I’ve seen the prowling sinners in Sacred Leather live a few times now, and each time they transform the evening’s energy. Cold and snowy outside? They melt winter away with heavy metal sizzle ‘n’ sweat. Quiet and calm? Not after Sacred Leather frontman Dee Wraithchild punctures the night with a sky-flung wail. Now in the middle of a pandemic, Sacred Leather are back to transform your mundane quarantine into 6 and a half minutes of headbanging lust and luster with their new single “Oruku.”
After the song’s first clang of bass, “Oruku” enters phase one of electric courtship. Bittersweet melodies cast shadows across the song’s stainless-steel structure. But around 2 minutes in, the song’s main powerthrust erupts with fret-wizardry and the song’s most sumptuous riffage. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest lifers will no doubt note Sacred Leather’s exuberant reverence. The same goes for the highway stallions in Saxon or the wild catz in Tygers of Pan Tang. But like Haunt and others leading the charge of American traditional heavy metal, Sacred Leather aren’t a band that thaws frozen NWOBHM choruses from 1982 and calls it a day. Down to the final gong crash, “Oruku” reflects veneration without impersonation. While the pseudonyms used by Sacred Leather wink and grin at the listener, there’s no joking when it comes to the song’s rock-solid composition and dazzling guitar work. The production of “Oruku” feels like polished chrome, thanks to engineer Trevor Wathen (of Beware Sounds) and mastering by Carl Byers (of Clandestine Arts Recording).
“”Oruku” is the first single off of our forthcoming [TBD] record,” writes Wraithchild. “The sophomoric follow-up to Ultimate Force (released in 2018 with Cruz Del Sur) is written in its entirety and being completed as we speak, with a target release date of late summer/early fall 2020. Of all the new material we have recorded, “Oruku” is definitely one of the songs we are most excited for people to check out.”
Stream “Oruku” in its full majesty below and stay tuned for a full Sacred Leather LP later in 2020.
Follow Sacred Leather on Facebook for updates on the upcoming album HERE
Check out Sacred Leather’s other videos on Youtube HERE
Support the band and listen to Ultimate Force on Bandcamp HERE
