Leash Law - Dogface


Year of Release: 2004
Label: Black Lotus Records
Catalog Number: BLRCD061
Format: CD
Total Time: 40:35:00

Leash Law might be a new name on the metal front, the members are certainly not. Vocalist Wade Black (Crimson Glory), guitarists Rick Renstrom (Bob Rock) and Emo Mowery (Nocturnus), bassist Stephen Elder (Rob Rock) and drummer Richard Christy (Death, Iced Earth), have earned their fame in the bands they played in. Together they formed Leash Law and the independent Greek extreme metal label Black Lotus has released their debut album: Dogface.

Of course I was very curious to this album. Well, it is heavy, that's for sure. And Rick Renstrom is really good, with some shredding solos in the songs. Rhythm section is solid. Vocals did not do much for me, but then again, Crimson Glory never worked for me. Too much screaming and less melody in the vocals, and I get the feeling Black wants to sing a notch heavier than he can, so the whole sounds a bit over the top. The general sound, especially the first half of the album, sounds a bit messy, as if the producer lost direction. "Banion" is one of the better songs, a sort of ballad, which sounds very good, including Black's vocals. The songs after this sound a bit more balanced, however the production is still not what I'd expected. Another song, with a lot more melody, is "Hellhole," where the two guitarists are mainly responsible for the melody lines, and together with the closing song "Paving The Way," the three songs I really like on this album.

The length of the album is only 40 minutes, but to be honest, it shouldn't have been any longer. Although the compositions are not bad, the production needs a lot of work. So with the selling point "The debut album that sets the standards of today's Heavy Metal in a very high position," I cannot agree, as there are lots of metal bands, who have released much better albums than this. Even the sophisticated equipment they used did not help to create a high quality album. So hopefully the next release will be much better than this one. Listen before you buy it!

[This review originally appeared April 2004 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]


Tracklisting:
Fight / Dogface / Stealing Grace / Hail to Blood / Banion / Better When Betrayed / Martial Law / Hellhole / Paving the Way

Musicians:
Wade Black - vocals
Rick Renstrom - guitars
Emo Mowery - guitars
Stephen Elder - bass
Richard Christy - drums

Discography:
Dogface (2004)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin VA

Added: January 1st 2005
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.leash-law.com
Hits: 2124
Language: english

  

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