Scandinavian power quartet, Leach, is closing in for a kill with a masterpiece of – quite literally – punching thrash/death'n'roll. As a first harbinger of the upcoming album New Model Of Disbelief, the band has just delivered their brand new video single, "Gone To Waste".
Kicking it off with a crushing main riff and frantically aggressive vocals by singer/guitarist Markus Wikander, the single manages to move on to its rich, touching chorus in an almost seamless fashion.
However, the truly unexpected star of this blood fest is a very old-school melodic metal epilogue that can easily get you to indulge in awesome flashbacks – if you’ve been a metalhead for a while. Leach themselves describe this piece of northern perfection in much simpler words: “A good sum up of what we’re all about. Fast ‘in your face’ stuff blended with rock’n’roll grooves and melodies.”
The visuals presented in the music video are perfectly set to underline this ceremony of opposites: from the band’s sweaty, hard rockin’ performance amidst the eerie atmosphere of a midnight parking lot to the refined elegance of female movement looking for the perfect swing in a blood-soaked fight club setting, as presented by Swedish pro wrestlers Betty Rose and Sixt.
With three full length releases and one EP already under their belts, the guys have certainly established Leach in the Scandi music scene. They’ve redefined the internationally cherished Swedish sound by merging elements of the iconic Gothenburg scene with that special aggressiveness of northern hardcore, while mixing in a good measure of old-school Stockholm death. Defining attributes of their work are electrifying and exciting smash songs with groovy twists – picture a blood-thirsty, melody-hungry bastard child of Entombed and Exodus, two of the band’s biggest, long-lasting influences.
This gang – Markus Wikander on vocals and guitars, Robert Karlsson on guitars, Anders Nordlander (as well as his successor Tobias Oja) on bass and Joachim Dahlström on drums – knows exactly how to work their blend of styles, and many of the most relevant playlist editors around the world have proven them right numerous times over the years. The vocals bite, the riffs burst to mosh and the melodies open up to passionate, huge life questions. The tense thematic run between revolution, social injustice and inner struggles in the band’s lyrics offers a superbly dynamic pressure vent for piled up emotions of all sorts.
And the Swedes aren’t a slouch in the touring department either: Through their wide-ranging live history, Leach have shared the stage with prominent bands, such as Unearth, Misery Index, Belphegor and Kampfar. Over the recent years, this caused the gathering of an enthusiastic following around the band, as they describe by example of a typical Leach live experience: “Over the top energy – the crowd can feel that we give it all and give us energy back.” Touring preparations for 2024 have long begun and first Swedish shows as well as a few festival gigs have already been booked.
Leach's fourth album, New Model Of Disbelief, will be released digitally and as CD and LP on April 19. Christian Silver at Studiomega (Sepultura, Kreator, Soilwork), who already took great care of the band’s previous record Lovely Light Of Life, acted as the driving force in terms of recording, mixing and mastering once again.
Pre-save the new record here.
