Leonov will always have a special place in my heart for being the recipients of the first review I ever wrote for this site (Wake, their sophomore release, and one I still return to on occasion). In the five years since that fateful October day, it’s been a fascinating exercise to see how my writing has progressed over the years, and indeed to compare my life then to my life now1. I suspect the members of Leonov feel the same way; five years is a long time, and Procession takes a step away from the “celestial doom” the band offered then, and focuses on doomy post-metal passages. Like most of us, Leonov are different this time around; has the passage of time improved their music?
As Procession slowly creeps into life, it establishes that Leonov haven’t missed a step since Wake. The grimy rhythm guitars still contrast the weeping cleans; the line between post-metal and doom is as blurry as ever; and the layered, emotive vocals are just as effective as they’ve always been. There is heaviness aplenty, such as the unexpected but strong harsh vocals that burst through towards the end of “Amer,” shattering calm and tranquility without breaking the flow of the song. Then there are quieter songs, such as “Mesos,” a beautiful march towards bleak horizons, hopeful and mournful at once. Procession is a dynamic album; it never fully decides which individual style it is, but becomes greater than the sum of its parts for how well the band blends styles to suit the needs of each song.
As a result of this, Procession is an album you will likely consider a triumph or failure based on its atmosphere. It is an extremely atmospheric album, never in any particular rush to reach the next hook or movement. This style puts a great amount of faith in singer Tåran Reindal’s slow deliveries for melody. Fortunately, none of this faith is misplaced—she is a very strong singer, and on songs like “Oreza,” her singing is the hook, while the guitars are both supporting players. Free from the endless reverb that marked Wake, her emotive calls are significantly more effective here. Of course, it’s not just her; it’s the way the “Rem” opens the album with a slow, foreboding build with clean guitars, or the way “Sora” opens with huge, doom metal guitar riffs crashing down on the listener. The drums and bass play vital roles here as well—the bass guitar is downright grimy, and the drumming is clever, helping manage the stylistic blend and provide that “metal” feel to the whole (especially towards the end of “Procession”—very strong work there).
For the most part, Procession is, in my view, a strong album for its atmosphere alone. I do, however, believe that Leonov lean a little bit too heavily into it in places, and this makes it feel a little over-long, despite a fairly concise forty-one-minute runtime. “Mesos” is a good example. While I certainly meant what I said earlier about the song being a beautiful one, it’s primarily built around two ideas, with a lot of repetition and a very slow build in intensity toward the song’s climax. I almost feel as if I can skip two minutes off of each half of the song and come out with a very similar experience. The title track and “Oreza” similarly tend to wander, just a little bit, relying in places on hypnotic melodies to carry the listener through. This is not itself a bad thing, but I do prefer my metal with just a little more substance than is offered here.
Procession is an album of feelings. There is such a strong sense of catharsis throughout that it can never dip below the threshold of being a good album—it is emotive, intentional, and strong, an album of feeling and power, bleakness and hopefulness. It is easy to become lost in this one, and, despite my criticisms earlier, I do think of that as a good thing overall. Albums like this one are perfect for increasingly dark autumn days, which is how I know I’ll be returning to it soon—and awaiting the next one before long as well.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Vinter Records
Websites: leonov.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Leonovband
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023
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