Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome

There are times when I hear music that I fear can’t be adequately described in written text or spoken word. To truly grasp the artist’s intent, depth of emotion, and the vibrancy of the music, one must simply listen to it. This sentiment couldn’t be more fitting for Leprous’ Tall Poppy Syndrome. I’ve had this disc for awhile now, repeatedly inserting it into the CD player, removing it to write about it . . . not finding the right set of words, and going through the whole process once again. Finally, it came down to taking the pencil out from between my spindly little fingers and simply letting the music play, uninterrupted over my headphones. No distractions, no preconceived notions, just a clear mind and an open ear.

For an album such as Tall Poppy Syndrome, I couldn’t just write that it’s a heavy metal album with driving beats, distorted guitars, and a flair for the eccentric. Well, I could, but that would barely scratch the surface as to the true soul of the music. Leprous do a phenomenal job of creating a style of progressive rock that is all their own. The songs are crafted, not just thrown together to produce enough sound for an album. The songs are patiently formed like a wood worker widdling away at a chunk of wood to create a work of art. The moods slowly morph and begin to take a form all unto their own. Elegant and beautiful one minute, brutal and horrifying the next, each song building upon itself through instrumentation. And this is only possible by having musicians of the highest caliber, and not just technically savvy at his particular instrument, but someone who is able to put a piece of their being into the song. These guys put their soul into this album unlike any band I’ve listened to in the past two years. Let me show you . . .

“Phantom Pain” opens with a beautiful acoustic passage coupled with a vocal melody that takes me back to a 70’s movie score. The bassist slides up and down the neck, adding a flurry of notes here and there and never losing the groove of the rhythm. He then takes more of a backseat approach as the guitars add their flourishes, and then steps to the front again. Suddenly, the jazzy acoustic tones vanish and the band kicks into an up tempo, keyboard driven frenzy that brings to mind comparisons to fellow countrymen and avant garde metalists, Arcturus. This tune is a huge proggy piece with the swirling keyboard passages, guitars adding texture before getting all virtuosic, vocals going from soulful crooner to death metal anguish and back again. As we get to the end of the tune, the piano kicks in with a bit of a jazz mode that gives the song a fleeting moment of a ragtime vibe, which ultimately transforms into a more straight up sounding jazz piece. The composition of “Phantom Pain” is fascinating as is tells a story within the music. Every instrument playing its part, each musician pulling the strings to tell the tale. And as structured and plotted out as the song is there’s that ever elusive soul running its course through the tune that has to come from the performer. Without a soulful performer, it’s just a composition and this song is so much more than that. It’s fucking epic!

“Dare You” goes from full on metal assault to street wise funk with psychedelic ambient sound swirling over the groove. Again, we’re listening to an incredible composition. The various instruments come in at just the right time to lift the emotions, get the heart beating, to take your breath away. The instrumentation speaks louder than words and I can only sit back and marvel at the musical genius of this tune. The layers of keys building on top of each other create a sense of paranoia. And the rhythm section! Holy shit! These guys are symbiotic in that they’re on top of every tempo change, every little start and stop, every little nuance. Special note: listen to the bass work as the band gets into the instrumental mid section of the song. I think I saw the ghost of Jaco Pastorius crack a soft smile. The tune is rich in melodic textures with all the varieties of keyboards, the guitars, and most importantly the vocals. It’s an absolutely classy song that could serve as a lecture piece for any music theory course on composition. Outstanding work!

Following the psychotic paranoia theme, “He Will Kill Again” is a savage piece of beauty. Sweeping in its grandness through the chorus, the song comes across with an almost rock opera feel. Over the top vocal performances give the impression that this song would fit well in a Broadway play of musical, the performance is just that grand! The tune’s another psychotic journey through music. Every note comes across as another synapse frying, causing the lead character to turn his back on all social morals. One can get the sense from listening to this piece that the listener is running through a hall of mirrors, a dimly lit Madame Tussauds wax museum, and a graveyard chased by unseen creatures of the night . . . and all in the course of seven and a half minutes. It’s a frenzied adventure in music listening, but it’s held together beautifully by the bands ability to weave memorable melodies into the chaos.

Tall Poppy Syndrome is so much more than a heavy rock album. It’s a full on spiritual experience through the art of music. Give yourself an uninterrupted hour to soak in the splendor of sounds from this album because you’ll want to take it in as one continuous listen. It’s part of the experience. Though each song is good unto itself, it’s a far more fulfilling experience to live the tale of the whole album rather than just going random chapter by chapter. The musicians make it all possible. Though the compositions are head and shoulders above the norm for this day and age, it’s the musicians that translate the music and put their personal touches in to the performances. These guys seem to have full command of their instruments, making the complex riff and time changes sound like second nature and, therefore, effortless. Marvelous work, gentlemen . . .Tall Poppy Syndrome will now permanently reside in the sacred haven known as my car. - Pope JTE

buy here: Tall Poppy Syndrome

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