XØ

The pretentiously weird typesetting of the band and album name isn’t the worst of it: that tattooed, black-mopped singer is none other than Frank Iero. That’s right; this ‘new’ band is affiliated with, shock horror, My Chemical Romance. But thankfully, letting guitarist Iero get his hands on the mic has resulted in a shocking departure.

It’s a pleasant surprise to discover that Leathermouth (come on, I’m not going to keep up that ridiculous spelling) are the purest of hardcore punk. XO consists of ten bursts of furious energy, each less than three minutes long. The recording is rough and raw, sounding and feeling like a live performance. Its painfully fast rhythm, with loud guitar swoops, conjures up an image of a very sweaty band in full swing.

As for the vocals, they’re anarchic, nihilistic, and deliciously unhinged, apparently based on Iero’s experiences of anxiety and paranoia- “we need a doctor” indeed. ‘I Am Going to Kill the President of the USA’ has a riff meaty enough to rival Queens of the Stone Age, though that scream is decidedly more Nick Oliveri than Josh Homme.

Other tracks sound like an American version of Gallows: opening track ‘5th Period Massacre’ is as violent and shocking as the topic it laments; ‘Sunsets are for Muggings’ makes the line “life is a fight” sound like an unquestionable truth; and ‘Bodysnatchers 4eva’ has those crunchy, heavy, Black Flag-esque guitars. By the time tenth track ‘Leviathan’ comes along, the vocals have lost all coherence, and the listener is ready to drop. Not surprising, as this is probably the most frenzied explosion of energy you’ll hear this year. Maybe it’s a good thing the maelstrom is over in just 23 minutes.

They might, initially, be plagued by teenaged crossover fans, but Leathermouth will never be as popular as MCR. Because despite still having a uniform (albeit a decidedly minimalist one), they are as far removed from the pomp and spectacle of Lero’s original band as could be. This is dirty, no frills hardcore: the polished, heart-warming choruses, and pyrotastic stage shows of latter-day MCR have no place here. All the drama and energy in Leathermouth comes from within. If this band becomes a cult, it will be purely on the strength of its music. Which, to me, sounds like it might just be possible.