Along the way a few breaks in tone are discovered. Ironically mentioned in my musings on Trilogy, the man from Ulver himself, Kristoffer Rygg, lends his voice for a track. The combination is perfect! Cheerleader Effect gets treated to his soft power over a thinner instrumental. It gives room for his words to breathe and sets up a couple of mellower tracks to follow. They have 80s jam session vibes with some vibrant lead solos. In these moments a touch of Genesis of that era can be heard. The vocals return again later on, this time with Mat McNerny. His opening Ian Curtis impression stands a little stark and broody but as he gets into it, the music gels well.
Leather Teeth is one of the best Synthwave records I've heard. It surpasses any tropes with the stunning musicianship. It seems that song writing is the core and everything aesthetic just falls into place around it. My favorite moments stem from the lead instruments. Synths solos and Metal guitars really open up the musics dynamics as the arsenal of keys have to lay of the repetition. Its sways from dance to Progressive are well managed and both sides are performed so well. There is little I can fault here but it sounds is if there is many directions this could all be taken in. After all, this has progressed from quite a dark place to something still in rapture but upbeat, casual and groovy with fun vibes emanating. I'm excited for whats next!
Rating: 8/10