Liste der Bands Heavy Metal Gallows Pole Black Leather

I don't even remember well how I came across this unknown heavy metal band from Chile, South America. I guess I was searching for the Facebook page of Austrian rockers Gallows Pole and accidentally found another FB page belonging to the Chilean Gallows Pole and this is how I stumbled across this very obscure band and its gem-studio release "Black Leather". Iron Spell was the only Chilean band I've listened to before popping in "Black Leather" on YouTube so I said, why not expand my South American metal knowledge. I then listened to the album and decided to contact the band itself and even though they didn't have the time to reply to some of my questions (because let's face it, not all people can spend a lot of hours on the internet, they have much more important things to do), I will still continue to support this band. This brings me to my review of what seems to be Gallows Pole's first full album.

"Black Leather" sounds like a record whose tracks were recorded in the '80s, left and forgotten inside a shelf, and 30+ years later were found and remastered by word-class producers, sound engineers, and technicians that worked hard in order to make the album sound as relevant as possible to the ears of the metalheads in our recent era. "Black Leather" honestly is one of the few albums I've listened to that sounds very similar to old-school heavy metal. These guys have somehow managed to make the guitars sound very close to the early 80's tone that Tony Iommi had for all the Sabbath albums that were released in that decade (Listen to the intro riff of the second song "End of Time" and you'll understand what I'm talking about). Vocals also sound very old school, with the accent reminding me of some old school singers from Sweden who had a rough aspect in their voice (but could still sing melodically) such as Tony Hedin (R.I.P) of Hiroshima. Guitar harmonies are prominent in all of the songs and they truly make them much more majestic and offer a great auditorial sensation to the listener. The solos are also FIRE!!! Especially the one in the first song "Reach Out" which has those awesome tapping parts that along with the keyboards, create a magical atmosphere. And yes this album has some keyboard parts like the Sabbath albums with Geoff Nichols (R.I.P) in them did but they don't erase the heaviness.

I really think that "Black Leather" doesn't have a weak moment in its entirety. I like all the compositions a lot, though I will say that when I heard the album on youtube it sounded kind of compressed. Though I won't blame the band for this, YouTube always tends to worsen the sound of most albums uploaded on YouTube. I think these guys should really make a Spotify or Bandcamp page to host and promote their music and should really consider signing with a metal label if they want to make a greater success and why not be on the top of the nwothm scene along with other bands who have made it there, like Enforcer and Eternal Champion. I firmly believe that this album should definitely get a physical release on vinyl, CD or even tape. I would really want to watch these guys live and if I had the money and time, I could travel to Chile for a Gallows Pole concert. On a video I viewed on Facebook in which they played live they sounded just as excellent as on "Black Leather". If only these guys would promote themselves more on the internet and in fanzines, they would have the ultimate respect of most metalheads. Overall, Gallows Pole should not be taken for granted for not having many followers. It is one of the few bands I know that plays true metal.

Rating: 20/20