Leprous

Biography

Leprous is a Norwegian progressive metal band formed in 2001 by singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke. After releasing several demos with relatively unstable lineups, the band released their first studio album, Tall Poppy Syndrome×Tall Poppy Syndrome5 May 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Passing8:312Phantom Pain6:513Dare You6:454Fate4:385He Will Kill Again7:326Not Even a Name8:467Tall Poppy Syndrome8:288White11:32, in 2009. They subsequently gained prominence as the live backing band of Ihsahn (who is Solberg's brother-in-law), who, in turn, contributed on several Leprous records as guest singer or producer. Their acclaimed 2011 album Bilateral×Bilateral19 August 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bilateral4:002Forced Entry10:213Restless3:314Thorn5:485MB. Indifferentia6:346Waste of Air5:337Mediocrity Wins6:078Cryptogenic Desires2:459Acquired Taste5:1310Painful Detour8:19 led to further attention.
After two albums which followed a similar musical direction, Coal (2013) and The Congregation×The Congregation22 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The Price5:142Third Law6:193Rewind7:074The Flood7:515Triumphant4:266Within My Fence3:167Red6:358Slave6:389Moon7:1310Down6:2611Lower4:3412Pixel5:15 (2015), Leprous took a less metal, more rock-oriented approach with Malina (2017), their first record not to feature harsh vocals. The band further experimented on 2019's Pitfalls, which mixes art rock, pop and progressive influences into their established sound. Leprous released their seventh studio album, Aphelion×Aphelion27 August 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Running Low6:302Out of Here4:163Silhouette3:454All the Moments6:525Have You Ever?4:426The Silent Revelation5:457The Shadow Side4:298On Hold7:489Castaway Angels4:5310Nighttime Disguise7:0411A Prophecy to Trust3:0012Acquired Taste (live 2021)9:09, in 2021, and their eighth studio album titled Melodies of Atonement×Melodies of Atonement29 August 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Silently Walking Alone4:052Atonement4:493My Specter3:564I Hear the Sirens4:315Like a Sunken Ship4:046Limbo5:577Faceless6:268Starlight6:099Self-Satisfied Lullaby6:2110Unfree My Soul5:22 in 2024. Their albums have received mostly positive reviews.

History

The band's roster solidified by the time they recorded their debut album, Tall Poppy Syndrome×Tall Poppy Syndrome5 May 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Passing8:312Phantom Pain6:513Dare You6:454Fate4:385He Will Kill Again7:326Not Even a Name8:467Tall Poppy Syndrome8:288White11:32 in August 2008. American label Sensory Records signed the band and released the album in May 2009. Alex Henderson of AllMusic praised the band's debut for moving past the "staunchly pre-90s mentality" of contemporary progressive metal by blending the influence of Pink Floyd and King Crimson with alternative metal bands such as Tool.
The album received positive reviews while the band gained attention as the live band for Emperor's frontman, Ihsahn, whose wife, Starofash, is the sister to Leprous vocalist/keyboardist Einar Solberg. In 2010, Leprous appeared at ProgPower USA and ProgPower Europe, and later supported Therion on their European tour. After that tour, the band announced that they had split with bassist Halvor Strand, who was replaced by Rein Blomquist.
At the end of February 2011 the band announced that they had signed with Inside Out, with worldwide distribution through Century Media. The band's debut for Inside Out Records, Bilateral, was released on 22 August 2011 in Europe and a day later in North America and featured artwork by American surrealist Jeff Jordan and Spanish designer Ritxi Ostariz. The album featured a guest vocal appearance by Ihsahn and trumpets by Vegard Sandbukt.

