Revisiting Leatherwolf

Listening to the second self title album, with songs like Rise or Fall and Cry Out why weren't these guys huge? Fit into the Leppard camp of about that time with even a little more grit at times. And I really enjoy New World Asylum, maybe more modern but not so bad it ruined them, kind of like how Tesla does it.

The triple guitar attack was great although I found a lot of their songs quite weak. Mainly the singing. What did you think of the World Asylum album with Wade Black on vocals? You mentioned New World Asylum which is a re-recording of Wold Asylum but with Michael Oliveri back on vocals.

Honestly, I can't even tell the World Asylum and New World asylum albums apart. I'd dare anyone to a blind test to see if they can hear much of a difference between the two.

Leatherwolf were great! Unfortunatly they had a crap name (for their brand of metal anyways), and they were a little too late, I think.

I like them. Pretty solid music and I don't find the vocals to be weak at all. I've always wondered why they released 2 self titled albums in a row? I still have yet to hear World Asylum/New World Asylum.

Street Ready owns. Needed like 12 spins to finally get into , but then the guitar attack won me over. Agree that Oliveri was the weakest point, though he fits in their sound.
And why they didn't use "Share a Dream" instead of "Cry Out" is beyond me - the ballad is a monster.

I only heard the version with Oliveri on it and didn't feel the need to own it twice.

After years of hearing how great these guys were and the whole "triple-axe attack", when I finally obtained a copy of Street Ready, (about 2 or 3 years ago) I was massivly disappointed at how clean and polished it sounded. To me, it sounded like any other radio-ready slick hair band at the time of it's initial release (1989).

I sold it off for a handsome profit and haven't really heard much else from them since. I've been told by many fine folks here that their earlier albums had more grit to them and that Street Ready was their attempt at a more main-stream sound. That may be true, but unless I stumble upon a copy at a used shop or while digging holes in my backyard, I may never know. And I'm ok with that.

I think they're great but like Kmorg mentioned a little late to the game.

They released their debut in 1985, how is that late?

I really like everything they have released, including Street Ready. Their first S/T album is great, traditional Metal. I thought they had a really cool traditional metal/glam thing going on in their releases.

"Behind the Gun" is a great song.

I like a few of these guys' songs, but I've never heard a full album. "Alone in the Night" is a great song, as is "Rise and Fall".

TheGreatDuck wrote:

They released their debut in 1985, how is that late?

It was released on a very small indie label, with one of the ugliest album covers to boot, so it was no wonder it didn't make an impact.

2 years later they finally land a deal, and records the next album for Island Records. 2 of the 5 members are replaced, and the whole image of the band is transformed. Thrash is now all the rage in metal, and Leatherwolf are somewhat left in limbo, looking like a glam band, but playing heavy metal with emphasis on heavy!

That makes sense but too bad.

I had a Leatherwolf album years 'n' years ago (I believe it was the self titled Island release) ... if memory serves it was rather generic stuff so I ended up trading it off.

...which was probably a st00pid move cuz as I understand it their CDs go for pretty good coin on eBay nowadays, so whoever I traded it to probably turned it around for a chunk of change.

Sigh. Live and learn.

kmorg wrote:

TheGreatDuck wrote:

They released their debut in 1985, how is that late?

It was released on a very small indie label, with one of the ugliest album covers to boot, so it was no wonder it didn't make an impact.

2 years later they finally land a deal, and records the next album for Island Records. 2 of the 5 members are replaced, and the whole image of the band is transformed. Thrash is now all the rage in metal, and Leatherwolf are somewhat left in limbo, looking like a glam band, but playing heavy metal with emphasis on heavy!

I have their mini lp released back in 1984, later in 1985 their first fulllength album came out with the same from cover strange enough. I like their early releases but also STREET READY.

kmorg wrote:

TheGreatDuck wrote:

They released their debut in 1985, how is that late?

It was released on a very small indie label, with one of the ugliest album covers to boot, so it was no wonder it didn't make an impact.

2 years later they finally land a deal, and records the next album for Island Records. 2 of the 5 members are replaced, and the whole image of the band is transformed. Thrash is now all the rage in metal, and Leatherwolf are somewhat left in limbo, looking like a glam band, but playing heavy metal with emphasis on heavy!

Still, some of the songs such as Hideaway or The Calling were melodic, not too far from bands like Dokken... And besides, Crimson Glory, Queensryche, WASP, and even King Diamond's band looked kinda glammy, yet played heavy metal (also, I personally don't really consider hair/glam to be a genre of music).

The second album had a mix of sounds -some metallic tracks, some Leppard-like, and a fairly ordinary cover tune (and of course the generic 80s hard rock look). It's like the band wasn't sure which sound they wanted to pursue, resulting in an inconsistent album.

I like Street Ready but I agree it is basically hair metal with a slightly more metal edge. I also have the S/T from 87(?) and the cover of CCR's Bad Moon Rising is great IMO.

Only one I have is Street Ready, which I bought when it was a new release. Hunted around for the earlier stuff for a while, but could never find it. Street Ready's a solid album, though.

Infinite wrote:

Only one I have is Street Ready, which I bought when it was a new release. Hunted around for the earlier stuff for a while, but could never find it. Street Ready's a solid album, though.

Similar for me as well. I first heard Wicked Way's on the local college radio station, I thought that song was very good. It got me hooked in, and I began a search to figure out who it was. I didn't think that song sounded all too hair metal to me. The other songs on the album could swing that way. I still listen to Street Ready a few times a year, as well as D.A.D. - No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims. Classic goodies for me to bring out every once in a while......

No Fuel is a great album! Ask Fat Freddy.

But we still have no idea what "ZCMI" means.

tohostudios wrote:

No Fuel is a great album! Ask Fat Freddy.

But we still have no idea what "ZCMI" means.

Lol. No kidding. He's a high flyin guy.

tohostudios wrote:

No Fuel is a great album! Ask Fat Freddy.

But we still have no idea what "ZCMI" means.

Yea, now that's an album I can get behind. D.A.D.'s No Fuel... is a great album, as is the follow-up Riskin' It All.

tohostudios wrote:

No Fuel is a great album! Ask Fat Freddy.

But we still have no idea what "ZCMI" means.

...maybe not, but at least thanks to D.A.D., we now know that they throw the best damn parties at the Rim of Hell. Oh Lord, you can tell by the smell.