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LEECH

Post Rock/Math rock • Switzerland


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Leech picture
Leech biography
Founded in 1995 - Hiatus from 2001 to 2006

LEECH was formed by Marcel Meyer (Guitar, Piano), Urs Meyer (Guitar, Piano) and Serge Olar (Drums). Right from the start the band devoted itself to experimental instrumental music - rhythmic figures are developed and connected with floating melodies - this all fuses in an epic sound landscape where time becomes irrelevant.

Just one year after the formation of the band, the first Leech album "Instarmental" (1996) was released. This was only recorded on two sound tracks, live and upolished. More than fifty perfomances in Switzerland and Germany followed, receiving broad positive feedback. At the same time the band was working on their second album "Soundtrack to an Individual Emotion Picture Mindmovie" which was released in 1998. Numerous concerts in Switzerland and bordering countries followed the release of this second album.

In 2000 LEECH presented their third album "Zerotonine Days" on which for the first time and exceptionally, there was also a track with vocals. In the following two years Leech was in an extensive phase of experimentation and there were multiple projects with guest musicians from various different musical directions. These projects were presented live but were never recorded. During this phase the band members moved in different musical directions and it was decided to put LEECH as a band on hold.

In the summer of 2006 LEECH was launched again. The band carried on where they had stopped five years before. This yielded to their latest album "The Stolen View" (autumn 2007). Numerous live performances followed the release of "The Stolen View" in Switzerland.

LEECH has now joined the roster of Viva Hate Records, a fine Label based in Berlin. "The Stolen View will soon be released in Germany (and other European countries) through Viva Hate Records (German release in October 2008). In addition, LEECH is working on a split release with the German instrumental band LONG DISTANCE CALLING. The split record will contain two tracks from each band. LEECH will put one brand new track on this split, plus one track taken from the latest album.

LEECH Videos (YouTube and more)


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LEECH discography


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LEECH top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.25 | 4 ratings
Instarmental
1997
3.09 | 4 ratings
Soundtrack To An Individual Emotion Picture Mindmovie
1998
4.03 | 43 ratings
The Stolen View
2007
3.94 | 58 ratings
If We Get There One Day, Would You Please Open The Gates ?
2012

LEECH Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

LEECH Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

LEECH Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

LEECH Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 2 ratings
Zerotonine Days
2000
4.50 | 2 ratings
090208
2008

LEECH Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 If We Get There One Day, Would You Please Open The Gates ? by LEECH album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.94 | 58 ratings

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If We Get There One Day, Would You Please Open The Gates ?
Leech Post Rock/Math rock

Review by Memo_anathemo

4 stars If you don't know Leech, this is an excellent album or let's call it, first step, to know the band. Yes, this is the last album of this Swiss band, but what an album, full of dramatic changes, electronic sounds, keyboard displays, guitar in a very post rock style, at times calm and relax, at times heavy. The environment they create with the album is appropriate for any time you are looking for relaxation. A very long album indeed, more than 1 hr of very good post rock music. The only possible drawback is that maybe all the album maintains the same style, but in fact they are respecting entirely the essence of post rock. Yet, I also heard elements of hard rock that made the album much more interesting. For lovers of Explosions in the Sky, this is a must!
 Soundtrack To An Individual Emotion Picture Mindmovie by LEECH album cover Studio Album, 1998
3.09 | 4 ratings

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Soundtrack To An Individual Emotion Picture Mindmovie
Leech Post Rock/Math rock

Review by The Truth
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Soundtrack to an Individual Emotion Picture Mindmovie. Now that is a post-rock album title. And this album is definitely some good post-rock but not the Leech I truly love.

Leech's debut came nearly a decade before their most recent two records The Stolen View and If We Get There One Day... which are some of the best records the post-rock genre has ever seen in the last six years. This album is not the same as those albums as the gap in time might imply but it is by no means a bad record, it's the same intense song structures just much more raw in nature and not as polished.

That's the main reason this record gets three stars, the raw sound that doesn't exactly compliment the music AND this is a double album worth of material. Give me a double album's worth of The Stolen View and If We Get There One Day, Will You Please Open Up the Gates? and I'll be completely satisfied. Ecstatic even.

This record, however, is full of good material even though it is at times borderline bland and is not where you should start listen to Leech. It's still a nice record, simply said.

3 stars without hesitation.

