Time and again, through the platform made available to me via The Forgotten Scroll, I have made the case against the easily digestible, smooth, overproduced heavy metal that oftentimes parades through new release catalogues in the 2020s. Fortunately for me, WICKED LEATHER is NOT one of those cases.
Let me start off by saying that Season Of The Witch, the debut offering by the Catalonian heavy metallers, is not for everyone. But that is exactly where the beauty in the realm of Heavy Metal they play lies. The guitar playing, which is fairly pronounced in the songwriting, is full of nerve and ill – intentions. Riff upon riff, it flip flops between catchiness and anxiety. Listeners of SATAN will perfectly understand the feeling I’m trying to convey.
The uncanny atmosphere is further enhanced by Yami’s vocals. The nasally tone paired with an unabashedly aggressive delivery, certainly makes for one of the most arcane and intriguing takes on female heavy metal vocals I’ve come across.
All of the above is combined in a record that emphasizes speed (when speed is necessary – which is often) aggression and an old –school attitude with a strong occult flavor. You will find no breaks to catch your breath here, for a nice and trim 38 minutes and some change, no quarter will be given! And the best part? The longer the record goes, the better it gets. In an era when new releases come out by the ton and the traditionalist space begins to saturate (or according to some, it already has), Season Of The Witch definitely sets itself apart from the pack.
This reading into WICKED LEATHER’s debut is not meant to scare you off. It is meant to entice you to take the leap into the band’s delightfully uneasy realm, filled with witches and bloodshed. Then again, if it did scare you off, I’m pretty sure you weren’t meant to try it in the first place.
WICKED LEATHER – Season Of The Witch will be released on the 30th of January 2026 by Lost Realm Records, on Vinyl, CD and digitally.
_____________________________________________________________________
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
