Original line-up included:
- Michael Olivieri (vocals, guitar)
- Geoff Gayer (guitar)
- Carey Howe (guitar)
- Paul Carman (bass)
- Dean Roberts (drums).
The band released an eponymous 1984 five-song EP, produced by Randy Burns. Germany's Steamhammer/SPV label released the EP in 1984, upgraded to a full-fledged album, in 1985, titled "Leatherwolf", while Heavy Metal America, who had the rights for Great Britain, issued it as Endangered Species", so named after one of the songs on the album.
In 1986, Matt Hurich left to join Stryper and was replaced by Paul Carman, formerly of Black Sheep. The band signed a new major label record deal with Island Records, and released the confusingly titled, Kevin Beamish produced "Leatherwolf" in 1987. For 1989's "Street Ready" album, recorded in the Bahamas, the band kept on Beamish as producer, but asked the German expatriate Michael Wagener for the mix
Leatherwolf has gone through multiple vocalists over the past decade or more. Original vocalist Michael Olivieri quit the band after the release of the ""Wide Open" (1999) live album and was replaced by vocalist Chris Adams who in turn recorded a demo with the band in 2002. Adams was later let go when Mike Olivieri rejoined and he also recorded a demo with the band in 2003. Mike Olivieri quit once again and Racer X vocalist Jeff Martin was brought in to record yet another demo in 2004. These are known as "Demo 2002", "Demo 2003" and "Demo 2004".
Martin also left and was replaced by Wade Black of Seven Witches fame. Black eventually sang on the final product which materialized as the album ""World Asylum". Ironically Black also left the band after the album's release and a small tour. Mike Olivieri has returned to complete the original line-up and is re-recording the vocals for the "World Asylum" album.
Original members Carey Howe and Michael Olivieri returned in 2007 and Leatherwolf re-issued World Asylum with Olivieri's vocals in place of Wade Black as New World Asylum, again mixed by Hansen. In the fall of 2007, Leatherwolf embarked on a short European tour, highlighted by a headline appearance at the 9th edition of Germany's Keep It True festival. Guitarist Geoff Gayer was let go at the end of the trip[10] and replaced by Greg Erba with whom the band lensed a video clip for "Dr. Wicked (Rx O.D.)", with Karpis Maksudian at the helm once again. It would be included on the Monsters of Metal Vol. 6 video compilation by Nuclear Blast.
By mid-2009, Leatherwolf were said to be writing for a new studio album and shared a bill with Anthrax, Saxon, Overkill, Anvil, and Metal Church at the third annual Rocklahoma festival on July 9, 2009. Michael Olivieri's solo album, Goodbye Rain, was released in December 2009.
In early December 2013, the band announced the release of their ""Unchained Live" album, the first to feature the new guitar duo of Rob Math and Greg Erba. In late May 2015, former members Carey Howe, Geoff Gayer and Wade Black announced that they were working on a new Leatherwolf studio album for a late fall release. Drummer Dean Roberts and vocalist/guitarist Michael Olivieri, original members of the band's current line-up, countered by issuing a statement laying claim to sole legal ownership of the name Leatherwolf. Howe and Gayer eventually settled on the name Haunt of Jackals and released their debut album, "The Chosen", in January 2017 which also included Patrick Guyton handling the bass tracks.
In early January 2017, it was announced that guitarist Joey Tafolla had joined Leatherwolf in place of Greg Erba. The band parted ways with Tafolla six months later due to scheduling conflicts, with 21-year old Luke Man stepping in and taking part in the 2017 UK tour, Leatherwolf's first British live dates in some 28 years. The band would play their first Southern California show with Man now a full band member on November 18 at the Slidebar in Fullerton, CA sharing a bill with Odin.
On February 11, 2019, Leatherwolf announced that they had parted ways with lead vocalist and original member Michael Olivieri for reasons unknown. On August 1, 2019, the band officially introduced Keith Adamiak as their new lead vocalist, and announced the return of guitarist Geoff Gayer and bassist Paul Carman, in place of Luke Man and Patrick Guyton, respectively.
On May 8, 2022, a line-up comprising Keith Adamiak, Rob Math, Luke Man, Dean Roberts, former Michael Schenker Group guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay, and fill-in bassist Brice Snyder, a one-time band mate of Man in Railgun, appeared at the M3 Festival in Columbia, MD, unveiling the band's latest incarnation.
On July 14, 2022, the group released a lyric video for a new song, "Hit the Dirt", and also announced that their new album, ""Kill the Hunted", would be released later in the year. A second lyric video for "The Henchman", with a lead guitar special guest appearance by Whitesnake's Joel Hoekstra, went online on September 13, 2022 and November album release dates were announced for North and South America, Europe, and Japan. The new album, recorded with the aid of session bassist, Barry Sparks, was supported with a promotional video for the title track, "Kill The Hunted".
On July 18, 2023, the band announced an August 18 release date for the "Kill The Hunted" vinyl edition and premiered a performance video for the vinyl bonus track, "Thunder (MMXXII)", a remake of the 1989 Street Ready album cut, also made available as a digital single. The release was celebrated with an August 23 headline show at the Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood, CA.
Thunder
Leatherwolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the night is long
The morning brings on the sun
Rain now forever
When this I found
My coming would bring on the sound
(I am the thunder)
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa-woah
The secret is mine
From heaven in Neptune
The raging seas
Moonlight in nations and kings
For ages and ages
My messengers bring
Songs for the angels to sing
Sing it
(I am the thunder)
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
I am fire at night
I am the cold of the night
The valley's echo is mine
My legend lives on through time
Bang!
Giants and saucers
They cannot withstand
The power I hold in my hands
Meekness is weakness
And I'll surpass
My strength to my own vengeant last
(I am the thunder)
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa!
