By Lisa Burke
October 16th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: Progressive heavy metal has been in existence for around thirty years now and it has since developed in numerous advanced technological ways. The four bands I witnessed on Sunday October 16th 2016 at Complex in Glendale expanded my brain cells with the upmost progression ending in a massive implosion and total sensory overload at what I had just witnessed, and may just be, on the whole, the top contender to any previous prog-dominated metal shows I have seen, although Opeth and Devin Townsend are also high on the ranks as favorites in my world of prog. The headliner was none other than Norwegian band Leprous with support acts Earthside, Binary Code and Dissona. These are four solid bands with their own personal heavy prog style that resonates as much during the performance as it does after.
Starting off the evening right was Chicago-based progressive metal band Dissona who in this performance had three live players with no live bass. The vocals were strong and creative while the music was filled with times of entertainingly heavy progressive interludes that warmed your technical heart. The rules of progressive metal usually entail breaking many of the rules for other styles of music with odd counts and strange overlays, including a woman’s vocals sporadically placed in the backing tracks here and there for Dissona. Definitely an entertaining set from start to finish and a band to put on the radar in future events.
Next up was east coast prog metal band Binary Code that interspersed their death metal with the more melodic elements in a very progressive mash up. This quintet had melodic to death growl vocals that were both equally as strong, while the prog riffs on the guitar were singing their own song as the drums took on a sporadic voice entirely banking on a different notation that gave the band the perfect progressive structure. They definitively exceeded expectations of an intelligently conceptual band with plenty of prog power to offer up for your enjoyment. Even though both these bands were full of death elements there was no mosh pit attempted here because real prog fans don’t mess around with trifles when they are busy trying to process the intricate insanity presented before them.
Then it was time for Earthside, and if you have no idea what this band is about before you watch them, don’t worry because you will definitely have way less of an idea afterwards. Apparently this Connecticut based band is labeling themselves as cinematic rock, but what I saw was keytar prog city for days with some cinematic images on the video screens in the background. By the way, there is no live vocalist and the first half of the set was all key-heavy progressive melodies that were very speedy in nature and completely out of this world. Then all of a sudden a vocalist appears like Obi Wan Kenobi on the back drop screen and sings in a somewhat pop rock/emo vocal style that makes you nervous about what will happen next. Prior to this insanity, the keytarist has been spazing out the whole time with his speedy magical fingers and jumps into the mosh pit while continuing to play. There were at least two other keyboards on stage as well, so as I said, the whole act was full of key tone madness, but it was very well done and super technically driven. There was sweat and tears put into that keytar playing and it paid off well. The bass player’s bass had a million and six bass strings and the guitarist was pouring out the prog on hyper speed as the keytar was still winning the race. Basically, the only way to really describe this band is to say they might compare to some new crazy mind-bending drug you know you should stay away from, but can’t avoid the temptation because you know it’s extremely enhancing and stimulating.
The most exciting adventure of the evening was yet to begin, however, as Leprous lit up the stage with all their amazing Norwegian glory. If there is one country that never fails to impress and create innovation in heavy metal it would be Norway. This band is also key heavy and not as death enhanced as the first two bands were, yet they have an absolutely beautiful technical development blueprint that ensues throughout. Nothing sounds like the song before it, and with only four albums out, they still have a very broad spectrum to work with and one of the fan favorite songs they played was ‘The Cloak’ from their 2013 album ‘Coal’ and their latest work of art ‘The Congregation’ was heavily featured as well in this setlist with no complaints. This prog style is pure as the driven snow and sung beautifully with moments of heaviness, and Leprous is one of the best heavy progressive bands out there in my opinion. Again, this band and its dedicated fans are bullshit-free and just bring you a bouncy happy mosh pit where a bomb could drop next to them and no one would look away from the stage, because the music makes such a beautiful and precise pattern in your head that you can almost see it dance on the stage where it is all being created. The custom light show also helped to enhance this visual atmosphere, as much strobing counteracted the tunage throughout and the monitors spit out linear images. A little history note is that Emperor’s Ihsahn’s wife’s brother Einar Solberg is the lead singer/keyboardist of Leprous and they used to perform with him, which would have been amazing to see live, I am sure. The singer at one point made a joke about prog music and how it was a nerd book he read at the library years ago that has now become a way of life, and with the band’s oddly sexy melodies intertwined with head banging riffs, the fans are grateful for his discovery. Anyway, at the end of it all, the crowd chanted “holy shit” over and over among other chants and clearly did not want it to end.
This entire show was a great line up presented in the perfect order to really represent what less mainstream progressive metal can do to a person’s soul. I left this show excited about what I saw and it was as if I discovered a scientific method to happiness that step by step in all its complications could rectify and justify my existence by the end. I was certainly intoxicated by the metal, maybe it was the booze too, but regardless, it left a positive mark on my heart. Therefore, I demand that you at least listen to Leprous if you are unaware of their genius and are at all a fan of prog, because simply put, they rule live as this was a very memorable show and a rare live experience as well.