Leprethere are a death metal/mathcore band from Belarus and this is their debut album.
Tarnished Passion delivers a 34-minute smack to the face. Leprethere play a form of hybrid death metal/mathcore that’s dissonant and harsh, yet not without nuance or depth.
The music is technical and brutal, but flows well with a mechanical grace that’s endearing in its own abrasive way. Alongside the death metal and mathcore elements, there’s a clear Meshuggah-influenced djent component, yet also an unexpected pinch of Despised Icon-esque hardcore heaviness – particularly in some of the vocals and riff dynamics. Leprethere have a mathcore influence that’s sinuous and abrasive, while also keeping the dissonant death metal levels impactful. The combination of the two helps to give Tarnished Passion a personality all of its own. Taken another way, think of a mix of bands such as Ulcerate, Gorguts, Ion Dissonance, Uphill Battle, and Vildhjarta, and you’ll have an idea of the ground that Leprethere cover.
If you are fortified against extreme aggression and impenetrable sounds, then Tarnished Passion is easy to listen to and engage with. It has an organic feel despite its mechanised death-dealing, which effectively makes for a technobiological monstrosity that’s hard to ignore. The songwriting is effective, and the riffs frequently inventive. The harsh vocals are edged with a hardcore influence that’s a nice change of pace for an act like this, and coupled with the band’s clear compositional skill has resulted in a collection of songs that are highly enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when first approaching Tarnished Passion, but it wasn’t something as accomplished as this. Leprethere have succeeded in producing an album that sits within the dissonant death metal genre, yet effortlessly manages to find its own identity and voice. No mean feat.
If you’re a fan of this sort of atypical and aggressive style, then you simply must give this a spin.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 