On 20 May 2013, Leprous released Coal. Vocalist Einar Solberg described the album as "a more melancholic and darker album than the more playful Bilateral×Bilateral19 August 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bilateral4:002Forced Entry10:213Restless3:314Thorn5:485MB. Indifferentia6:346Waste of Air5:337Mediocrity Wins6:078Cryptogenic Desires2:459Acquired Taste5:1310Painful Detour8:19. By darker, I don't mean more aggressive, but more severe. There is still a big range in the dynamics, but no jumping between different moods within a song."
On 5 May 2014, the band announced the departure of drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen. He was replaced by Baard Kolstad, who played with Leprous throughout their 2013 Coal tour. The statement also revealed that the band was working on material for their next album.
In early June 2014, Prog magazine Radio Show on Team Rock Radio in the United Kingdom published tour dates for an Inside Out records showcase featuring labelmates Haken, Maschine and Leprous for Autumn 2014 in the United Kingdom and Europe.
On 25 May 2015, the album The Congregation×The Congregation22 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The Price5:142Third Law6:193Rewind7:074The Flood7:515Triumphant4:266Within My Fence3:167Red6:358Slave6:389Moon7:1310Down6:2611Lower4:3412Pixel5:15 was released via Inside Out Music. A video for the track "The Price" was shot and then released on 8 April. On 30 April 2015, another track of the album, "Rewind", was released.
On 1 March 2017, Leprous announced through their official Facebook page that a new studio album would be released. The album, Malina×Malina25 August 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Bonneville5:282Stuck6:483From the Flame3:514Captive3:435Illuminate4:216Leashes4:097Mirage6:488Malina6:159Coma3:5510The Weight of Disaster6:0011The Last Milestone7:30, was released on 25 August 2017.
The band released a new single, "Golden Prayers×Golden Prayers1 June 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Golden Prayers4:26", on 1 June 2018.
On 25 January 2019, Leprous released a cover of "Angel×Angel25 January 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Angel6:27" by Massive Attack, along with an accompanying music video. The band had already performed the cover live during shows in late 2018.
Leprous entered the studio to record their sixth album in early 2019. The album, titled Pitfalls×Pitfalls25 October 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Below5:532I Lose Hope4:443Observe the Train5:084By My Throne5:455Alleviate3:426At the Bottom7:217Distant Bells7:238Foreigner3:529The Sky Is Red11:22, was officially announced on 26 August 2019, along with the designated release date of 25 October 2019, as well as the artwork and tracklist.
Leprous continued to regularly perform live throughout 2020 and 2021, with the events streamed online from their home town of Notodden. This included performances of each of their studio albums (except Tall Poppy Syndrome) in full, including multiple live debuts and many songs performed for the first time with the band's current lineup.
On 9 June 2021, Leprous announced their seventh studio album Aphelion×Aphelion27 August 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Running Low6:302Out of Here4:163Silhouette3:454All the Moments6:525Have You Ever?4:426The Silent Revelation5:457The Shadow Side4:298On Hold7:489Castaway Angels4:5310Nighttime Disguise7:0411A Prophecy to Trust3:0012Acquired Taste (live 2021)9:09, with a release date of 28 August 2021. The band announced that the first single from Aphelion would be released on 26 June 2021.
On 30 May 2024, Leprous announced the release date of their next album Melodies of Atonement×Melodies of Atonement29 August 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Silently Walking Alone4:052Atonement4:493My Specter3:564I Hear the Sirens4:315Like a Sunken Ship4:046Limbo5:577Faceless6:268Starlight6:099Self-Satisfied Lullaby6:2110Unfree My Soul5:22 along with its lead single "Atonement×Atonement31 May 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Atonement4:49" in a blog post on their website as well as their X account. Two more singles were released in the interim before the album, "Silently Walking Alone×Silently Walking Alone26 June 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Silently Walking Alone4:052Atonement4:49" and "Like a Sunken Ship×Like a Sunken Ship14 August 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Like a Sunken Ship4:042Silently Walking Alone4:053Atonement4:49".

Musical style and influences

Leprous' style is typically classified as progressive metal or progressive rock and singled out for its progressive elements, peculiar harmonies, accomplished vocals, and blending of different genres. Their sound has also been categorized as avant-garde metal and alternative metal. However, the band's members do not affiliate themselves with a specific genre.
While all the members contribute to Leprous' music, Tor Oddmund Suhrke (guitarist) has penned most of the lyrics, and Einar Solberg (singer and keyboardist) composes the backbone for most of their songs; both are the only constant members in the band's line-up. In his formative years, the frontman took singing and piano lessons and he used to notate Leprous songs but later stopped doing so after feeling that their compositions written intuitively were better. The band has emphasized their intention of taking different approaches on every album.
The use of eight-string guitar has been a consistent element of the band's style. Contrary to the prevalent uses in modern progressive metal and djent, Tor Oddmund Suhrke's playing style includes the use of complex chords in a variety of alternate guitar tunings (often necessitated by the fact the chord progressions are originally written by Einar Solberg on keyboard). As of Pitfalls, the use of eight-string guitars has decreased; instead, it is the first album to feature acoustic guitars, as well as band members rotating to perform additional keyboards and percussion live.
Suhrke cited the Mars Volta's Omar Rodríguez-López, Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt, Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, and the Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman as his four biggest guitar influences.

Current

Einar Solberg – lead vocals, keyboards (2001–present)
Tor Oddmund Suhrke – guitars, backing vocals (2001–present)
Baard Kolstad – drums (2014–present)
Simen Børven – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
Robin Ognedal – guitars, backing vocals (2017–present)

Touring

Raphael Weinroth-Browne – cello, keyboards, backing vocals (2017–2024)
Pedro Miguel Nuñez Diaz – trumpet (2021–present)
Harrison White - keyboards (2023-present)

Former

Stian Lonar – bass (2001–2002)
Esben Meyer Kristensen – guitars (2001–2003)
Kenneth Solberg – guitars (2001–2003, 2003–2004)
Truls Vennman – drums (2001–2005)
Halvor Strand – bass (2002–2010)
Øystein Landsverk – guitars, backing vocals (2004–2017)
Tor Stian Borhaug – drums (2005–2007)
Tobias Ørnes Andersen – drums (2007–2014)
Rein Blomquist – bass (2010–2013)
Martin Skrebergene – bass (2013–2015)

Studio albums

Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)
Bilateral (2011)
Coal (2013)
The Congregation (2015)
Malina (2017)
Pitfalls (2019)
Aphelion (2021)
Melodies of Atonement (2024)

Live albums

Live at Rockefeller Music Hall (2016)
Live 2022 (2023)
An Evening of Atonement (2025)