Heavy metal from the Anaheim, California, USA. Started out in 1983, and are still around in some form or shape.

LEATHERWOLF (1987) ISLAND

Leatherwolf is perhaps mostly known for their triple axe attack, long before Iron Maiden adopted the idea. Although this is a self titled album, it is actually the bands second effort. It is also their second self titled album (go figure!).

These guys look like they came from the hair metal days of the mid 80's. And the date of the CD is 1987. But the music is NOT hair metal, at all. Well, there are some similarities to early Stryper, Dokken and Ratt. But Leatherwolf doesn't have that overtly soft side to them. They go from heavy to really heavy, borderline power metal, yet having enough hooks and melody to make it catchy. They are also one of the few bands from the 80's that used keyboards that actually raised the quality of the music. Just check out "Princess Of Love". Why I didn't discovered them earlier on is a mystery, because I'm really enjoying this CD!! They don't make this kind of metal any longer. Though I could have done without the horrible cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, "Bad Moon Rising".

Killer tracks: Rise Or Fall, The Calling, Share A Dream, Gypsies & Thieves, Princess Of Love, Rule The Night

DEMO '04 (2004) LEATHERWOLF MUSIC

Leatherwolf remains as one of the unsung heroes of the underground metal movement, never backing down to adopt to trends. After spending several years back in the demo stages, some recognition was given to the band again when they released this 3 track demo in 2004.

The line-up here is the same as it has been since 1987, with the exception of the vocal spot. Original singer, Michael Olivieri left the band after the live album, 'Wide Open', in 1999, and the band released a demo in 2002 with Chris Adams taking over the mic. Then Michael rejoined them for another demo recorded in 2003, only to disappear again for this demo release. This time the vocals are handled by Jeff Martin (Racer X, Black Symphony).

The 3 songs have Leatherwolf written all over them. This is a band that has never strayed far from their original sound. If anything they have evolved into an even heavier band with these tracks. Jeff Martin fits the bands style perfectly, with his smooth but powerful voice. "Behind The Gun" and "Disconnect" were both used for the bands next album, but the versions here are a bit more melodic. The guitar solo in 'Disconnect' is off the hook!

All 3 tracks were put on the bands website for fans to download. And while I_ used to have the downloaded version for many years, I was lucky enough to score this CD version instead, thanks to Uncle Saxon's Kickass CD Store.

WORLD ASYLUM (2006) LEATHERWOLF MUSIC INC.

It's been 7 years since the last studio album from Leatherwolf. But the band has not been as inactive as it may seem. They released a live album in 1999. And 3 demos saw the light of day in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Save for the vocal spot, the line-up of the band kept intact right up to the recording of 'World Asylum', the title of the bands 4th studio album.

Here Wade Black (ex-Crimson Glory, ex-Seven Witches) has taken over the microphone, while Pete Perez and Eric Halpern takes over on bass and guitar. The result is one stinking heavy album! Very unlike previous efforts from Leatherwolf, 'World Asylum' has crossed the threshold, and is now a full on power metal release. No, not the melodic German kind, but the US variation, made famous by bands like Metal Church and Vicious Rumors. And as such, this is an great CD indeed. Although a bit uneven, most of the songs still hit you like a ton of bricks. The production only enhances the power metal feeling. All of the instruments can clearly be heard in the mix, and I especially love the bass work at hand. Wade also does a good job, but he makes the band sound a tad more generic then I first had hoped for. Michael Olivieri had a smoother, more distinct voice.

After the release of 'World Asylum', Wade too left Leatherwolf to rejoin Crimson Glory. Once again the band brought back Olivieri, and started working on a re-recorded version of this album.

I own an independently released version of the album, ordered through the bands MySpace site. But later on Massacre Records picked it up to distribute it worldwide.

Killer tracks: I Am The Law, Behind The Gun, Disconnect, Doctor Wicked (Rx O.D.), The Grail

NEW WORLD ASYLUM (2007) LEATHERWOLF MUSIC INC./N.I.L.8. RECORDS

Wade Black left the band as soon as Leatherwolf finished the recording of 'World Asylum'. Original vocalist Michael Olivieri, together with original guitar-player Carey Howe, were recruited back into the bands ranks, and it was decided to re-released the album, with re-recorded vocals by Olivieri. So in 2007 Leatherwolf released 'New World Asylum', with slightly altered artwork.

I must admit that I thought the idea of reissuing the album with the bands original singer was a good idea. But with the result in hand, I am not sure it improved the album all that much. Quite frankly, it's almost impossible to hear any differences at all. I've tried to switch back and forth from version to version, and they sound so similar, I can hardly see the point of the reissue at all.

On 'World Asylum' and 'New World Asylum' the band sports a full on power metal sound. I've also heard demo takes on some of the songs from the album (with Jeff Martin (Black Symphony, Razor X etc. singing), and they are more in the vain of the classic Leatherwolf style. So my take is that they should have re-recorded the album from scratch. That would have at least made the 2 versions sound different.

Still, 'New World Asylum' is a great album, with hoards of great songs! It also grows with repeated listening. So if you are a fan of Leatherwolf, then you can now disregard 'World Asylum', buy 'New World Asylum', and pretend that they never changed singers at all!

Killer tracks: I Am The Law, Behind The Gun, Disconnect, Doctor Wicked (Rx O.D.), The Grail

Jeff Martin guest appearances:

Related artists: 

Red Sea, Black Symphony, Crimson Glory, Seven Witches, Riot, Reverend, Destiny's End, Helstar, Distant Thunder