A source of perennial discussion at ROCKFLESH Towers is the question of what is metal. I have even gone so far as write a 666 on the subject. These deliberations are usually a prelude to the much thornier question of do we cover this or do we cover that band. The simple truth is that Leprous are probably beginning to orbit away from our world. Their last couple of albums have exited metal completely, with “Pitfalls” being a wonderful exercise in baroque pop, and “Aphelion” having the same relationship with metal that homoeopathy has with common sense. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to cover them, as they, metal or not metal, are quite simply an astounding live act.

Opening act Kalandra provides similar levels of confusion about what they are and what they are not. Consisting of musicians from across Scandinavia (but now based in Liverpool) the closest similia I can find is the folk goth that I devoured in my late teens. Certainly, Katrine Stenbekk’s all-in-black demeanour personifies every waiflike goth girl I dated in the early 90s (if any of you are reading, hello and yes I am still both emotionally inept and stupendously crap at relationships). She has a real air of Juliette Regan about her, and I get huge bouts of nostalgia for All About Eve and their ilk. 

Their sound is very grounded in harsh Nordic folk, and we get waves of dark, ethereal atmospherics. It's very tempered and restrained and never seems to break into any semblance of euphoria. But there is real beauty in its stark minimalism. It's meditative and mood-creating and probably the biggest plaudit that you can give Kalandra is that they keep the room in a veil of rapt silence for the entire set.

Now, Monuments are metal. Yes, they play with this construct and yes, their four members look like they are more likely to head out for a big night in ‘spoons than Satan’s Hollow, but they are non-more metal. They trade in a variant of progressive metal that is not dissimilar to market leaders Tesseract, but they seem to possess funkier peaks and deeper, darker recesses. They have a bit of a revolving door policy when it comes to vocalists and from where I'm standing Andy Cizek is the sixth incumbent in the role. However, from his terrific performance this evening it feels like they have finally found their man. His range is quite simply stunning. He dashes from smooth baritone to goblin-like screeches within the same breath. He also owns the stage. He comes across as personable but also highly charismatic. There is no ego at play here, he genuinely seems chuffed to high heaven by the response that they receive.

 This is not your typical metal crowd (the babysitters of Chorlton will have done well this evening as it’s obvious that for many people in attendance it’s date night) but he still manages to elicit a semblance of a pit from the Monuments devotees upfront. Those who know them go suitably bonkers and there are points where the reaction equals that of the headline act. The sound is suitably immaculate but the overarching impression that Monuments give is of a band brimming with potential. Everything feels right and precision engineered. The riffs are clean, searing, and immaculate and the rhythm section is pounding and primal. It is very much one of those sets where the band just don't put a foot wrong and you can tell from the big grins on stage that they know it. Progressive metal can sometimes be soulless and lacking in warmth. But tonight, Monuments completely dispel that, and they provide a heartfelt and genuine take on the genre. The headline slots in venues of this size are there for the taking.

This evening, Leprous are nothing short of spectacular. They may only perform thirteen tracks in all, but they manage to take us on an immaculately constructed audio-visual odyssey. The whole thing is stupendously staged, which is even more mind-boggling when you realise that they are mixing around the set every night (more on this later). Whilst Einar Solberg builds the atmospherics of the opening number, ‘Have You Ever’, on the keyboard setup high up on the left-hand side of the stage, the rest of the band emerge one by one from behind him, taking hold of their instruments and filing into position. It's a simplistic opening salvo but it is stunningly effective and sets the bar for the high theatrics of this evening.

Having done the retrospective thing just over 12 months ago, they seem very comfortable in putting their earlier material (i.e., anything from the first three albums) into storage and concentrating solely on the modern incarnation of the band. This means we get a cacophony of slick, dark contemplative pop. Our satanic overlord describes the whole experience as A-ha on steroids and on many levels he is right. This is pop, but it’s luxurious, exquisitely constructed pop full of pathos and emotional resignation. 

It's that unrefined passion that really boils over tonight. Einar seems to be leaving nothing in reserve and is resolutely baring his soul for all to see. The band continually swap positions and instruments turning the stage into a whirling dervish of perpetually in-motion musicians. Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s cello takes centre stage on numerous occasions, and it comes across as an essential part of the band’s anatomy as opposed to a status symbol acquisition.

‘Castaway Angels’ is dedicated to the tenacity of the Ukrainian people and Einar’s proclamation gets a heartfelt response from the crowd. The attendance never gets beyond modest (the balcony is closed off which is always a sign of slow sales at the Ritz) but everyone here tonight adores this band. The lyrics of ‘From the Flame’ are sung back at them with euphoric gusto, giving the hall the atmosphere of a reverential place of worship.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the most astonishing things about Leprous is that they continually change their sets. As he introduces the seldom-heard ‘The Silent Revelation’, Einar intones that to do anything but revolve song inclusion would be boring. It's that attention to detail that makes Leprous so interesting and so sumptuous. They could get away with wandering on stage playing the same set of songs every night and going home and counting the money. But everything here has had a huge amount of thought and consideration put into it, and it shows in the quality of the performance and the production.

‘Below’ feels fittingly subterranean in its dark, angular orchestration. It's full of exquisite musical textures, each layer taking the listener further into the band's unique world. Rather than put barriers around their creative process, Erien talks in detail about how they live-streamed the whole gestation period of the new album and it's that openness that provides a real auspicious into their relationship with their fans. There is definite adoration at show here, but also there is a real understanding of the mutually reciprocal relationship that the band needs to have this fanbase. Leprous don't stand on stage expecting to be worshipped, they understand that their job is to create the best product possible and their drive to continually evolve shows that this is a band not content to sit back on their laurels.

‘The Sky is Red’ brings the show to a crescendo and they elongate the track, turning it into a spiralling maelstrom of fluctuating sound. It’s truly breath-taking as the band wring every last experimental note out of the song. This is not just a soulless reproduction of an album version, they have taken the track and reinterpreted and remodelled it in a live context and it is utterly exquisite. By the time the house lights come on and we all start our long trudge home, the matter of whether this is metal or not has been rendered irrelevant. Whatever genre it was, it was simply divine and an astounding example of a band at the height of its powers. Nothing more nothing less.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!

Leprous, Monuments, Kalandra