PITFALLS

I think it's a shame that many supposed "prog" fans hear something outside of what they are used to hearing and very quickly dismiss it as "not prog". In my opinion, this is one of the least "prog" attitudes to take toward music.

Leprous' album PITFALLS is a fantastic work of art that sees the band push their music in a new direction while sacrificing none of their creativity. Some have labelled this new direction as "pop" or "accessible", and while there would be nothing inherently wrong with the band putting out an album of the sort, there is no doubt that this is still a progressive rock album.

Pitfalls is the band's least metal/heavy album thus far, but what it lacks in riffs it more than makes up for with tension and atmosphere. Each track is laced with intensity and drama, yet in a way that doesn't feel forced or inauthentic at all. The instrumentation is less overt or "in your face" compared to past album, but is no less impressive. Spelling mention goes to Baard Kolstad for laying down very tight and highly nuanced drumming throughout the entire album, but particularly on the 11 minute epic closing track "The Sky Is Red".

It also must be mentioned that Einar Solberg has proven himself to be arguably the most impressive frontman in the progressive rock/metal scene at the moment. It is no secret that he is an insanely talented vocalist - as has been increasingly displayed with each subsequent Leprous release - but on Pitfalls, Einar have elevated himself to new heights. When his voice needs to be powerful, it is incredibly powerful. When it needs to be fragile, it is incredible fragile. When it needs to cover a range of emotions, it does just that. His work across every track on this album leaves many of his peers in the dust, and while some fans have lamented that the vocal-centric approach by the band has left the other members in the shadow. This is a fair point, I suppose, but I find it hard to argue with the results: Einar's creative control of the band has produced a fantastic album, and at the end of the day that's what matters to me.