Review: Leprous @ The Gov
Norwegian progressive metal behemoths Leprous put on a show to remember when they performed in Adelaide as part of their Australian tour.
Words and images by Michael Lockhart
Leprous & Keyan @ The Gov 05/11/24
Opening the night was local virtuoso guitarist Keyan, who performed a tight supporting set of pounding instrumental Djent under glorious bright white light, illuminating the technical proficiency on display by Keyan and the two musicians backing him on stage. Circulating through an arsenal of custom Jackson guitars, Keyan’s mastery of the fretboard culminated in a truly stirring riff-fest, pulled off with the most gracious professionalism and clarity. Truly a sight to behold, and surely a player to watch rise the ranks amongst some of the great players of today.
Leprous brought their signature mix of technical prowess and emotional intensity to The Gov on Tuesday night, captivating a diverse crowd with their intricate and powerful set. Clad in all-black, the band exuded a fresh yet imposing presence, reminiscent of an orchestra prepared for a night of epic compositions.
Touring Australia in support of their latest release Melodies of Atonement, Adelaide was one of two headline Monolith Festival sideshows Leprous were playing, with the quintet delivering some of the most bruising yet elegant music you’ll hear live.
The concert began with ‘Silently Walking Alone’, setting the stage with its brooding yet complex tones. By the fifth song ‘Like a Sunken Ship’, the band’s unique sound reached a stirring peak. This piece was bold and operatic as if awaiting a symphonic accompaniment, yet it was impeccably carried by the guitarists and keyboardist, showcasing a tight synergy.
Between songs frontman Einar Solberg’s engaging banter won over the audience. “Does anyone like our old stuff? Does anyone pretend to have followed us since our old stuff?” he joked, earning laughs and cheers. Later, his self-aware quip, “Do you guys like song structures? Do you like well-organized compositions? Then you’re not going to like this one,” introduced the unpredictable ‘Forced Entry’, with Solberg drawing applause for his humour and honesty.
Running the gamut of mind-bending time-signature changes and virtuoso musicianship, the performance of ‘Forced Entry’ felt like a storm in a teacup – organised chaos that culminated in a grand, triumphant finale. Solberg shifted to the keyboard intermittently, heightening the frantic and complex nature of the instrumental outro – a sonic whirlwind that held the audience in awe.
The mood turned introspective with ‘Distant Bells’, a sorrowful and poignant piece that showcased Solberg’s tender vocal range. While this song was more subdued, drummer Baard Kolstad’s performance shone through as a masterclass in concentration and precision, deserving of high praise for its finesse.
‘Below’ followed, featuring ethereal slide guitar flourishes that were neither bluesy nor conventional, but instead vast and spacey – a true definition of epic. The band then launched into ‘From the Flame’, met with the loudest crowd response of the night. Its anthemic chorus brought visible joy to the faces of fans, a testament to the band’s universal appeal and musical accessibility.
The set’s final song before the encore, ‘Atonement’, built tension with hypnotic, sustained pulses of noise and the repeated lyric “all because of you” leaving die-hard fans on their feet and wanting more.
In a genuinely unplanned encore, Solberg, with a grin, admitted, “We were like, if they don’t yell ‘one more song,’ we won’t go on – we’re still dealing with jet lag here.”
The crowd’s demand was met with ‘Nighttime Disguise’, introduced as a collaborative piece written with fan input during the COVID pandemic. It was a fitting conclusion that highlighted the band's commitment to their audience and again garnered a fantastic response, leaving fans to go into the night in awe of such a demonstration of music and performance.
Check out the full gallery of images here.
