scraggy
5-09-08, 10:33 PM
This review is a little schizophrenic since Leatherwolf has had to different sounds. When I came onto them on their Self-titled 1987 album they had a commercial melodic style with a slight medieval sound I really liked. Prior to this on their 1984 self-titled album which I would later come across they had a more traditional metal sound with shredding guitars and a slight raw sound, which I also liked but not as much as the later sound. After years of waiting Leatherwolf is back with their new album “New World Asylum” and I have to say Michael Olivieri’s vocals are still top notch and the album has a sense of attitude that some of the returning 80’s bands seem to be lacking. Now the good or bad news depending on your taste, they have returned to their earlier straight forward metal sound with slight flashbacks to their more Melodic sound. On my first listen to the album I was disappointed since I had not expected this but after about the 3rd play I started to dig it. The guitar work is great with lots of mini blazing solos and thundering bass drum proving the old school can still rock just as hard as the new school, thee sound of the album has been produced very well. The thing I must really down it for a bit is the songs sound too similar and they sound rather like middle parts of songs rather than full songs. These are small gripes though; I hope that all fans will support the new album. You can here samples here: http://www.myspace.com/leatherwolfmusic
Rating 7 / 10
Rating 7 / 10