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The Norwegian modern prog stars reveal a stripped-back but “bigger sounding” album with Melodies Of Atonement. extra instrumentation. Instead, the band have focused on the talent in their ranks.
“We wanted to see what we can do with the instruments that we have in Leprous, and it’s made the album sound bigger,” Solberg explains. “By removing some elements, we’ve made the music much more impactful, so that when we play at maximum dynamics it feels really heavy.”
He continues, “Like how a football team will have different players in different positions, it was a case of using each member to their fullest on this album. So, you will see a lot of classic
Vocalist Einar Solberg says that Leprous have stripped away the orchestral elements on their new album, Melodies Of Atonement, allowing the “character of the band to shine.”
Releasing on August 30 via InsideOutMusic, it’s the band’s first studio album since 2021’s Aphelion and one that bucks the recent trend of overloading their modern prog template with
Leprous distribution between the guitar parts, with Tor [Oddmund Suhrke] playing all the really deep eight-string guitars, and Robin [Ognedal] playing the funky, higher pitch parts.”
Writing began as soon as the first leg of the Aphelion tour concluded in March 2023, with recording wrapped earlier this year. David Castillo, who has produced each of the band’s records since 2015’s The Congregation, returns to the fold once more, and the band believes it “gets the best results when we work together.” The Swede has previously worked with Scandinavia prog royalty in Opeth, Katatonia and Soen.
The decision for a stronger internal focus was, in part, dictated by Solberg’s blossoming solo career, with a successor to last year’s 16 in the works, and a need for distinguishing one from the other increasingly apparent.
“My solo project will heavily focus on orchestral stuff. I’ve even booked one of the main symphonic orchestras in Norway for the project I’m recording in the fall,” the vocalist reveals. “But despite the lack of orchestrations, I think Melodies Of Atonement sounds bigger than our previous albums.”
As ever, there’s no grand concept at play with the band seeking to allow each song to stand on its own right.
“It’s the only way I know how to write,” Solberg admits. “The lyrics that have gotten the best feedback from our fans have been supertransparent. I will never be an amazing lyricist, but I can write about myself from my point of view. The human mind is quite universal, so I think people will alwa
