Pitfalls

Once known as the backing band for black-metal stalwart Ihsahn, Norway’s Leprous have grown into one of heavy music’s most daring songwriting outfits. On <i>Pitfalls</i>, vocalist and keyboardist Einar Solberg draws out an operatic and soulful vocal range ("Distant Bells"). The album opens with the slow-burning, string-heavy "Below", setting the pace for electronic flourishes. "Alleviate" may be aggro, but <i>Pitfalls</i> is largely experimental ("Foreigner") and grand in scale ("The Sky Is Red").