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)
Contaminate Me
Leprous Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watch me
My measures get desperate
Stand beside me
Keep your head calm
Futile pride
Holds back my endeavour
Beneath my own palm
[Ihsahn]
Will you follow me if I ask you?
Will you wait for me if I stop?
Will the time I give you be helpful?
Shall our lives be one 'till I drop?
Repent, relearn
Do it all again
No need to know your lie
[Einar]
Bring back the blissful words
They still make no sense
Copy, paste
At rest I'm in suspense
[Ihsahn]
Surrender to a forgettable story
Narrow idea of a doubtful start
Inverted fury
Surpasses me
Settling in
My heart
In seems to me that you know by now
All the right ways this should be done
Obstacles vanish
Miraculously
Contaminate me
Now run
The lyrics of "Contaminate Me" by Leprous is a deep and introspective song that speaks to the desperation of the singer. It starts out by acknowledging the presence of someone who is standing beside him, someone who is trying to keep him centered and calm. But despite that, the singer feels that his measures are getting desperate and he is unable to control his pride, which is causing him to hold himself back from achieving what he desires. He talks loud, but it's as if he's just talking to himself, beneath his own palm.
Then comes the chorus sung by Ihsahn, where the singer wonders if his companion will continue to follow him even if he stops, and if the time he gives will be helpful. He speaks of repentance and relearning, of doing it all again and not needing to know the lies. This is where the theme of the song comes into focus, which is about breaking free from one's limitations and allowing oneself to be transformed.
The second verse of the song is all about surrendering to a forgettable story, of settling into an inverted fury. The singer acknowledges that there is a narrow idea of a doubtful start but chooses to contaminate himself and run.
Overall, the lyrics of "Contaminate Me" illustrate the struggle to break free from one's ego and pride, to relearn and start again with a fresh perspective, which is a common theme in many Leprous songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch me
Observe me
My measures get desperate
My attempts become extreme
Stand beside me
Be with me
Keep your head calm
Remain composed
Futile pride
Useless arrogance
Holds back my endeavour
Prevents me from succeeding
Talking loud
Speaking confidently
Beneath my own palm
Within my control
Will you follow me if I ask you?
Do you support me?
Will you wait for me if I stop?
Will you stand by me if I fail?
Will the time I give you be helpful?
Will my presence benefit you?
Shall our lives be one 'till I drop?
Can we be together until I die?
Repent, relearn
Regret, rediscover
Do it all again
Repeat the process
No need to know your lie
There's no necessity to determine your falsehood
Bring back the blissful words
Reintroduce the joyful vocabulary
They still make no sense
They are still incomprehensible
Copy, paste
Duplicate without originality
At rest I'm in suspense
I am anxious even at peace
Surrender to a forgettable story
Yield to a trivial tale
Narrow idea of a doubtful start
Limited concept of a hesitant beginning
Inverted fury
Concealed anger
Surpasses me
Overwhelms me
Settling in
Becoming comfortable
My heart
My emotions
It seems to me that you know by now
I think you understand
All the right ways this should be done
The correct methods of proceeding
Obstacles vanish
Challenges disappear
Miraculously
In an inexplicable manner
Contaminate me
Corrupt me
Now run
Go forth
Contributed by Benjamin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@alistairdimmick2886
Surrender to a forgettable story
Narrow idea of a doubtful start
Inverted fury
Surpasses me
Settling in
My heart
In seems to me that you know by now
All the right ways this should be done
Obstacles vanish
Miraculously
Contaminate me
Now run.
@bmxproh
no lyrics, welp
Watch me
My measures get desperate
Stand beside me
Keep your head calm
Futile pride
Holds back my endeavour
Talking loud
Beneath my own palm
[Chorus: Ihshahn]
Will you follow me if I ask you?
Will you wait for me if I stop?
Will the time I give you be helpful?
Shall our lives be one 'till I drop?
Will you wait if I stop?
Will you wait if I drop?
Will you wait if I stop?
Will you wait if I drop?
Repent, relearn
Do it all again
No need to know your lie
[Verse 2: Einar]
Bring back the blissful words
They still make no sense
Copy, paste
At rest I'm in suspense
[Outro: Ihsahn]
Surrender to a forgettable story
Narrow idea of a doubtful start
Inverted fury
Surpasses me
Settling in
My heart
It seems to me that you know by now
All the right ways this should be done
Obstacles vanish
Miraculously
Contaminate me
Contaminate me
Now run
Run
@ryanaiden
You know you're at a Leprous concert when every musician is headbanging at different rates 😂
@user-jp2gc8mo6j
rofl any proper prog band concert really good catch
@cecilwilliams8709
This is the most accurate comment ever
@Fmidas
lol youre right, just tried different headbang rates, and they all fit to the song 😀
@seanmarquette9855
Ihsahn has found a way to perfect agony in his voice without causing him pain. The mans screams are otherworldly.
@Frogdoddofficial
I agree. I think I hear it in garm when he used to scream, and in enslaved too.
@MAFiA303
all i can think of is how awesome is the mixing of this live performance, well done audio engineer
@Drwiggles69
Criminally overlooked. The audio is absolutely top tier for a live video.
@jordan76brodland
Absolutely fucking agree. Phenomenonal
@TheFowo
That's what I love at their live shows, their sound engineer is so fucking amazing, never have I ever heard a band playing live with such a clarity