Leatherwolf – Kill The Hunted
Leatherwolf – Kill The Hunted
Rock Of Angels Records/ Soulfood Music
Release Date: 11/11/22
Running Time: 50:10
Review by Simon Black
6.5/10
Leatherwolf are one of those acts that I have found to be somewhat elusive over the decades, and chronically overlooked at the time of their inception. I first came across them in 1989 when backpacking around the USA and their “Street Ready” album was released. This was the first time I had really encountered the USA incarnation of Power Metal, and at the time their unique selling point came from what they cheesily referred to as the “Triple Axe Attack”, which genuinely appears to be the first time a Metal act had three full time guitarists in the mix. This meaning any layering you produce in the studio can be reproduced live in those pre-digital days, so if you thought that Iron Maiden came up with that idea when the invited Brice and Adrian back, then onto the naughty step with you…
This was quite an important step at the time really, as with three equally talented six stringers, the different styles and playing signature voices allowed for a broad range of tone and I dutifully carried back a now very well-worn vinyl copy of that record to dear old Blighty. I was quite surprised that no-one in Europe ever seemed to have heard of them when I got home though, and for years I have been trying to get hold of that record in digital format, which has proved as hard to find as rocking horse droppings unless you want to pay over the top import fees (although it has literally just been released on streaming platforms mere weeks ago). What also didn’t help was Grunge, which effectively wiped them out not long after “Street Ready” was released. They regrouped as Hail Mary, but that self-titled album only recently saw the light of day a couple of months back, and it wasn’t until 1999 that they were back under their original moniker. So, I have more than a small amount of curiosity about this one.
A lot has happened in the intervening years. There’s line-up changes, and there’s line-up changes, but this band clearly installed a revolving door in their rehearsal space a long time since. Only drummer Dean Roberts remains from the line-up I encountered all those years ago, and with the distinctive voice of Michael Olivieri having only recently vacated the post (albeit for the second time) I was fully expecting this to sound like band to sound nothing like what I had heard all those years ago.
Well, they do and they don’t…
Let’s start with the vocals. New lungsman Keith Adamiak has all the advantage of youth, as well as being tonally not dissimilar from Oliveri, although I would argue he’s got a lot more rock’n’roll roughness to his tone, whilst still being able to hit the high notes bang to rights. This brings an edginess that lends the music the power and energy of that long ago time, without feeling over-polished and desperately trying to get commercial appeal (which “Street Ready” most definitely suffered from). It’s always a risk bringing an unknown young new player into an established brand, but this is one risk that has paid off, as his performance is powerful, charismatic and with enough energy to power the street in a blackout.
Musically it’s harder to pin down.
Having not heard anything from their output in the intervening years, it’s difficult to track the evolution. That said, stylistically this is absolutely coming from the same place as that early material, with fast paced Power Metal being absolutely the order of the day. That said the kind of triple-layered harmonies that grabbed my attention way back when are not that prevalent. The production seems to be a bit fragmented too, with the music generally benefitting from a rounded mix, but the vocals sometimes sound like they’ve been added in with a different hand at the mixer, and can sound a little crisp and trebly compared to the instrumentals, but that’s a minor niggle as it actually helps bring Adamiak to the fore although the fact that this mix can change so much from track to track gets annoying after a while.
What it’s lacking though is the catchiness of the past, and that’s down to some quite by the numbers song writing in places. Opener ‘Hit The Dirt’ and the title track deliver the goods well enough, and the more epic and richly rounded ‘The Henchman’ is spot on and definitely a nod to the past with that distinctive instrumental interplay front and centre, but tracks like ‘Madhouse’ and ‘Medusa’ feel like the kind of padding that should never have made it beyond the pre-production stage. Overall, the record feels a little rushed and patchy, with that sound inconsistency proving to be a real bugbear as time wears on.
But this to all intents and purposes is a new act, with an old name, and one that is clearly not done gelling with the current line-up. When it’s on form, it delivers superbly, but that stylistic and recording inconsistency makes me feel that a punchier EP of the best tracks would have been a better step until that process has completed.
‘Kill The Hunted’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Hit the Dirt
02. Nobody
03. Kill the Hunted
04. Only the Wicked
05. Madhouse
06. Medusa
07. The Henchman
08. (Evil) Empires Fall
09. Road Rage
10. Lights Out Agan
11. Enslaved
LINE-UP:
Barry Sparks – Bass
Dean Roberts – Drums
Rob Math – Guitars
Luke Man – Guitars
Keith Adamiak – Vocals
Wayne Findlay – Keyboards / Guitars
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
