Hailing from Como in Italy this four piece punk rock combo have decided to get the legend Daniel Rey to produce this snarling slab of in your face punk rock and unleash it upon the public. It's loud and covers a lot of bases and isn't simply a punk rock album but has more than a hint of the likes of Turbonegro, as finely demonstrated on 'Feeling Alright Tonight', with some very meaty riffing being the order of the day. The pace isn't dropped as the band play hard on the next track as they manage to harness some of the menace and anger and write some neat music to compliment it.

'Down On My Knees' has a vibe of a full flight Dead Boys going on whereas 'Vanilla Coke' is far more palatable than its inspiration, with more chunky riffs than you can shake a stick at. 'Stop The Clock' is heads down and sprint to the finish line with a rapid drum beat - it's no nonsense punk.

'Nothing At All' strays into latterday Ramones with ease and there isn't anything to dislike here, it's solid and very well delivered. In fact a lot of this album reminds me of the Ramones, more so in the structure than actual sound - sure they must have been a big influence on the band but they haven't simply copied them, more absorbed the spirit which is way better in my humble opinion.

A pretty decent offering from The Leeches to be fair; it's certainly on the right tracks and heading into the right direction. My only concern is it's a little one directional and thirteen songs is a lot to cram on an album without much light and shade, although saying that throwing a punk rock curve ball like the cover of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Me - 262' had me thinking BOC never sounded so good and had they actually sounded like this I might have given a fuck!

I like the Leeches and 'Underwater' on the whole is an impressive record; it's clearly a band having a great time knocking out songs they  love and live. Go check 'em out, you won't be disappointed.

www.theleeches.it

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