A new titan from greece!

LEATHERHEAD were formed in 2022, in Larissa / Greece, with the purpose to deliver some fast-paced heavy metal music, and the beginning was made at the same year with the “Tomahawk” single. After meticulously crafting the riffs and lyrics, the band entered the studio for the recording of their debut same-titled album: A heavy metal concept horror story, combining the high-pitched vocals and guitar melodies of US power metal with the intense drumming and aggression of thrash metal. After joining No Remorse Records, no one is safe from the attack! Welcome to the city of the damned! Recommended for fans of old Agent Steel, old Savage Grace, and Riot City.
“Leatherhead” was recorded and mixed at Coyote Studio by George Kougioumtzoglou. Mastering took place at Suncord Audiolab by Achilleas Kalantzis. Vinyl mastering by Bart Gabriel. Cover art by Mario Lopez. Photography by Vasilis Patsios.

LINE-UP
Tolis Mekras – Vocals
Zach Karambasis – Lead Guitar
Thanos Metalios – Guitar
George Bradley – Bass
Michalis Zounarakis – Drums

REVIEW

“From Beyond”. Not to be confused with the awesome 80s horror film of the same name, was a nice and moody synth intro that did feel appropriately 80s. Top marks, I’m always a sucker for these little intros.

“Equinox”. The evil laugh in the beginning automatically made me a fan. 10/10. Review over. This is some right proper speed metal that reminded me of so many great bands at once, and in a good way. Early HELLOWEEN, a bit of ANNIHILATOR, up to more modern greats like VULTURE. But don’t let the “speed metal” moniker make you think that this is just fast for the sake of being fast. There are some killer riffs in here, and some sizzling harmonies from the guitars. Drumming, as is tradition in speed metal, was insane and Michalis probably has massive calves. The bass was on right on par with those drums as well, making this whole track whiz by like a stampede. One hell of a way to kick off the album!

“Dressed to Kill”. A slow build up full of bends and crashing drums, before the vocals unleash with appropriate wails. Have to commend the pipes of Tolis Mekras, killer stuff. Another track that I found hard to not headbang along with. The rolled r’s on words like ‘ripping’ was just a cherry on top of some already awesome ice cream. The solo was an automatic hit for me with the sustain to open it up, always a great choice.

“Vampire’s Kiss”. Unexpectedly, an acoustic guitar intro started this one. Nothing too flashy, but there was a bit of sadness in each strum. But then that riff as the leads come in, pure magic. Bass was really clicking for me in this one as well, love to hear that. On top of that blitz of an opening riff, this song was chock full of great ones. The almost sing-songy nature of one of the verses quickly burrowed itself into my brain, and will probably never leave.

“When Death is Near”. Ooh, a great chunky riff to start us off, and I love that LEATHERHEAD are able to showcase that they aren’t just a band that plays fast, they can play at other speeds. Not quite sure why but Mekras’ vocals here reminded me a lot of John Arch from the early days of FATES WARNING, but I loved it all the same. There’s an extended build up sequence that had some very MAIDEN-esque guitar (think “Phantom of the Opera”), but the drums were more in the METALLICA area of thinking, and it still worked.

“Into the Werewolf’s Lair”. Appropriately, a wolf’s howl began this speed metal frenzy. As to be expected by now, this had all of the pieces for a killer speed metal track. But the tempo shift at around the 2 minute mark was an absolute game changer for me. Around here also, I began to mentally compare LEATHERHEAD with fellow Greek heavy/speed metallers WHITE TOWER, there’s an overlap there but both bands definitely have their own identities.

“Judge Steel”. While nothing was musically inferior or wrong with this one, it didn’t quite connect with me like the rest of the album had up to this point. The recurring was nice, and the vocals were on fire, but it wasn’t clicking with me. Future re-listens might, and probably will, change that.

“Under Your Bed”. This one had less of a speed metal vibe and a bit more a late 80s thrash vibe to it, and variety is the spice of life. Despite that, like the previous track, this one didn’t mesh with me, though I did prefer it slightly over the last one.

“The Awakening”. Another shorter piece, at only a bit over a minute and a half. Gone are the synths that opened the album in favor of more great acoustic string work. As to expected, this one served as the introduction to…

“Leatherhead”. Which means we have ourselves a heavy metal hat-trick, LEATHERHEAD has a song called “Leatherhead” on their self-titled album, Leatherhead. Congrats! Anyway, onto the finale. After the initial buildup, we’re treated to a real treat of a riff. Near the midpoint was a section where the instruments took a backseat to the vocals, in an almost spoken word manner. It was brief, but it was captivating stuff. Not too long after that was the greatest gift of all: isolated bass. Just peak perfection.

CONCLUSION

This was excellent! While I felt that the first half was stronger than the second, it wasn’t enough so to detract from the overall experience. Speed metal lives and dies on the vocals for me, and LEATHERHEAD’s vocalist Tolis Mekras was just what I needed. I’ve also really came on to drums and bass recently, and both respective members of LEATHERHEAD were all-in. Throw in some gnarly riffs and killer onslaughts of speed, and this was a surefire winner.

I am also officially declaring a Golden Age of Greek Heavy Metal!

TheNWOTHM Score: 8.5/10

LEATHERHEAD’s Leatherhead releases on 25 October, 2024

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