Leathermouth

by Corey Apar
Not to be confused with the Leatherface punks from England, New Jersey's Leathermouth is the creation of Frank Iero (rhythm guitarist for emo-rockers My Chemical Romance) and his friend Rob Hughes. The two formed the hardcore group in 2007, after passing too much time without an outlet to vocalize their frustrations with society and the world around them. Iero especially looked to the side project as a way to exorcise all the rage he could not directly deal with in his primary band. Rumors of Leathermouth had been flying around for a bit before some rough demos surfaced online that featured the raw and confrontational punk that would be their specialty. Iero handled vocals, Hughes took guitar, and various friends rounded out Leathermouth's ranks. The group toured a bit in the fall of 2008 as openers for Reggie and the Full Effect before officially announcing in October that they had inked a deal with California's Epitaph Records. Leathermouth's debut full-length, XO, appeared in late January 2009, featuring throat-shredding hardcore influenced by Black Flag and Ink & Dagger that tackled subjects like school shootings, overmedicated kids, and crooked politicians. Sporadic tour dates followed the record's release in between Iero's commitments to My Chemical Romance.