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Leprous - The Congregation



8.5 | 511 votes |
Release date: 25 May 2015
Style: Progressive metal

Owners:

306 have it
48 want it


01. The Price
02. Third Law
03. Rewind
04. The Flood
05. Triumphant
06. Within My Fence
07. Red
08. Slave
09. Moon
10. Down
11. Lower
12. Pixel [Mediabook / LP bonus]

The Best Progressive Metal Album Of 2015
Top 20 albums of 2015: 9

Additional info
Instruments recorded by David Castillo.
Vocals recorded by Heidi Solberg Tveitan and Vegard Tveitan.
Mixed by Jens Bogren.

Artwork by Nihil.

Staff review by
R'Vannith
Rating:
9.0
It would be unlike Leprous to exercise restraint to the point of diminishment and place limitations on fresh efforts. Nonetheless, The Congregation is a compromise.

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published 26.05.2015 | Comments (36)

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Comments

Comments: 81   Visited by: 1242 users
20.02.2015 - 16:10
Rating: 9
Lethrokai

Oh boy... If these guys pull this one off, they may just officially become my all-time favourite band. I mean, that would make 4 absolute top-level albums in a row, and I don't think there's another band out there which has really done that for me.

It's needless to say I'm rather hyped/nervous for this album, but I'm gonna still wait for it with a level head.
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Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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20.03.2015 - 22:05
Rating: 9
MetalManic

Written by Lethrokai on 20.02.2015 at 16:10

Oh boy... If these guys pull this one off, they may just officially become my all-time favourite band. I mean, that would make 4 absolute top-level albums in a row, and I don't think there's another band out there which has really done that for me.

It's needless to say I'm rather hyped/nervous for this album, but I'm gonna still wait for it with a level head.

See them live?
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20.03.2015 - 23:45
Rating: 9
Lethrokai

Written by MetalManic on 20.03.2015 at 22:05


See them live?

Do you mean "have I seen them live?" or "will I see them live?", because the answer is 'yes' to both.
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Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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07.04.2015 - 16:58
DrM
DreaMutilated
First single is out!
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30.04.2015 - 16:40
mz

Damn, the second track they have revealed is a beast. Seems like it is going to be their most challanging album yet, and definitely something which is even more atypical than their previous records. Cant wait for this.
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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30.04.2015 - 16:45
Rating: 8
Risto
Wandering Midget
Written by mz on 30.04.2015 at 16:40

Damn, the second track they have revealed is a beast. Seems like it is going to be their most challanging album yet, and definitely something which is even more atypical than their previous records.

Yeah, "Rewind" is quite trippy, though I could immediately hear they're iterating just a couple of things through the entire track. Drumming is brilliant!
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30.04.2015 - 16:50
mz

Written by Risto on 30.04.2015 at 16:45


Yeah, "Rewind" is quite trippy, though I could immediately hear they're iterating just a couple of things through the entire track. Drumming is brilliant!


It's like two completely decoupled guitar lines are being played, and yet they fit perfectly to make a damn good song.
And yes, drummer seems to be dexterous enough, but again, the previous drummer also was prefect for the band.
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Giving my ears a rest from music.
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30.04.2015 - 16:54
Rating: 8
Risto
Wandering Midget
Written by mz on 30.04.2015 at 16:50

And yes, drummer seems to be dexterous enough, but again, the previous drummer also was prefect for the band.

I'm not only referring to technical skill, but the arrangement as well. There's a couple of beats that lift Einar's vocal line to a new level.
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01.05.2015 - 06:09
Rating: 9
Diverge

Rewind ended up taking some awesome twists. What a beastly track.
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21.05.2015 - 16:36
Rating: 8
flightoficarus
Stamp Tramp
(7.5/8.5/8.5: 8.1) I really love the guitar work and synths on this album a lot. Unfortunately, I really dislike the vocals. It is not so much his voice or the lack of harsh passages, rather his questionable choice of melodies throughout the album. There are times he proves his worth as with "Red" and chorus of "The Price," but more often than not he detracts from my overall experience.
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Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches.
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21.05.2015 - 17:33
Rating: 10
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by flightoficarus on 21.05.2015 at 16:36

(7.5/8.5/8.5: 8.1)
What the hell does this even mean?
Quote:
I really love the guitar work and synths on this album a lot. Unfortunately, I really dislike the vocals. It is not so much his voice or the lack of harsh passages, rather his questionable choice of melodies throughout the album. There are times he proves his worth as with "Red" and chorus of "The Price," but more often than not he detracts from my overall experience.
Questionable choice of melodies?! Einar writes some of the most majestic vocal melodies I've ever heard, with impeccable consistency at that. Must just be a matter of melodic taste. Don't forget he wrote the rest of the music as well on this album
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21.05.2015 - 17:41
Rating: 9
Lethrokai

Written by flightoficarus on 21.05.2015 at 16:36

(7.5/8.5/8.5: 8.1) There are times he proves his worth as with "Red" and chorus of "The Price," but more often than not he detracts from my overall experience.

