LEPER - AND EVERYBODY DIED

Some of you hardcore metal heads out there might be wondering why I’m reviewing Leper. After all their Goth/Industrial sound is a far cry from what you usually find here at White Throne. Not too mention this isn’t usually my own favorite type of tunage.

With all that said, Leper’s Grrr release And Everybody Died is a gem. Having been released on Grrr Records the first thing you’ll know is that the production will be of higher quality. Grrr being the home of such stalwarts as the Glenn Kaiser Band, not to mention Resurrection Band itself.

I was very impressed with their performance at Up From the Ashes 3 in Temecula, California this past August. So much so that I spoke with their bass player and all around great guy Otto, who forwarded to me their album.

And Everybody Died doesn’t disappoint in the slightest from the beginning strands of Opening with its sample taken from Night of The Living Dead all the way through to Spielplatz (playground)which is a Rez cover by the way!; Leper have crafted an exceptional album of industrial gothic music. With influences from Pink Floyd, Mortal, The Cure, Sincerely Paul and Savior Machine this is a dark moody feast. Having recently toured with Grave Robber, Leper is the real deal.

To these ears the highlights on the song front would be Lyken (werewolf) with its extremely powerful and haunting melody, wrung out on the keyboards. This song demands to be played at maximum volume. From the subtle verses to the dominating musical bridges I must’ve played this song some 10 times in a row.

Following Lyken is the extremely catchy Ai Grija Ce Spui (watch what you say). Watch What You Say has a solid melody without sacrificing the element of darkness with layers of emotion and passion. The vocal sample taken from the 1976 film Logan’s Run was sheer brilliance and adds just the right ambience. This tri-fecta of genius concludes with Lins (Lick), more moody and industrialized gothic rhythms with a dark vocal performance by Skot Shaw.

The other compositions on And Everybody Died are memorable, yet those three just got under my skin and dug in deep. Lyrically, all is not necessarily a happy rainbow of life, but more often than not, explorations of the darker parts of human nature. Yet hope remains, but Leper refuse to put a simple gloss on things and say, “It’s gonna be ok.” It’s implied more directly than not, but the reality of life is discussed in a way that’s honest and thought provoking.

Leper is a two piece band with Skot Shaw and Otto providing the musical cacophony within. I realize this release came out in 2009, but it is of such quality that it deserves to be reviewed even a year after its initial release. If Industrial Gothic is your favorite style or even if it just intrigues you And Everybody Died should be an immediate purchase.

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