 The Stolen View by LEECH album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.03 | 43 ratings

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The Stolen View
Leech Post Rock/Math rock

Review by zravkapt
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Leech is a five-piece instrumental band from Switzerland. This is either their third or fourth album, depending on your source. I'm surprised The Stolen View has not been reviewed yet as it has such high ratings. Leech formed in 1996 and have a new album out in 2012; that album was a let down compared to hearing this one. The new album sounded like your typical post-rock stuff on auto-pilot, while The Stolen View is much more interesting and less stereotypical post-rock sounding. In other words, this album does not generally sound like what most people would think post-rock would sound like, whereas the new one actually does. This album grows on you (it grew on me, anyway). I didn't like it near as much when I first heard it.

Two short tracks bring the quality of the album down a bit. The main reason this is not getting five stars. "Ziipfe" is mostly guitar effects and vibraphone, while "I Was Reversed" is weird synth noises and tape effects. Not horrible but nothing special either...they basically act as 'filler' here. The album begins with "Silent State Optimizer" which is some great post- rock in the Mogwai vein. Features great minimal electric piano and fuzzy, sustained guitar notes and the occasional synth squiggle. The drumming here is fairly simple and straight- forward yet the drummer sounds more loose and busy than he appears to be. Later on there is an actual guitar riff that sounds like alternative rock from the 1990s. Some guitar arpeggios and sustained keyboard notes are reprised in this track. Steady bass drum thumping and guitar strumming leads to melodic guitar playing.

"The Man With The Hammer" starts out with a Mogwai/GYBE hybrid guitar style. A laid-back drumbeat comes in along with some vibraphone reminding me of Tortoise. One guitar does arpeggios while the other plays floating single notes. After the tempo picks up this second guitar plays some rockin' chords. The arpeggio guitar then switches to steady strumming. More guitar arpeggios later with some spacey synth sounds. Rockin' guitar chords to end it. "Inspiral" is the highlight of the album. Delayed/chorused guitar picking is overlaid with various soundscapes from keyboards and other guitars. Some sort of melody is played on synth. Pounding tom-toms enter the scene as the guitar picking gets more varied.

Military style drumming leads the band to a slow-paced rockin' section. Following this begins one of the best build-ups I've heard in post-rock. First backwards sounds (including reverse chord progressions) and vibraphone, then a slow tempoed drumbeat and subdued melodic guitars get joined by distorted yet melodic synth. The drummer starts to pick up the pace with his tom-tom hitting before he stops playing altogether. 2 note guitar playing leads to the slow-paced rockin' section being reprised, although now the drumming is more busy than earlier. "Totem & Tabu" is the almost 20 minute closer to the album. Here you will find the most traditional rock style of guitar playing with actual riffs throughout the piece. It's hard to compare this track with other post-rock as it is fairly unique.

At one point you hear a riff that sounds very Muse-like; this riff later gets reprised. A lot of the riffs get repeated but not in any kind of predictable or linear fashion. A drumbeat takes the spotlight as spacey soundcapes surround it. This leads to the least rockin' section of the epic: some dark ambient music with backwards talking. Some distorted yelling as the band comes back in laid-back arpeggio mode. Eventually the arpeggios make room for some chords and riffs. Almost a guitar solo towards the end. Nothing really original on this album but it is very good with great sound and production. I was not aware until researching this album that is also available on Bandcamp. If you want a great sounding and fairly consistent post-rock album from the past 5-10 years, look no further. Well, you can look as far as you want...just listen to this first. I will give this a 4.5 rounded down to 4 stars.

 If We Get There One Day, Would You Please Open The Gates ? by LEECH album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.94 | 58 ratings

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If We Get There One Day, Would You Please Open The Gates ?
Leech Post Rock/Math rock

Review by The Truth
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars Last year my listening was chock full of great post-rock releases from notable bands such as This Will Destroy You and Mogwai, but this year has not been filled with as many post-rock greats, just more ambient, indie rock and similar genres. Leech's album this year is truly the only post-rock record thus far that has really captivated me.

This was my introduction to Leech, and now I know I need to get more from them, this album is layered perhaps more beautifully than any other post-rock record I've heard, not limited to the status quo of post-rock instruments but at times even a sax is brought in for brilliant results. It's just little quirks like that and the raw emotion that has become synonymous with post-rock breathes new life in this record.

Post-rock fans will love it, newcomers to post-rock will get addicted just by letting there ears into this album's beauty. Definitely I five star performance by Leech and I look forward to a future listen of their previous record.

Thanks to UMUR & Phideauxfan for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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