Oh dear, I had such high hopes for this release, 'Leatherwolf' produced some memorable yet underrated Melodic Metal back in the 80's, but this their comeback album bares little resemblance to those brief glory years. For a start, original vocalist 'Michael Olivieri' is no longer onboard (albeit contributes some backing vocals), his replacement 'Wade Black' formally of 'Crimson Glory' is talented, but in my opinion his approach is too modern for a band like 'Leatherwolf'. Other line-up changes include the addition of 'Riot's' 'Pete Perez' and guitarist 'Eric Halpern' from 'Destiny's End', this leaves only two original members 'Geoff Gayer' and 'Dean Roberts'. No shortage of ability by any stretch of the imagination, but the traditional 'Leatherwolf' sound is all but lost and replaced for the most part by an unconvincing hybrid of Modern American meets Thrashy Power Metal, that consistently lacks melody and the classic Metal sound.

The album gets underway convincingly with a splendid intro to 'I Am the Law', but soon as the vocals kick in, it all seems to deteriorate, this isn't necessarily down to 'Wade Black' as the song also develops into an unruly modern Thrasher by this point, lyrically repetitive and the rowdy outro is also pretty awful. Improvements are made with the more harmonious 'King of the Ward', the grooving rhythm and fret work drive the track from the outset, while 'Wade Black's' more controlled vocals do the decent lyrics credit. Following strongly is 'Behind the Gun' a powerful rocker fuelled by fine work from 'Pete Perez and 'Dean Roberts', while also sporting excellent hooks and a great 'Maidenesque' solo. 'Live or Die' continues in a more rough and ready, albeit energetic fashion, while the thrashy 'Disconnect' promises in places with sweet guitar licks, but is a million miles away from old school 'Leatherwolf'. The bottom really starts to fall out with the downright dull and inharmonious 'Dr. Wicked', the droning chorus is a another low point and the only saving grace is 'Geoff Gayer' and 'Eric Halpern's' guitar work. The more experimental sounding 'Institutions' ensues with a darker more mystical approach, think 'Alice Cooper's' 'Brutal Planet', suppose it breaks the album up to some degree, but still not a highlight despite some blazing guitars along the way. More promising is the brisk, almost 'Judas Priest' style ripper 'Derailed', not the most refined track you'll ever hear, but the pulsating rhythm is sweet, while 'Wade Black's' delivery is less aggressive and overall a marked improvement. Next up is the semi epic 'The Grail' a complex winding piece, that's graced with sharp fret work and multiple tempo changes, this could be a very good cut, but 'Wade Black' does nothing for me on this track and ultimately it all seems to drag. The album trails off with the longwinded 'Never Again', and as with the previous track, in parts there's promise, but all told fails to come-off as well as it might.

Maybe I've been a bit harsh with this review, there's glimpses of the excellent guitar work 'Leatherwolf' are known for, but if like me, you were looking for a revitalized 80's 'Leatherwolf' you're going to be disappointed, fans who like the more modern side of Metal might take something from this release however.