Leatherwolf Bio

Long before British metal legends Iron Maiden picked up on the concept, a pack of hungry Huntington Beach, CA-based teenagers, collectively known as LEATHERWOLF, pioneered and perfected the heavy metal Triple Axe Attack - documented via a trifecta of critically acclaimed and much worshipped '80's scorchers. The eponymous debut EP, expanded to a full-length LP, entitled 'Endangered Species' for international release, and a pair of stunning albums for Island Records, 'Leatherwolf' and 'Street Ready' (yielding the MTV videos 'The Calling' and 'Hideaway', respectively), saw the band flying the flag of decidedly European-styled metal amidst a sea of formulaic L.A. and OC contemporaries.

After a lengthy self-imposed break, the band's classic line-up resurfaced in 1999 with a storming live album, 'Wide Open', which went on to sell well over 10.000 copies without the support of a label or extensive touring, underscoring LEATHERWOLF's enduring appeal among metal enthusiasts. The band also made a triumphant return to Europe by special invitation with a one-off gig at the prestigious Wacken Festival in Germany.

Regrouping in 2006, the nucleus of guitarist Geoff Gayer and drummer Dean Roberts emerged with a new line-up consisting of vocalist Wade Black (ex-Crimson Glory), guitarist Eric Halpern (Krucible), and bassist Pete Perez (Riot) to once again turn the metal world on its ear with ‘World Asylum’, the band’s heaviest effort to date. Fusing familiar lupine trademarks with a modern-day edge, commanding vocals, and ten-ton hammer sonics, courtesy of Danish studio whiz Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Rob Rock, Communic) who was brought in for the mix, 'World Asylum' impacts with the force of a head-on crash and exhibit the group's superior knack for powerful, anthemic songwriting that's always separated these SoCal men from the boys.

'World Asylum' earned top marks in major publications such as Rock Hard, Aardschok and Heavy!, and the band played a much celebrated gig at the Bang Your Head!!! Festival alongside In Flames, Foreigner, Helloween, Armored Saint and others (documented on the just released BYH 2006 DVD), and helped kick off the festivities with a blistering set at ProgPower VII in Atlanta, North America's permier indie heavy metal event.

Coming full circle in 2007, LEATHERWOLF are once again kicking out the jams in classic formation, with a returning Mike Olivieri leading the charge. Coming off a just completed fall European tour, which included headlining the 9th edition of Germany’s Keep It True Festival, the band are now issuing a re-worked version of their acclaimed 2006 comeback disc, titled 'New World Asylum.' An unorthodox step but one the members feel confident about: "The thing is - 'World Asylum' is what got Mike's metal juices flowing again", explains drummer / co-producer Dean Roberts. "He needed to step away form everything for a while but when he heard the finished album with Wade he was blown away. And once Wade left getting Mike back just made sense. The idea to re-cut the vocals and tweak the album came about because Mike loved singing the new songs and wanted to give it a go. Wade did a great job on the original 'World Asylum' but from all the feedback we've received we know that people are welcoming Mike with open arms and are stoked to hear his voice again."