RSS Feed


LEATHÜRBITCH
Leathürbitch EP

Self-released (2018)
Rating: 8/10

Looking like they’ve been dragged through the hedge of the mid-80s, Portland, Oregon’s Leathürbitch come storming with their debut five-track EP; a wailing, warbling and howling lump of dingy trad’-cum-glam-New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

Admittedly, I hoped that the woman on the cover was the lead singer, but still, what we get here is a scorching hot rattle ‘n’ roll junkyard of pulsating lo-fi metal bolstered by the midnight yowls of Joel Stair, whose tones wouldn’t seem out of place on some obscure shock rock opus from that bygone era of lipstick, studs and grave fume.

Opener ‘Leathür And Lies’ is a straight-up ballsy rocker; again, those vocals just pierce the night as the flaming axe attack of Pat Sandiford and Sebastian Silva comes spiralling with aggression and roughness, while Meshach Babcöck’s drums and Andy “Minion” Sylvia’s bass work in visceral fashion, creating a dense and rust-coated wall dripping with leathery droplets.

‘Street Wise’ continues the gutter rock hostility; this one is even faster than the opening track, the warbling vocals emerging from the black curtain of thick smoke and pyrotechnic potency – I’m just imagining these guys blowing the roof off some sweaty, stamp-sized venue to a horde of screaming fans.

It’s the sort of maniacal rock that somehow, with magical and sleazy prowess, drifts between genres, even though it is pretty much a hammer and tong lethal dose of in-your-face metal. I’d be happy to throw this EP in the trash can of 80s also rans that spent a lot of time grinding out sub-Judas Priest, sub-Savatage, with Halloween, Malice blah blah styles of molten metal.

The whole thing benefits from its clear lack of production, but this is how some of the greatest bands started out, which was by delivering contaminated walls of sound guarded by razor-like guitar chords, thorny bass clanks and thudding drum beats, as showcased with the sneering ‘Nasty Reputation’ with its oily mid-paced traipse and squirming solo.

‘The Calling’ keeps the engine running, meanwhile, even if the smoke is now starting to vomit from the crevices. It’s another steamroller of a cut, the percussive backbone made of greased steel as Stair bellows from the dungeons before the thrashed up clatter of ‘Hard Ride’ provides the final rush of adrenalin, finishing off what is first and foremost a no nonsense heavy metal record armed with a dagger and adorned in a cloak.

I feel that “better” production may actually dampen the charm of the Leathürbitch sound. For me, I hope and pray that by the time a full-length release comes around that the guys will still be somewhat stuck in that 80s nostalgic quicksand, because as far as throwback metal goes, this one really rocks hard from its rhythms to its vocal phantasmagoria.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share