Rating: * * *
Those hankering, and a little twitchy about when and if My Chemical Romance will release a follow-up to The Black Parade, then vent your unease on this.
Leathermouth is the shouty and rowdy hardcore side project of My Chem's guitarist Frank Iero. And boy,
he'll be venting right along with you.
Don't expect the high-falutin' rock of his other band because this is rugged and volatile stuff as Iero carves out and stabs away to create a frenzied, angry and short 25-minute slab of hardcore punk rock.
Also, don't expect to hear many of the lyrics as he barks and haemorrhages words at a frantic rate.
However, for all X0's initial ferocity it often lacks dynamic and texture and doesn't harness the power and might of similar sounding, yet more seasoned bands, like Converge, Cancer Bats and Terror.
Except, that is, on marauding centrepiece Murder Was the Case They Gave Me, with its clash of circling riffs and bass rumbling, and following track Sunsets Are For Muggings, which has a beautifully timed, beefy bass-driven mid-song breakdown.
If it ever goes awry for My Chem then Iero shows he's got the goods for a new career in hardcore and here's hoping he brings more of his unhinged outpourings to the Queen-like sound of his more famous band.
Scott Kara
