50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017
8. Leprous – Malina
Riding the eternal line between progressive rock and progressive metal, Leprous made a grand return this summer with Malina, their most fluid and consistent record to date.
It may not have the versatility of such masterpieces as Coal (2013), but what it lacks in dynamics it more than makes up in powerful emotion and heavenly lead vocals courtesy of one Einar Solberg. Punctuated by clean yet taut guitars and virtuoso basslines, Solberg’s pipes work perfectly with the technical instrumentation taking place behind them, especially during the emphatic closer “The Last Milestone”. A seven-minute grand finale, its reliance on an orchestra for backing makes for a must-listen for all prog fans.
Yet Malina is also equally proficient as a radio rocker, with catchy entries like “For the Flame”, “Captive” and “Illuminate” easily holding their own amid a flurry of experimental genius from “The Weight of Disaster” and more.
So, no matter what you’re looking for in your rock record, Malina is more than likely to deliver: it’s intelligent, but also direct; filled with big riffs and melodies, but not to the point of mindless, generic bombast; heartfelt, but subtle, too.
Above all else, it’s masterful.
Just… masterful.