Single Review: Leech Feat. Luke Manson

I had to smile when I saw this single, as while melodic hardcore outfit Amanaki is new to me, on this release they have a guest in the form of Luke Manson, who I have seen in both Antagonist AD and Xile in recent weeks. Punchy, fast, and hard-hitting, Leech has an underlying repeated sound (not sure if it is synth or treated looped guitar to be honest, could be either) and there is a lot packed into its 128 seconds. It is full of the over-the-top energy and aggression one expects from hardcore, but the guitars are not in your face all the time but rather switch tempos and approach all the way through. With two quite different singers swapping lead roles, there is a deep intensity in what they are doing, but with the repeated sound acting almost like a drone it allows the rest of the band to sit back at times, so when they do come back in the power is enhanced due to the sheer contrast taking place.

Some hardcore bands feel the only way to go for it is to hit hard from the off with no let up, but the effect often gets lost. That is certainly not the case here as we even get crowd vocals at one point, and the song actually feels far longer than it is in reality, just because of all the changes taking place. This is a refreshing approach and based on this their forthcoming EP and tour are going to be intense.