Norwegian rock outfit Leonov present their début self-titled effort, offering up an incredible experience featuring elements of shoegaze and to some extent math rock. There's a great number of strengths on the album, which features Leonov going all out to present absolutely everything it is they have to offer the musical genre. There's also some brilliant creative ideas being presented by the band, who showcase their talent with what comes across as an impressive début that's sure to please a wide range of audiences.
On Lenov, we're presented with what comes across as a very in-depth rock experience, often branching out in to other various genres for good measure. Everything's presented in a very cohesive and understandable way, with each song complimenting each other in order to present one strong full-album experience.
Most of the elements of the album seem to be at the top of their game, showcasing just how much there is that Leonov has to offer the musical scene today. There's a large number of strengths on the album as well, with many songs featuring some brilliant rock aesthetics that are just impossible not to enjoy.
Whilst there's some great elements being featured on Leonov, a few of the songs on the album do seem to miss the mark a little. At times, Leonov seem to opt for big instrumental passages, which are enjoyable to some extent, but on a few occasions it seems to outstay its welcome, suggesting that Leonov have some great ideas under their belt, but don't really know how to properly express each and every one of them. It's a shame as we can see at times what it is that Leonov are trying to do, but sadly some of their efforts on these occasions have just failed to work.
There are enough great tracks present on 'Leonov' to make it an album worthy of recognition though, with the best tracks easily overshadowing the few negative traits scattered on the album. Although the album could of course 'be better' than what it is, it still comes across as a very strong album experience, where more than enough has been done right.
Leonov clearly have a great thing going for them, a great understanding of the rock genre and how it can be utilized, as well as a great understanding of how to present it all.