It's funny you mention that, because 'Red' was the only song I thought to be subpar here. And tbh, I really don't get the melodies criticism; they feel right at home for me.
----
Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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21.05.2015 - 17:42
Rating: 9
Lethrokai

Well, first impressions / review time!

This album feels like an evolution of Coal. It feels like they've taken into account most of the major criticisms over Coal; the vocalisation moments are still there and plentiful, but none of them last too long without changing up in some way or another, so they aren't nearly as meandering. The overall energy is far higher than Coal's was, but they manage to still keep plenty of the emotion/atmosphere in tact within the high energy. Sometimes these melodies and textures even feel post-rock/shoegaze-esque at times. Synths also feel a bit more present in this one, as an added texture.

This helps give The Congregation its own flavour, and greatly distinguishes it from Coal, despite the two perhaps being the most "close" sounding albums in Leprous' discography.

Baard makes an absolute splash of a debut on this album. The drumming is absolutely jaw-dropping at times, yet not once does anyone in the band break into a solo to show off (which I'm glad they've kept with). It's a drummer's wet dream, but it all naturally falls in with the songwriting, which makes it even better in my books.

There are some definite "absolute classic" songs on this one for me, namely 'Rewind', 'The Flood', 'Slave' and 'Lower'.

As for the other side of the scale, there is only one song I can really consider sub-par, and that's 'Red', and even then I'm hesitant to even call it that, since it's definitely a wholly original track and the only thing that really bugs me about it is that it feels like it just lasts too long. If it was a minute or two shorter, I'd have little noteworthy issue with this album whatsoever.

So yeah, I think it's pretty obvious what I think of this album right now. This is yet another gem that Leprous has produced. Once again this band has created an entirely unique sound and shown the progressive metal scene that you CAN be original in songwriting and performance. I can't say how it holds up in comparison to their previous works (because Bilateral and Coal are two of my favourite albums of all time, and I'd need a LOT more time spent with this before I could possibly justify comparing it to them) but right now, I'm really liking what I'm hearing.

(Side note: I feel sorry for Einar's vocal chords when it comes to performing some of these tracks live)
(Side note #2: 'Triumphant' is fucking hilarious. Leprous goes full arena-rock and it's as glorious as you'd think)
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Sometimes you just need to roll the dice and look away.
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21.05.2015 - 18:01
Rating: 8
flightoficarus
Stamp Tramp
Written by LeKiwi on 21.05.2015 at 17:33

Questionable choice of melodies?! Einar writes some of the most majestic vocal melodies I've ever heard, with impeccable consistency at that. Must just be a matter of melodic taste. Don't forget he wrote the rest of the music as well on this album


May be a matter of taste. Like I said, I don't think he needs to be replaced or anything. I just don't find his singing to be very interesting. In fact, I find it boring and far from majestic. We were bound to disagree on something eventually
----
Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches.
Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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21.05.2015 - 18:45
Rating: 10
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by flightoficarus on 21.05.2015 at 18:01

May be a matter of taste. Like I said, I don't think he needs to be replaced or anything. I just don't find his singing to be very interesting. In fact, I find it boring and far from majestic. We were bound to disagree on something eventually

Everything's a matter of taste when it comes to melody I think. I definitely find it odd that you consider his vocal style to be boring. He's among some of the most theatrical vocalists of all time
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22.05.2015 - 00:53
Rating: 7
God Alone

Never been a fan of this band but this is actually great; needs a lot of spins though.
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22.05.2015 - 04:37
Rating: 9
Diverge

Written by LeKiwi on 21.05.2015 at 18:45

Written by flightoficarus on 21.05.2015 at 18:01

May be a matter of taste. Like I said, I don't think he needs to be replaced or anything. I just don't find his singing to be very interesting. In fact, I find it boring and far from majestic. We were bound to disagree on something eventually

Everything's a matter of taste when it comes to melody I think. I definitely find it odd that you consider his vocal style to be boring. He's among some of the most theatrical vocalists of all time

Don't worry. He has a really poor understanding of music, so don't take it personally. This is another gem from Leprous.
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22.05.2015 - 05:39
Rating: 10
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by Diverge on 22.05.2015 at 04:37

Don't worry. He has a really poor understanding of music, so don't take it personally. This is another gem from Leprous.

