendation is to listen to their albums from Tall Poppy Syndrome to The Congregation in chronological order.

By the way, if you know what Lavender town synth means, you really need to listen to 'Mb. Indifferentia.'

Favourite songs: 'Forced Entry', 'Cryptogenic Desires', 'Waste of Air.'

tp5170: Even though I was already somewhat familiar with the style of Leprous, this album still managed to surprise me and all I can really say about Bilateral is that it’s simply a beautiful album.

Despite being musically rather complex, Bilateral manages to remain approachable and it doesn’t go overboard with the technicality at any point. Many of the songs have some catchier parts and the long, slower buildups work in a fantastic way and make the atmosphere simply jump through the roof.

There is a high level of versatility between the tracks and album seems to constantly throw something new and unexpected at the listener, - the same goes also for the mood/atmosphere of the album and I just love how it keeps changing all the time and yet the album is structured in a way that the songs feel like they are linked together and meant to be listened in a specific order.  
I suppose the style isn’t exactly something that everyone would appreciate, but for fans of progressive rock or metal Bilateral goes highly recommended.

Favourite songs: ‘Acquired Taste’, 'Waste of Air.'

btcarey: Leprous is a mid to mid-high tier modern progressive metal band hailing from the frozen fjords of Norway. Their sophomore release, “Bilateral”, is truly the gem of their collection. It provides the listener with a diverse array of dense, yet approachable songs, each containing its own story and style.

The overall song writing style is a mix between Devin Townsend Project (specifically “Deconstruction” era) and Opeth. Even though there are clear stylistic influences from the aforementioned bands, the music deviates enough to be deemed original and fresh.

One of my favorite aspects of “Bilateral” is the variety from song to song. For example, back-to-back tracks “Mb. Indifferentia” and “Waste of Air” are almost polar opposites, with one featuring a calm, cool ambiance, and the following, tremolo guitar riffs and some of the dirtiest vocals on the album. This diversity totally works, making the album a treat for progressive metal fans.

Favorite Songs: “Mb. Indifferentia”, “Waste of Air”