For those who don\u2019t know, Leper is an immensely dark, heavy gothic rock band, based out of JPUSA in Chicago. This is about as far from pop music as you can get without going into extreme metal. While this release actually came out in 2019, the band recently reached out for coverage, and since we hadn\u2019t reviewed it yet, then . . . why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band seems to be tapping into their Celtic ancestry here, as the song titles are given both in English as well as Scots Gaelic. I don\u2019t have a press kit with the release, so I\u2019m not able to discern any deeper reasoning behind the decision, and most of the lyrics are in English too (except for the opening track, which features the Lord\u2019s Prayer in Scots Gaelic), so it\u2019s hard to say what the motive was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The album opens with \u201cPrayer of the Lord,\u201d dark and brooding, a classic gothic song with symphonic instruments, and the aforementioned prayer. Next is \u201cWhere is Thy Sting,\u201d a heavier track with distorted guitars, flutes, and heavy synths. This one is very dark and heavy and features some interesting layered vocal tracks. \u201cSkeleton Hands\u201d opens with a strummed acoustic guitar, and pairs male and female vocals. It\u2019s more upbeat than the first 2 songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c13 Silver Bullets\u201d slows things down again with a haunting and dissonant guitar intro, giving way to a full-on goth rock opus (think Sisters of Mercy or Fields of the Nephilim). \u201cBeneath the Sun\u201d brings back the acoustic guitar (it might even be a classical guitar) and features a creative mix of varied vocal styles: strong male vox, soft female vox, harsh sounds, and even gang\/shouted vocals, a rarity for the gothic genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next up is \u201cGood Night,\u201d an almost traditional rock\/alternative song, with a tambourine and upbeat temp. Reminds me a tiny bit of Love and Rockets\u2019 more accessible material. Aptly named \u201cThe Dark One\u201d is another dark, truly gothic tune with haunting but strong vocals, with some effective female vocals hovering in the background. There\u2019s also an eerie keyboard effect that creates the impression of someone moaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChangeling\u201d sadly, is a miss. While the message of needing mercy\u2014and finding it via prayer\u2014is good. The chant comes across as a little silly, which is a shame, but it almost works, but in the end it\u2019s too cheesy. \u201cWatch the Romance Die\u201d is a stronger tune with nice guitar work\u2014once again tapping into their dark and brooding vibe, paired with mid-tempo rhythms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final three tracks really bring the dark gothic vibe. \u201cGathering Darkness\u201d starts with some funereal organ and clean guitar and creeps along at a snail\u2019s pace. \u201cOut of This Pit\u201d carries on the doom and gloom but adds a noisy and dissonant guitar track with a somber feel overall. It\u2019s a very effective technique and creates an atmosphere like that of a soundtrack to a reflective-traumatic scene in a scary movie. These two tunes, in particular, drive home the overall theme of the album, as focused on reflections about death. The album closes with gothic worship tune, \u201cYou Are Holy,\u201d featuring guest vocals by Wretched Graverobber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While not metal, this album is one of the heavier things I\u2019ve heard recently. Some might find these 12 songs that are \u201cAbout Death\u201d to be a little too much, but if Christians can\u2019t talk about death, then who can?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4\/5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For those who don\u2019t know, Leper is an immensely dark, heavy gothic rock band, based…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1020],"tags":[1570,1569,1568],"class_list":["post-7623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-gothic","tag-jpusa","tag-leper"],"yoast_head":"\n