Leprous Coal

2013, From the pounding opener ,,Foe" to the boundary-pushing closer of ,,Contaminate Me", COAL is an album full of surprises and with an intense complete flow. Via their first single of ,,Chronic", a tune balancing between laid-back melancholy and drama played out almost like a theatre-performance, Leprous lays the foundation of an album that, while fitting nicely into the string of always further developing releases so far, also has something quite new to offer; something that becomes evident already by the third song, the album's title track, where Leprous effortlessly mix grandiose prog rock with a darker and more minimalistic approach. Songs like the, for Leprous standards, very melodic tinged but extremely captivating ,,The Cloak" or the marvelously well crafted anthem ,,The Valley", see the band heading into new territory while still retaining the sound one has become acquainted with over the course of the previous three releases.