Leprous - Bilateral

Unassuming and quietly confident, Leprous solidified their position as the leading producers of ridiculously catchy bizzaro metal

Most of the time when I review something here, its because I think that the album or game or whatever is somehow interesting enough to warrant writing about it. In Leprous' case, not only do I think Bilateral (and their other, also excellent albums) is worth talking about but I'm trying to put into words the fact that I've been listening to Leprous consistently, every day, for the past few weeks. Sometimes just one album a day, sometimes two - they really put the hook in me, which is kind of relieving in a way as I had been worried I would never really "get" them. Man, do I get them now.

Bilateral is, at its core, a progressive album - odd instruments and sounds (Spanish horns, funny keyboards, etc.), longer songs, and strange lyrics (seriously, take a look) are all here, as you would expect. What makes this album (and all of Leprous' material, really) stand out is the way in which these genre standbys are deployed in such a competent way. Basically what it comes down to is that these guys know how to write a goddamn song, make it interesting and memorable and melodic, and still clock in under eight minutes - which is very impressive considering how easy and annoyingly commonplace it is for bands these days to write ten minute long jerk-off fests that go nowhere. But thats another topic entirely, so whatever.

Why do I think Bilateral is so strong? Because it features the concentrated effort of dedicated musicians to pull off while still incorporating maddeningly catchy hooks and choruses. Songs like "Painful Detour", "Cryptogenic Desires", "Thorn", and the title track have as many "guaranteed to stick in your head for days" moments (or more) as a standard pop act - right up there with bands like King's X and Galactic Cowboys in that area, which is a pretty damn nice change from the usual stuff. Like those aforementioned bands Leprous have a solid mix of metal and prog going on, and they go back forth between clean and harsh vocals - more heavily utilizing cleans, with the screaming serving as a nice bit of palette-cleanser throughout the album as they shift from bite-sized, straight-ahead rockers (title track, "Waste of Air"), longer, proggier tunes ("Forced Entry", "Painful Detour"), soft-ish, richly harmonized ballads ("MB. Indifferentia", "Acquired Taste"), and their own European quirkiness ("Restless", "Thorn", "Cryptogenic Desires"). Every song on this album is memorable and distinct, and new ideas come and go so quickly that it always feels fresh and slickly constructed. Bilateral is quirky without being mawkishly so, fresh without being pretentious, and immensely listenable without sacrificing complexity. An impressive and absorbing record from start to finish.