LEATHERWOLF – Endangered Species 40th Anniversary (2025 Remastered reissue) *HQ*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ

Eighties American band LEATHERWOLF is reissuing themselves their full-length debut, 1985’s ”Endangered Species”, aka ‘Leatherwolf 1’, with a fresh audio treatment and mastering by legendary Randy Burns. “Endangered Species (2025 Remastered reissue)” sounds great.
Despite many assumed that a moniker like Leatherwolf could only offer lipstick blotting tips and Aqua Net ingredients as lyrics, at their origins this Californian five piece played classic metal with melody, in the U.S. mold of the genre.
Leatherwolf are known for their muscular brand of U.S. metal, whose sound is built around the highly touted “triple axe attack”. Leatherwolf’s excellent self-titled debut is heavy, but melodic and never short on hooks. They combine the catchiness that much of the early 80s California metal bands were known for, with a British heavy metal flare. The music itself is also slightly progressive at places, not unlike early Crimson Glory.
The triple axe attack is dynamic and no where more apparent than in the band’s eponymous titled song that finishes out the record. Tying the wall of guitars together are the charismatic, smooth and aggressive vocals of Michael Oliveri.

“Spiter”, “Endangered Species”, “Kill and Kill Again”, “Leatherwolf” and “Season of the Witch” are kick-ass, headbanging punchy numbers , while “Season of the Witch” and the title cut are just as heavy, yet considerably more intricate than anything released by a ‘metal’ band at the time in the US.
“Tonight’s the Night”, “Off the Track”, “and “The Hook” are more commercial, still heavy, sonically puting the band somewhere between the burgeoning thrash scene and the popular L.A. glam metal craze.

Leatherwolf’s debut is a brilliant mix of traditional metal and melodic polish. This is American, ’80s ‘US Metal’ at its finest. Unfortunately for the band, they are one of the best kept secrets from the ’80s. Yeah, Leatherwolf were quite unique: too much melodic for rabid metalheads, and too much edgy for glammy sleazy fans. Perhaps that’s the reason they never exploded into the scene, they were quite hard to classify.
They still rock and release new music to this date, so glad they did this “Endangered Species (2025 Remastered reissue)”.
Highly Recommended

01 – Spiter
02 – Endangered Species
03 – Tonight’s the Night
04 – The Hook
05 – Season of the Witch
06 – Off the Track
07 – Kill and Kill Again
08 – Vagrant
09 – Leatherwolf

Mike Olivieri : vocals, lead guitar, growls and howls
Geoff Gayer : lead guitar, backing vocals
Carey Howe : lead guitar, backing vocals
Matt Hurich : bass guitar, backing vocals
Dean ‘Drum Machine’ Roberts : sticks and tricks

BUY
amazon.com/dp/B0FF3F734G
leatherwolfmetal.bandcamp.com/album/endangered-species