Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Leprous
Title
Malina
Type
LP/EP
Company
InsideOut
YOR
2017
Style
Progressive
9/8/2017 - Review by: David Loveless
Sheds some metal of previous efforts but still is a prog rock masterpiece
Norway's Leprous have been around since 2001 and although they originally gained popularity as Ihsahn's backing band, have definitely come into their own over there past several albums.

Although originally a more progressive metal band, on their 5th full-length album called Malina, they have shed a lot of the heaviness but still deliver a progressive rock masterpiece. Songs such as Booneville, Mirage, and Coma still have that metal edge that sounds like material from albums such as Coal and The Congregation. Another noticeable difference is the song lengths. There is only one song over the 7-minute mark. That all being said, Malina is a fantastic album. The music is well written--some of the best of their career and the vocal melodies are catchy and memorable. The final song on the album, The Last Milestone, is one of their most experimental songs to date, as it is all vocals and orchestrations. Nonetheless, it's the perfect song to end this amazing album. It's also worth noting that the production is stellar in that all of the instruments sound more organic than on earlier releases, even though this is a keyboard heavy album.

I'm sure there are some Leprous fans that will not like direction of this album, as it is not as heavy as previous efforts. However, if you're a fan of progressive rock, great vocals and superb songwriting, then you’ll love Malina. As a huge fan of Leprous and all of their works, I look forward to seeing what kind of journey they take us on next.
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    5 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: LEPROUS
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Bilateral
2011
InsideOut
David Loveless10/15/2011
5
Malina
2017
InsideOut
David Loveless9/8/2017
5

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: LEPROUS
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


<< back >>