*quietly steps away from impending disaster*

*watches from a distance*
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22.05.2015 - 05:47
Rating: 9
Diverge

Written by LeKiwi on 22.05.2015 at 05:39

Written by Diverge on 22.05.2015 at 04:37

Don't worry. He has a really poor understanding of music, so don't take it personally. This is another gem from Leprous.

*quietly steps away from impending disaster*

*watches from a distance*

So you're willing to just let him say that there is a "questionable choice of melodies" with very little evidence? Be my guest. It's not a matter of opinion- he literally has to prove that some melodies in the album are "questionable" to begin with, and that's a pretty tall order
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22.05.2015 - 06:04
Rating: 10
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by Diverge on 22.05.2015 at 05:47

So you're willing to just let him say that there is a "questionable choice of melodies" with very little evidence? Be my guest. It's not a matter of opinion- he literally has to prove that some melodies in the album are "questionable" to begin with, and that's a pretty tall order

He could rewrite the melodies and have us listen to it...

Seriously though, I tend to write similar posts which may sound objective, but are entirely subjective. As much as I'd like to believe that my taste in melody is the "right" one, that's obviously implausible
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22.05.2015 - 06:38
Rating: 9
Diverge

Written by LeKiwi on 22.05.2015 at 06:04

He could rewrite the melodies and have us listen to it...

Seriously though, I tend to write similar posts which may sound objective, but are entirely subjective. As much as I'd like to believe that my taste in melody is the "right" one, that's obviously implausible

I don't disagree with you. I just don't think we should give up so easily here. I'd be interested to hear more about what he thinks are actually wrong with the melodies, because to my ears as well, they are very consistent. When Einar is said to detract "more often than not", you gotta provide evidence.
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22.05.2015 - 06:51
Rating: 10
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by Diverge on 22.05.2015 at 06:38

I don't disagree with you. I just don't think we should give up so easily here. I'd be interested to hear more about what he thinks are actually wrong with the melodies, because to my ears as well, they are very consistent. When Einar is said to detract "more often than not", you gotta provide evidence.

Ahh, I see what you mean now. Yeah, I suppose it would be interesting which melodies he disliked. In any case, I'm off to listen to this mind-blowing record for the 5th time today
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22.05.2015 - 22:57
Rating: 8
Risto
Wandering Midget
Streaming on Spotify.
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24.05.2015 - 07:17
Rating: 8
flightoficarus
Stamp Tramp
Apparently I keep losing my invitation to the sewing circle. Clumsy me.
----
Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches.
Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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24.05.2015 - 11:58
Rating: 8
musclassia

Written by flightoficarus on 24.05.2015 at 07:17

Apparently I keep losing my invitation to the sewing circle. Clumsy me.


Haha, as someone who really likes Leprous' vocals and who will probably really enjoy this album, I'm still confused by why you're not allowed to simply not enjoy the vocal melodies and singing style. It's not even as if you made any bizarre band comparisons this time
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25.05.2015 - 00:07
Zap
Guest
I guess I should give this a listen then. Don't know why I haven't yet. Loved Coal. Liked Bilateral and the one before that.
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25.05.2015 - 00:33
Rating: 9
DahliaRock

Here is the pattern on each listen for every single friggin Leprous album so far:

hate (wtf iz dis shit) > hate (nope dis iz no go) > dislike (some songs are good but why not all?) > meh (it's not THAT bad, but come on, previous album was sooooo good) > intrigue (how did I listen to this album the first time.. it's not that bad) > like (it's almost as good as the rest of em, good job boys) > HAIL (OH SHITTINGZ SHENANIGANZ I CAN'T STOP LISTENING SOMEONE HIT THE STOP BUTTON I WANT TO HEAR OTHER ALBUMS TOO)

That's why I knew what to expect on he first listen, and looped the whole album couple times immediately
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25.05.2015 - 00:34
Rating: 9
DahliaRock

.. and yes, I dropped a huge 10 on this bad boy, won't drop it to 9 if I don't end up listening to this album 50 times in the next week..
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25.05.2015 - 03:01
Rating: 8
Coolingsrock

I need this!!
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25.05.2015 - 06:38
Rating: 10
BloodJuNkie
Of Egypt
Awesome! <3
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