REVIEW: Leonov - Shape Of Ash

The Norwegian band Leonov have just released their epic new EP, Shape Of Ash. Embracing a noticeably rawer feel instrumentally than the bands previous three albums, it still delivers a powerful well produced example, under the hard to define style of celestial doom. Heavy distorted guitar riffs, powerful pared-back percussion, and siren-like vocals will have you wandering up the side of moss-hewn misty mountains, calling out for the Earth mother. 

The first single released off the EP, ‘Auld Ashtok’, is summed up by the band perfectly as “a stoner meditation built around a single, mantric riff”, luring the audience into some dark place with the promise of pleasure to be had. Here, the contrast between the instrument's gritty bass and the much cleaner diaphanous vocals gives us a consummate example of how this cosmic melancholy can be served. The band reflects, "'Auld Ashok' is about shifting perspectives - how the character moves between seeing herself as at fault, default, or a treasure vault. It circles questions of confidence, self-worth, and what we’re capable of carrying.” This message is delivered by singer, Tåran Reindal, like an enchantment that has all the mystery and seduction of Kesly Lu, or the emotional longing of Thom Yorke. 

The opening for the track ‘Bygg En Menneskekropp’, translated roughly ‘to build a human body’, could almost be taken, both title and melody, out of a John Carpenter film. The breathy vocals are a welcome addition for the clarity they bring, enough to detect the singer’s accent, adding intimacy and personality. Accompanying Tåran Reindal are the gentle vocals of Norwegian folk singer, Syvert Feed (Jake Ziah), who has all the naturalist delivery of Rufus Wainwright. There is an immediate sense of a conversation, rather than simply a duet, marked by a longing and emotion which points back to the title and the eternal struggles of love and relationships. Here the vocals are brought to the fore, exposed and tender, you can feel them close up to the mic, standing across from one another with some impenetrable divide between them.

The EP closes with the titular ‘Shape of Ash’, a paired back mechanical rhythm, plucked out by the guitar, with the subtlest of atmospheric noise floating in the background. An unmistakable pound of the bass drum meets the guitar as the song transcends into an incantation, the vocalist calling forth the elements. The deceptively simple composition has an effective build, with the vocals descending into the depths, an underwater like effect rippling through... or is it that we are being called from across ‘the divide’.

All this ancient and emotive symbolism of creation and destruction has the potential to make even waiting at the bus stop feel eternally epic. Listening on headphones it is easy to pick out the character of each instrument, at times giving the sense of a choral arrangement as much as a band, stirring up the power of a lost magic. Each song has a distinctive shift and at times you may want to sink your hands deep into the soil, and then run skinny dipping in an ice cold river the next.

Leonov successfully harnesses the depth and drama of doom metal. There's a heaviness throughout which may sometimes feel as though you are sinking a bit too deep, but the shoegazey use of overdrive and fuzz, combined with ethereal vocals, gives air and space, re-energising the sound. A transcendent release taking you from the depths of mountain caves to their cloud-covered heights.

Score: 8/10

Shape Of Ash was released on July 4th 2025 via Pelagic Records.

Words: Alana Madden

Photos: Leonov