Review Summary: Better than Coal, but still falls short of surpassing Bilateral. Nevertheless, The Congregation is a riveting and enthralling experience that only the likes of Leprous would be able to put out.
Ever since the prodigious release of the modern progressive classic Bilateral, Leprous have decidedly been championed as the saviors of prog. Such a title comes with a heavy weight of responsibility and a load of expectations that would be seemingly insurmountable for a band so young in the works. These expectations, however, are not unwarranted, as Leprous have managed to maintain and expand upon an already impressive catalog of releases. With this release Leprous opt to take a more tame approach to their song writing and create an album that seems more a continuity of Coal or a Coal 2.0, with some Bilateral splashed in the concoction for good measure, rather than make an album with an entirely different feel to it. If you were expecting a return to the more bipolar and erratic mood swings of Bilateral, you’re in for a bit of disappointment. Although the dynamics of The Congregation might not be as varied as that of Bilateral, this is still a very cohesive album that flows fairly well.
If the initial rating isn’t enough indication of my opinion of this album then I suppose you’ll want my upfront reaction to The Congregation. Is it good or would it make an old lady want to turn off her hearing aid? In short, it’s good…really good, but what else would you expect from the trendy and clean-cut fellows of Leprous? The congregation boasts beautiful and tuneful melodies coupled with intricate choruses that are able to totally enamor the listener, almost to the point of transcending the boundaries of being a purely sonic experience. The best possible example I can give for this is the outro for The Flood, which is probably the strongest and my personal favorite song on the album. Coming off some very solid vocals from Einar Solberg and very simplistic and slow melody, the song goes double-time into a riff and melody salad that is both dreamy and wondrous. A good comparison would be the second half of Forced Entry of Bilateral. The vocals do an excellent job of carrying the song up until this part where the instruments take the show. The melodies written in the major scale are very few and far between on this album as it is more of an aggressive melancholic outing. The majority of the melodies are written in the minor scale, but when they’re bad, they’re good and when they’re good, they’re great. The instrumentation is top-notch (the drumming by Baard Kolstad is noteworthy), but I also noticed that there is much less experimentation in this category than there was on previous albums. This might or might not be a mitigating factor for some, but the album definitely trades off dynamics for cohesiveness.
I cannot say enough good things about Einar’s distinct vocals and how unique and powerful they are. If there is one thing that really adds a needed touch to this album it would most definitely be this. It’s one of the strong points on The Congregation that should be paid close attention to during this listen, but how couldn’t you? Einar’s vocals are loud without being obnoxious and are in your face but keep you on edge and compelled to keep listening. The vocals are the focal point and the entire album seems to revolve around the stunning vocal acrobatics that Einar is known for. Where some tracks may fall just a bit short instrumentally, Leprous more than makes up for in the vocal department.
Despite the lack of experimentation, the vocals and instruments combined do more than just get the job done. Leprous put out a solid effort that leans heavily towards a purely progressive release and stray away from their experimental roots. However, this is not a weak album by any means. Long time Leprous fans will be satisfied with The Congregation, and just like with all Leprous releases, it’ll take a few listens to fully digest and appreciate what a work of art The Congregation is. After it’s all said and done, The Congregation is a very enjoyable album that at least warrants a run through the album.
