Leprous is a five piece progressive metal band hailing from the metal town … Read Full Bio ↴Leprous is a five piece progressive metal band hailing from the metal town of Notodden, Norway, home of bands such as Emperor, Zyklon, Ihsahn, CIrcus Maximus, and many more.

Since Leprous was founded in 2001, they've gone through a few changes in the line-up, and now consists of Einar Solberg (synth/vocals), Tor Oddmund Suhrke (guitar), Simen Børven (bass), Robin Ognedal (guitar) and Baard Kolstad (drums)

The young quintet have already made themselves visible on the Norwegian prog- and metal scene, and twice the band has made the finals in the Norwegian Rock Championship. Besides Leprous, the guys in Leprous are currently working as a session band of solo artist "Ihsahn", also known as the front figure of the legendary black metal band Emperor.

In August 2008, Leprous recorded their debut album "Tall Poppy Syndrome". As a result they caught the eye of several record companies, and ended up signing with the American label Sensory Records for a May 2009 release.

Prior to "Tall Poppy Syndrome", Leprous have recorded two demos which both received great accolades from the worldwide media, with the demo (self-financed full length album) "Aeolia" among other great reviews received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from the Norwegian webzine www.metal-norge.no. The band at that point decided to hold off on the search for a label to release their albums though, as they knew that they could create even better songs. And now, a couple of years later, "Tall Poppy Syndrome" is ready to hit the shelves.

Backed by Intromental Management & Booking Agency, Leprous spent 2009 promoting the release with numerous shows throughout Scandinavia, and entering 2010 the band and management laid plans for bringing the music of Leprous even further out to fans, by lining up shows around Europe and USA, as well as setting the band up as main support on Swedish orchestral metal band Therion's fall 2010 European tour, taking the band through no less than 17 countries in 30 days.

The music of Leprous is not an easy one to classify. Various genres are included, from progressive rock, to jazz, to pure metal. The vocals alternate between clean and growling, something which gives the music a heaviness it otherwise wouldn't have. To compare Leprous to other bands is practically impossible, but the closest comparisons would be bands such as Opeth, Arcturus, Porcupine Tree, Van Der Graaf Generator or Emperor. An interesting listening-experience for the open-minded music fan.

Studio albums
Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)
Bilateral (2011)
Coal (2013)
The Congregation (2015)
Malina (2017)
Pitfalls (2019)
Aphelion (2021)

Live albums
Live at Rockefeller Music Hall (2016)

Demos
Silent Waters (2004)
Aeolia (2006)

Chronic
Leprous Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Remember the days
In a story that ended
Post mortem scars
Unable to heal

Deliberate words
Brought to silence
Taking the step

Into the unreal

Try to be selfish
Try not to stay
Secondary to imagine
How to slip away

Scars
They lie
Where we can keep them safe

Deaf screams
As our story shatters
No one to catch me
Better not fall

Beating my head on a rock
Nothing matters
Could not forget
Still after all

Try to be selfish
Try not to stay
Mutual days
Separate ways

Nothing ever seems to happen
I believe it's you

Buried under our revival
You believe it's true

Overall Meaning

The song "Chronic" by Leprous talks about the painful memories of the past and how they continue to affect the present. The first verse reminisces about the days that have ended, but have left their marks on the singer's life which cannot be erased. The singer struggles to make sense of their pain and tries to cope with it by numbing themselves and turning selfish. The second verse is about the aftermath of a traumatic event, which has left the singer shattered, disoriented, and alone. They feel like they are beating their head against a rock, trying to forget the trauma but failing miserably.

The chorus, "Scars, they lie, where we can keep them safe," is about how people often keep painful memories and scars hidden from others, trying to protect themselves from further pain. The singer is screaming in silence, trying to find a way out of their current situation, but no one is there to help them or catch them if they fall. The bridge of the song, "Nothing ever seems to happen, I believe it's you, buried under our revival, you believe it's true," is about how the singer is trapped in a cycle of pain and unable to move away from it. They are struggling to revive themselves but are weighed down by the past, and they are in a constant tug of war with themselves and their pain.

Line by Line Meaning

Remember the days
Reflect back on a time in the past

In a story that ended
Remember something that is now over and done with

Post mortem scars
Wounds that cannot heal

Unable to heal
Scars that will never completely go away

Deliberate words
Intentional statements or phrases

Brought to silence
Made quiet, unable to speak

Taking the step
Moving toward something

Into the unreal
Entering into something that is not quite real or believable

Try to be selfish
Attempt to take care of oneself

Try not to stay
Avoid remaining in one place

Secondary to imagine
Playing a supporting role in a fantasy