Pitfalls
Pitfalls | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 October 2019 | |||
Recorded | February–July 2019 | |||
Studio | Ghostward Studios, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 55:10 | |||
Label | Inside Out Music | |||
Producer |
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Leprous chronology | ||||
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Singles from Pitfalls | ||||
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Pitfalls is the sixth studio album by Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous, released on 25 October 2019 via Inside Out Music and preceded by the singles "Below", "Alleviate", and "Distant Bells". It was recorded over six months at Ghostward Studios. A cellist, violinist, and classical choir were recruited for the production. Most of the songs were written and composed by Leprous vocalist Einar Solberg.
A majority of critics approved of the album, bestowing particular esteem on the singing as well as the songs "Below", "Observe the Train", "At the Bottom", and "The Sky Is Red". Solberg's creative control was for some a point of contention. Pitfalls charted higher than its predecessor
Production and composition
"Below" was the earliest song put in writing, originally assembled with piano and vocals.
Promotion
The singles "Below", "Alleviate", and "Distant Bells" debuted on 30 August, 20 September, and 11 October 2019, respectively.
Reception
Magazines Prog and PopMatters, websites Sputnikmusic and Ultimate Guitar, and drummer Mike Portnoy included Pitfalls among the best releases of 2019.[20][21][22][23][24]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Blabbermouth.net | 8.5/10[25] |
Blezt | 8.7/10[26] |
Sonic Perspectives | 9.4/10[27] |
Sputnikmusic | 4/5[28] |
ViaOmega | 9.5/10[5] |
Dom Lawson, reviewing for Blabbermouth.net, beheld "Below" as evocative of "grateful tears", termed "Observe the Train" an "elegant" chamber pop waltz, and gave thanks to "The Sky Is Red" for its "feverish prog worship", "conviction and class".[25] To Mathias Bergfjord at Blezt, the album amounted to a masterpiece of melancholic and catchy tunes, explaining that "Below" possesses all the traits that made it one of Leprous' best. He complimented the melodies on "Observe the Train" as gorgeous, the first half of "Alleviate" as seductive, and "Foreigner" as hard-hitting.[26] Scott Medina at Sonic Perspectives declared Pitfalls to be "exquisite", taking note of Solberg's "angelic falsetto highs and powerful lower delivery". Medina praised "I Lose Hope" and "Observe the Train" for their catchy choruses and effective arrangements, thought "At the Bottom" offered thrilling dynamics, and lauded Leprous for displaying their full range on "The Sky Is Red", which he dubbed a "brilliantly enigmatic" closer.[27] Sputnikmusic believed that the pop, dance, and electronic music successfully resulted in "something new and refreshing".[28] Writing for ViaOmega, Uta Arnold agreed with Medina on what she thought was an "outstanding vocal performance". Commending Kolstad's drum work, she especially liked his "soft and cautious" demeanor in the slower songs. Arnold found that the downhearted parts were flawlessly expressed by the cello sounds of Weinroth-Browne. "I Lose Hope" was her favourite song, deeming it "the most enthralling", while also describing "At the Bottom" and "Foreigner" as "electrifying".[5]
Conversely, Sputnikmusic levied the main criticism on Solberg's dominant role and remarked that it could have been his solo album;[28] Metal Storm did so as well, decrying the pervasive presence of vocals for relegating guitars and drums to the background and writing that "not enough of the material on Pitfalls offers up an emotionally resonant experience at the level of past work".[29]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Einar Solberg, except where noted; all music is composed by Solberg, except where noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Below" | 5:53 | ||
2. | "I Lose Hope" | Tor Oddmund Suhrke | 4:44 | |
3. | "Observe the Train" | 5:08 | ||
4. | "By My Throne" | Suhrke | 5:45 | |
5. | "Alleviate" | 3:42 | ||
6. | "At the Bottom" | Suhrke | 7:21 | |
7. | "Distant Bells" |
| 7:23 | |
8. | "Foreigner" | 3:52 | ||
9. | "The Sky Is Red" | 11:22 | ||
Total length: | 55:10[32] |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
10. | "Golden Prayers" | Suhrke | 4:28 | |
11. | "Angel" | Massive Attack | Massive Attack | 6:27 |
Total length: | 66:05[32] |
Personnel
Leprous
- Einar Solberg – vocals, keyboards, production[32]
- Tor Oddmund Suhrke – guitars
- Robin Ognedal – guitars[32]
- Simen Daniel Lindstad Børven[32] – bass
- Baard Kolstad – drums
Additional musicians
- Raphael Weinroth-Browne – cello
- Chris Baum – violin
Production and design
- David Castillo – recording,[32] production
- Adam Noble – mixing
- Robin Schmidt – mastering[32]
- Elicia Edijanto – cover artwork
Charts
Pitfalls performed better than 2017's
Album chart (2019) | Peak |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria)[44] | 61 |
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] | 82 |
Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista)[37]
|
17 |
France ( SNEP)[39]
|
120 |
Germany (Offizielle Top 100)[45] | 36 |
Italy (FIMI)[46] | 98 |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[47] | 62 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] | 46 |
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[41] | 13 |
US Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[43] | 17 |
Notes
References
- ^ "Leprous – Pitfalls | Mediabook CD". Napalm Records. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019.
