Last Tuesday, the 11th, Leprous Melodies of Atonement album tour to Belo Horizonte, delivering a memorable show at Mister Rock . Despite a seemingly timid start in terms of audience, the venue received a good number of fans shortly before the scheduled time, and what seemed to be a lukewarm night turned into an explosion of energy and emotion.
The introduction began about five minutes before the show, creating an immersive atmosphere that prepared the audience for what was to come. Promptly at 8:30 PM, Einar Solberg (vocals and keyboards), Tod Oddmund Suhrke (guitar), Robin Ognedal (guitar), Baard Kolstad (drums), Simen Børven (bass), and Harrison White (keyboards) took to the stage and began the performance with “Silently Walking Alone,” a track from their new album. From the very first chords, it was evident that the band was in perfect sync, delivering a technically impeccable performance, a characteristic that has become a trademark of the Norwegians.
The sequence continued with "The Price," "Illuminate," and "Like A Sunken Ship," the latter being a track from the new album that brought back some of old-school , such as guttural vocals.
Lead singer Einar interacted with the audience, trying to figure out who had been a Leprous fan since the old days. He ended up discovering two in the crowd and considered the rest to be new fans who had known them since 2014. At that moment, he asked everyone to vote on whether they wanted to hear an old classic or a more recent track, letting the audience choose between "Passing" and "Forced Entry".
Since the choices were tied, he threw a water bottle into the audience, and whoever caught it could choose. The first option ended up winning, which he said has been everyone's favorite at the shows on this tour.
The show continued with “Distant Bells,” “Nighttime Disguise,” and “Unfree My Soul,” followed by one of the band's greatest classics, “Below,” which moved the audience. Then, about 15 fans were invited on stage to sing the chorus of “Faceless ” The interaction and receptiveness of the musicians with the fans made the moment unforgettable.
The track “Castaway Angels” began with a new piano introduction played by Einar, followed by the band's biggest classic: “Far From The Flame,” which definitely had the whole venue singing at the top of their lungs, becoming one of the highlights of this great night. To finish the first part of the set, we had “Slave.” Then, for the encore, the band returned with “Atonement” and closed with the second part of the song “The Sky Is Red.”.
It was Leprous' first performance in Belo Horizonte, and they definitely demonstrated why they've become one of the biggest progressive rock/metal bands. The band is absolutely flawless.
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