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Sometimes no fun at all can be hugely enjoyable. Take this debut album from Manchester-based trio Leeched; it’s filled with songs titles like Raised By Lead and A Mouth Full Of Dirt, it’s as nihilistic as Eyehategod, as bleak as Neurosis on a rainy Monday morning and is predominately made up of riffs and guttural howling that’s heavier than having a hippo drive a steamroller over your foot.
But the sludgy, ugly, seething, pitch-black hardcore that makes up You Took The Sun When You Left will make anyone who loves savagely loathsome music grin from ear to ear all the way through its 11 tracks.
The way that Leeched delight in punishing the listener, as evidenced by Born In Sand’s climax of feedback-drenched primal screams, is a gruesome joy. A piece of wonderful self-flagellation.
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Stephen joined the Louder team as a co-host of the Metal Hammer Podcast in late 2011, eventually becoming a regular contributor to the magazine. He has since written hundreds of articles for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Louder, specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal. He also presents the Trve. Cvlt. Pop! podcast with Gaz Jones and makes regular appearances on the Bangers And Most podcast.