- ^ Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Interview with Leprous". Tuonela Magazine. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019.
- ^ a b c LEPROUS – Discuss "Pitfalls". YouTube. Inside Out Music. 10 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Arnold, Uta (1 October 2019). "Leprous Review". ViaOmega. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Vila, Albert (22 October 2019). "Entrevista a Einar Solberg, vocalista de Leprous" [Interview with Einar Solberg, Leprous vocalist]. Science of Noise (in Spanish and English). Archived from the original on 22 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Gricourt, Nicolas (25 October 2019). "Leprous ne se laisse pas piéger" [Leprous is not trapped]. Radio Metal (in French). Archived from the original on 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Schmidt, Olaf (30 October 2019). "Ich habe keine Angst mehr vor der Angst" [I am no longer afraid of fear]. Laut (in German). Archived from the original on 31 October 2019.
- ^ a b "LEPROUS To Release 'Pitfalls' Album in October". Blabbermouth.net. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Einar Solberg (Leprous) Interview – Pitfalls". The Prog Report. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
- Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 30 August 2019.
- ^ "LEPROUS Releases Music Video For New Single 'Below'". Blabbermouth.net. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019.
- ^ a b Arnold, Uta (11 October 2019). "Leprous Interview". ViaOmega. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019.
- ^ Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 20 September 2019.
- ^ a b Altaf, Rodrigo (21 October 2019). "LEPROUS Front-man EINAR SOLBERG Talks "Pitfalls" Album Direction: "We Still Have a Lot Of Guitars On It, We're Just Using Them In a Different Way"". Sonic Perspectives. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019.
- ^ Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2019.
- ^ LEPROUS – Distant Bells (Track By Track). YouTube. Inside Out Music. 14 October 2019.
- ^ Leprous [@leprousband] (30 August 2019). "Watch the video for our new single 'BELOW'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ LEPROUS - Thy Sky Is Red (Drum Playthrough by Baard Kolstad). YouTube. Inside Out Music. 6 February 2020.
- Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.
- ^ Blum, Jordan (6 December 2019). "The Best Progressive Rock/Metal of 2019". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020.
- ^ "Best Progressive Rock Albums of 2019". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014.
- ^ "UG Awards: 20 Best Albums of 2019". Ultimate Guitar. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020.
- ^ Divita, Joe (28 December 2019). "Mike Portnoy's Best of 2019: Albums, Songs, Movies + TV Shows". Loudwire. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020.
- ^ a b Lawson, Dom (25 October 2019). "Pitfalls Leprous". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b Bergfjord, Mathias (23 October 2019). "Leprous "Pitfalls"". Blezt (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 31 October 2019.
- ^ a b Medina, Scott (1 October 2019). "Leprous – Pitfalls (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019.
- ^ a b c "Review: Leprous - Pitfalls". Sputnikmusic. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Leprous – Pitfalls review". Metal Storm. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019.
- ^ Araneda, David (21 October 2019). "REVIEW: Leprous – Pitfalls". Tuonela Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019.
- Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pitfalls (Media notes). Inside Out Music. 25 October 2019.
- Louder Sound. Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2019.
- ^ Rosenberg, Axl (25 January 2019). "Listen to Leprous Cover Massive Attack's "Angel"". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Leprous - Pitfalls". Ultratop (in French). Archived from the original on 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Leprous - Malina". Ultratop (in French). Archived from the original on 2 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Leprous Pitfalls". Musiikkituottajat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Leprous Malina". Musiikkituottajat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 3 November 2019.
- ^ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Archived from the originalon 4 November 2019.
- Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Archived from the originalon 4 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Leprous: "Malina" album enters charts; European tour next month!". Inside Out Music. 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Leprous - Pitfalls". Hung Medien (in German). Archived from the original on 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Leprous". GfK Entertainment charts (in German). Archived from the original on 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Leprous - Pitfalls (Album)". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019.
- ^ "Semana 44: del 25.10.2019 al 31.10.2019" [Week 44: from 25.10.2019 to 31.10.2019] (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. p. 2. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019.
- ^ "Leprous – Pitfalls". Swiss Hitparade (in German). Archived from the original on 6 November 2019.