Leonov are a Norwegian doom/post-metal band, and this is their third album.
It’s been some time since 2018’s Wake, but now Leonov have returned with new opus Procession. Will it attain the gloomy heights of its predecessor?
It does, but it takes a slightly different path to get there. Procession offers a vision of melancholic darkness, one that’s of a more seamlessly atmospheric mien. Leonov take the post-metal build/release mechanic that they did so well on Wake and offer up an integrated version of it that makes for holistically refined music. Focused on atmosphere and feeling first and foremost, the songs blend heaviness and lightness into exemplars of atmospheric songcraft.
Imagine a mix of bands such as Cult of Luna, Tool, and GGGOLDDD, and you’ll be on the right lines.
Rich with atmospheric scope and emotional depth, this is a 41-minute journey into plaintive emotive appeal, one taken with Leonov’s very capable guidance. Haunting, bleak, affecting, beautiful, ethereal, dark; these and similar words can all be used to describe Procession. The music is a tapestry of post-metal worldbuilding, delivered with doom immersion and progressive enhancements that simply enrich the feelings portrayed by the band’s detailed songwriting.
The tracks flow and pulse with dark vibrance. Procession is an affecting slab of doomy post-metal that presents as a potent form of contemplative intensity. Highly atmospheric and immersive, Procession is well worth your time if you’re in the market for something that blurs the line between ethereal beauty and shaded heaviness.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 