Leeched’s New Album Delivers Stunningly Wild Blackened Hardcore Chaos

The new album from the U.K. blackened hardcore band Leeched feels absolutely devastating, in the best way. They’ve titled their latest concoction of songs To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse, and to suggest that the music delivers on the metaphysically violent implications of that title would be a major understatement. Right from the first moments of the first song, the band dive into crushing walls of blistering, manic sonic chaos, and even when they introduce the more straightforward hardcore riffing once their music goes on, their creation remains maniacally brutal.

You can’t listen to this album and sit still. You just cant. At least, you’ll feel like moving around. Leeched spin their pummeling riffs into a quickly psychologically disorienting creation. As a key foundation here, the sheer physical force with which the band deliver their songs ensures that they will stick majorly. Imagine the most venomously brutal hardcore that you can, and then crank up the viciousness until listening feels like an auditory chemical burn, and you’ll almost arrive at the point where this new Leeched album operates. Almost.

The terror-ridden grandiosity and blast beats of black metal crash into hardcore riffs that feel like blows from massive sledgehammers, and the wreckage reveals this new record.

Overall, the new Leeched album feels like it has a very serious tone, if you couldn’t tell as much already. The band rush well on past the point of just having riffs that are fun to jump around to at a show, or alone at home if you’re adventurous. The song “I, Flatline” is a particular highlight of the band’s rush into utter sonic devastation. The demented swagger reverberating through that song’s crushing, suffocating waves of riff-driven sonic torment powerfully signals the band’s work to expand their palette into territory like the menacing, creeping tones ringing out when the next song starts. The way the sound feels like it’s slinking up just to sink deep teeth into your throat makes the whole listening experience feel like your skin is getting slowly but surely peeled back.

The album is not easy listening. It’s an experience of completely letting loose — completely — and rushing face-first into the vat of chemicals that’s been eyeing you for awhile. It’s grim as hell, but subtly exhilarating.

The full album will be available on January 31 via Prosthetic Records. Pre-orders are available at this link.

Listen to some of the album below: