HiRez Poll Leprous - MELODIES OF ATONEMENT [Blu-ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this brand new album from Leprous entitled "Melodies of Atonement", which has been mixed in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround by Bruce Soord.

 

[AdamBialy]

Musically - the album is great. Leprous has its own style, so if you like this band, you will definitely like it.
The 5.1 mix is very good. There is a bit going on in the back - additional guitars, synthesizers, sometimes backing vocals.
In Dolby Atmos I only listened to the first three tracks and unfortunately it is another Atmos mix of Bruce Soord, which I do not like. Too many main elements can be heard constantly from the overhead speakers, which is tiring for me - I mean the main vocals and a large part of the guitars. For me it is very unnatural. I know, Bruce has this style of Dolby Atmos mixing (I have albums by Katatonia, Jethro Tull, Yes, The Pineapple Thief, Tesseract), but I simply do not like it. When it comes to Atmos mixes - I definitely put Steven Wilson in the first place.
However, I emphasize that I love Bruce Soord's 5.1 mixes.
And this Leprous album - I recommend it!

EDIT:
I listened to the entire album in Atmos today and I actually like it. I'll still say that the lead vocals should be moved forward and lower from the top. I also think that there's a lot more going on in the back in the 5.1 mix.
I'd rate it like this:
5.1 mix - solid 8,
Atmos mix - 6.
And musically I like the album more and more.

 

[beerking]

This band is brand new to me.
Never heard of Leprous before.
So I listened to one track on Apple and decided I liked it enough to purchase this release.
Another of the reasons is that Bruce Soord, a man whose mixing skills I greatly admire, 5.1 and Atmos, mixed it.
I have listened to this album multiple times as it is one of those releases which just pleases my ears in every way.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Atmos mix.

A melodic 10

 

[perzon57]

Sorry, posted in the wrong thread.

 

[bgf1973]

Fantastic album and mix. I voted 9

 

[adspink]

Full disclosure, Leprous is one of my favorite bands. And although this is not (as of today) my favorite album of theirs, I think it still warrants a 10. I hope this rating isn’t overly influenced by the excitement of hearing this band released in surround for the first time.

When I first heard the Atmos stream in Apple Music on release day, it felt like a 9 to me. But then my blu-ray arrived and I actually kind of prefer the 5.1, which puts it up to 10.

Melodies of Atonement is one of the less proggy Leprous albums. No 10-minute epics, etc. That’s a bit of a shame, but Einar is such a good vocalist that he carries an album that is a little more concise and direct. And I think the directness and conciseness to the rock sound of this album seems to translate to 5.1 better than Atmos. Those big guitar heavy choruses sound…big. However, there are a fair amount of keyboard textures that work very well in the rear speakers, along with the backing vocals. Einar is mostly mixed front and center where he belongs. The surround mix elevates the music, as any good one should.

 

[Thonolan]

Musically - the album is great. Leprous has its own style, so if you like this band, you will definitely like it.
The 5.1 mix is very good. There is a bit going on in the back - additional guitars, synthesizers, sometimes backing vocals.
In Dolby Atmos I only listened to the first three tracks and unfortunately it is another Atmos mix of Bruce Soord, which I do not like. Too many main elements can be heard constantly from the overhead speakers, which is tiring for me - I mean the main vocals and a large part of the guitars. For me it is very unnatural. I know, Bruce has this style of Dolby Atmos mixing (I have albums by Katatonia, Jethro Tull, Yes, The Pineapple Thief, Tesseract), but I simply do not like it. When it comes to Atmos mixes - I definitely put Steven Wilson in the first place.
However, I emphasize that I love Bruce Soord's 5.1 mixes.

Interesting. While I agree with you to a certain extent regarding Bruce Soord's mixing approach, I actually think this is by far his most "grounded" Atmos mix, and, unlike other instances, I never feel there are elements unnaturally coming from the height speakers.

In a way, the limitation of having strictly stereo drums for this mix (this has been discussed on other threads) plays to its advantage - for my taste of course. I play drums myself, and as a drummer you are used to get the sounds of the main elements of a drumset (bass drum, snare, toms) from below ear level, and cymbals roughly at ear level. It's therefore extremely unnatural for me to hear drum parts that come from above, but this never happens in this Atmos mix, which made me realize that my main gripe about other Atmos mixes by Soord is precisely that - the drum sounds he tends to put in the heights. Maybe this is less of an issue for non drummers? Or is it just me being picky?

The guitar parts that come from the overhead speakers are mostly lead, or secondary rhythm layers, which works for me as long as the main rhythm guitars stay at ear level. Synth sounds emanate from all directions depending on the songs/sections, giving a nice effect overall. Lead vocals tend to feel suspended between the front and the front height speakers, which is also a good mixing choice in my opinion, and typical of Bruce's style, while backing vocals are mostly heard from the sides and rears, assisted by the heights as well. And what an impressive singer Einar Solberg is! I've been a fan of him for many years.

The 5.1 mix isn't overly different this time, but to me it feels a bit static and unexciting despite the nice sonics and the consistently sensible mixing choices. Here I perceive the 100% stereo drums as a bit more of a limitation. This mix is pretty simple: rhythm section and lead vocals fill the front stage, while synths, additional guitar parts and backing vocals come from behind. There's not a lot of movement or panning effects, except for a few instances here and there. To me, it feels workmanlike, certainly enjoyable but clearly a step below excellence. The stereo mix is nothing to write home about: sounds okay but it's a tad too compressed, just like it happens in every other Leprous album. Unfortunately the bonus track only appears on the stereo CD. Incidentally, I find it weird that Bruce isn't credited in the booklet. You can only find the credits for the stereo (which he didn't mix).

Leprous is a band I've really appreciated since their very beginnings, but their recent (actually, everything post-Bilateral album) output is hit or miss for me. I find Melodies of Atonement a bit more hit than miss, but there are still a few songs that don't do it for me, although I love the sequence of tracks 5-6-7, these are outstanding in my book.

Ultimately, I'm going for an 8. I almost voted 9, and 9 would've been my rating indeed if it were about the Atmos mix alone (by the way, I'm listening on a 7.2.4 system).

PS: as a biologist I absolutely love the planktonic critters shown in the artbook and the blu-ray visuals, but I tried not to be influenced by that for the rating, otherwise I would've added an extra point just for that