The secret is mine
Yeah!
I am the thunder
in Leatherwolf's song Thunder. The lyrics in this song explore themes of power, strength, and secret knowledge. The persona in the song sees themselves as a force to be reckoned with - they are the thunder that starts the rain and the lightning that lights up the sky. They possess secret knowledge that they alone hold, which makes them even more powerful.
The opening lines of the song sets the scene for the powerful presence that is to come. The wind is still and the night is long, only to be broken by the coming dawn. The morning brings on the sun, but this person brings on the sound. It is through their power that the sky opens up and the rain pours down.
The song also touches on the role of this person in mythology and legend. They are from heaven in Neptune and hold sway over the raging seas. Their messengers bring songs for the angels to sing. They are a force that can't be ignored and their legend lives on through time. The thunder may be a natural phenomenon, but this persona is larger than life.
Overall, the lyrics to Thunder are about power and strength, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and secrets as sources of power. The persona sees themselves as a force to be reckoned with and a legend in the making.
Line by Line Meaning
The wind is still
The air is quiet and motionless
And the night is long
The night is extending for a long time
The morning brings on the sun
Sunrise happens during the morning time
Rain now forever
It is raining continuously without stopping
When this I found
Upon discovery of this fact
My coming would bring on the sound
The noise is caused by my arrival
(I am the thunder)
The singer identifies as the cause of loud noises in the sky
That starts the rain
The loud sound is the initiator of the rain
(I see the heavens)
The artist has the ability to witness occurrences happening in space
Open the gates
The gates of heaven are being unlocked, granting the power of the sky to the artist
(I am the lightning)
The singer identifies as the source of electrical discharges in the sky
That lights up the sky
The electrical discharge illuminates the entire sky
(I have the answer)
The singer has knowledge or mastery over something
The secret is mine
The knowledge or mastery is solely possessed by the singer
From heaven in Neptune
Messages are being sent to earth from a planet named Neptune
The raging seas
The ocean waves are furious
Moonlight in nations and kings
Moonlight is present in different countries and rulers
For ages and ages
For a very long time
My messengers bring
The singer's envoys are delivering a message
Songs for the angels to sing
The messengers are delivering songs for celestial beings to perform
I am fire at night
The artist is likening themselves to heat in the eveningtime
I am the cold of the night
The artist is also akin to the chilliness of the nighttime atmosphere
The valley's echo is mine
The reverberation in a valley is within the singer's control
My legend lives on through time
The artist's impressive story continues to exist throughout history
Giants and saucers
Large beings and extraterrestrial crafts
They cannot withstand
Their power is not a match for the singer
The power I hold in my hands
The singer possesses great strength
Meekness is weakness
Being gentle is seen as lacking in strength
And I'll surpass
The artist will excel beyond this perception
My strength to my own vengeant last
The singer will use their might for themselves, likely in retaliation
Whoa!
An expression denoting incredulity or excitement
Yeah!
An exclamation showing enthusiasm
Contributed by Sophia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Korver
Thunder
The wind is still
And the night is long
The morning brings on the sun
Reign I Forever
When this I found
My coming would bring on the sound
(I am the thunder)
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa-woah
The secret is mine
From heaven in Neptune
The raging seas
Moonlight in nations and kings
For ages and ages
My messengers bring
Songs for the angels to sing
Sing it
(I am the thunder)
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
I am fire at night
I am the cold of the night
The valley's echo is mine
My legend lives on through time
Bang!
Giants and saucers
They cannot withstand
The power I hold in my hands
Meekness is weakness
And I'll surpass
My strength triumphant at last
(I am the thunder)
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa!
The secret is mine
Yeah!
I am the thunder
Solar Eagle
The wind is still
And the night is long
The morning brings on the sun
Rain now forever
When this I found
My coming would bring on the sound
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa-woah
The secret is mine
From heaven in Neptune
The raging seas
Moonlight in nations and kings
For ages and ages
My messengers bring
Songs for the angels to sing
Sing it
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
I am fire at night
I am the cold of the night
The valley's echo is mine
My legend lives on through time
Bang!
Giants and saucers
They cannot withstand
The power I hold in my hands
Meekness is weakness
And I'll surpass
My strength to my own vengeant last
That starts the rain
(I see the heavens)
Open the gates
(I am the lightning)
That lights up the sky
(I have the answer)
The secret is mine
Whoa!
The secret is mine
Yeah!
I am the thunder 🤘🤘🤘LEATHERWOLF🤘🤘🤘
kforcer
This is absolutely one of the best metal songs I've ever heard. So well done. During my work-out tonight, I basically listened to nothing but this song over and over. This song would be great for the opening or closing credits of a really, really epic movie.
Rex Hondo
A
Hard Rock & Heavy Metal
Yes, it's a great song, I love it
TheSaleMan
You dont have to sell lots of albums to be the best and I think this was the BEST BAND of the 80s hands down. Great lyrics and great music to lyrics. No silly stuff here just pure Rock.
David
Billions and billions of times better than most of the garbage that came of the Sunset Strip. Especially Moldy Crud.
Jan Paradowski
This band is quite underrated, but those who know them know that this song is pure epicness and a massive track
David
Extremely underated. While bands like Mötley Crüe were being fawned over by the record companies.
AntiWokeWarrior
Leatherwolf, one of the most talented 80's bands EVER! It's too bad they didn't become a huge stadium selling out level of success like they were more than worthy of
mike buck
One of the great bands that nobody knows about.
carlinfan4life
This band was sooo fuckin' underrated! They shoulda been a household name! I played the hell out of both the self-titled debut album and Street Ready! I miss the 80's bands like this one! The lead guitarist, Carey Howe, plays like the best of the shredders from that era! His leads are fuckin' killer! He really kills his solos, and knocks them into orbit!!!