LEPROUS — Tall Poppy Syndrome (review)

LEPROUS — Tall Poppy Syndrome album cover

Album · 2009 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2024-07-05
siLLy puPPy

Norway’s contribution to the overall metal scene has been significant but for the most part is associated with the darkest recesses of the world of extreme metal especially the iniquitous underground realms of black metal which this small nation of only about 5 million unleashed with a raging furor in the 1990s. Despite bands like Darkthrone and Emperor ranking as the top metal bands ever to have emerged from this northernmost region of Europe, the nation has also been instrumental in producing some of the most cutting edge progressive rock in the 21st century with many extreme metal bands such as Enslaved and Arcturus finding a way to mix it all together.

One of the most prominent sensations to emerge in the 2000s has surely been the Notodden based LEPROUS which formed in 2001 and after going through an unstable parade of members coming and going finally found its footing with a secure lineup that would release its debut TALL POPPY SYNDROME to critical acclaim in 2009. Christened by the blessings of Norway’s own Ihsahn who just so happens to be the brother-in-law of lead singer / keyboardist Einar Solberg, the band developed its own unique sound which took the world of progressive metal by storm when this album was released. While the world of progressive metal was more or less focused on the Dream Theater approach of simply fusing the worlds of 80s power metal with 70s prog, LEPROUS clearly had bigger visions in mind without diving into the mosh pit of death metal or Norway’s primary export of black metal.

Most notable for its wide swath of influences that transcended the limitations of the status quo, LEPROUS single-handedly gave the entire world of progressive metal a big boost with influences from the contemporary and retro alike but most astoundingly polished them all into a stylistic approach that made LEPROUS stand out from the beginning. TALL POPPY SYNDROME delivered a set of eight well-crafted tracks that each showcased a completely different approach in engendering some of the catchiest art pop infused hooks enshrouded by the most demanding complexities of the world of progressive rock. The band delivered an invigorating palette of shifting dynamics that allowed soft lush melodic developments that explosively could erupt into fully fueled metal aggression replete with the occasional death metal growl or extreme metal gratuity.

With the majority of the tracks extending well past the six or seven minute mark, LEPROUS displayed its amazing talent of crafting outstandingly brilliant compositions backed up by the most inscrutable talent for animating it all to a higher level of craftsmanship. The album opens with “Passing” and then doesn’t drop the ball until the final tender piano melodies that close “White.” While starting off with somewhat of an alternative rock type guitar grunge with progressive rock styled keyboards, Einar Solberg immediately showcases his impressive vocal range and the ability to control the most subtle of changes at a drop of a pin. The track, like all of them, meanders through various motifs yet remains cohesively structured thus showcasing the art of a true musical compositional architecture that allows the delicate balance of repetition and variation to engage in a euphoric cosmic dance.

While references to Opeth for the extreme contrasts between soft and heavy and comparisons to Porcupine Tree in terms of aural ingenuity in the tones, timbres and production values do resonate as well as Tool alt rock strumming structures, LEPROUS delivered a uniquely flawless execution that amalgamated so many disparate influences and forged them together so seamlessly in their unique alchemical process that it’s impossible to ever pinpoint the band sounding like any other. The strongest suit of LEPROUS certainly has to be the use of dynamics with all the musicians and vocal parts ping-ponging from one extreme to the other under the unified procession of tight melodic constructs that never deviate from the larger focus all the while covering the spectrum of possibilities in between.

While the melodic developments are totally logical and instantly enduring, TALL POPPY SYNDROME excelled at the art of surprise with a firm command of the use of silence, syncopation and the innovative use of instrumental interplay that found each musician delivering the perfect contributions to a particular motif or cadence when call to do so. The ability to mutate from a dreamy form of arty prog to the most abrasive technical metal wizardry all within the confines of a single track elevated LEPROUS to the top ranks of the world of prog and metal and set the bar even higher for crafty compositional skills and the actual ability to bring it all to fruition with outstanding performances of the material at hand. Too many prog metal bands are capable of composing excellent material but often fall short in the delivery department. TALL POPPY SYNDROME simply sounds like a flawless execution of complex material that remains extremely accessible despite all the artistic liberties and cleverly crafted chord progressions coupled with the genre blending that infuse its 63 minute playing time.

This is really an intoxicating album and one that continues to get better as time goes on. Like a nice vintage of high quality wine, TALL POPPY SYNDROME seems to only get better with subsequent exposures by offering a standard of progressive metal so high that very few bands have been able to match ever since which including LEPROUS itself. This is one of those albums that i never tire of. It’s perfect from beginning to end with a never-ending variation of piano rolls, guitar techniques, vocal gymnastics and drumming prowess. The melodies sink in deep and Solberg’s vocals are about as good as it gets. Each track differs and offers a new roster of a fertile wellspring of varying elements that never repeat themselves. While some of the tracks will grab you quicker than others, repeated exposure to this classic will allow the more evasive tracks to work their magic. One of the most impressive metal debuts ever!