Hidden Gems & Guilty Pleasures: Leach (Sweden)
Photos credit: @cloudberryphotography
Leach (Melodic Death/Thrash Metal // Sweden)
Swedish death metal band Leach release their EP »Psychosomatic« on October 9th, 2026. Hailing from Borås/Gothenburg and fueled by Scandinavian death metal aggression the Swedish outfit delivers songs built to hit hard, stay loud and leave scars. Leach thrives where melody collides with violence and raw emotion refuses to be polished away. This music is born from pressure, frustration and resilience and crafted for those who’d rather face the darkness than to look away.
»Psychosomatic« is a four-track concept EP blending modern melodic death metal with hardcore intensity, crushing grooves and razor-sharp riffs. Each song represents a different psychological state of living with mental illness – from the breaking point and resilience to reflection and the endless cycle of intrusive thoughts.
Mental illness rarely follows a straight line. It fractures, traps, questions and endures. With their concept EP »Psychosomatic«, Leach explores those shifting psychological states across four interconnected chapters, each portraying a different stage of the internal struggle rather than offering a single story or simple resolution.
Opening with »One Beat From Calm, One Crack From Wide«, the EP captures the fragile moment where control begins to slip and the first cracks appear beneath the surface. »Strenght To Strength« follows as an act of resilience – not a victory over darkness, but the determination to keep moving from one moment of strength to the next. At the center lies »N.F.F.N.S.N.C.«, an atmospheric spoken-word reflection that questions identity, depression, medication and what it truly means to heal. Closing the journey, »Serpent Of Time« confronts the endless cycle of intrusive thoughts, portraying time as both the prison that confines us and the only force capable of eventually setting us free.
Musically, »Psychosomatic« blends modern melodic death metal with hardcore intensity, razor-sharp riffing, dynamic songwriting and crushing grooves, balancing relentless aggression with moments of reflection and vulnerability. Rather than glorifying suffering, the EP seeks to understand it, exploring how people continue to move forward despite carrying invisible battles every single day.
»Psychosomatic« is not a EP about giving up. It is about surviving long enough to find the strength to take the next step – even when the path ahead remains uncertain. Rather than telling a linear story, the EP explores survival through shifting emotional states, balancing relentless aggression with atmosphere, melody and introspection. Heavy, dynamic and emotionally driven, »Psychosomatic« is the band’s most personal release to date.
Leach comment: “We never wanted »Psychosomatic« to be four songs saying ‘mental illness is dark’ in different ways. Each track is meant to capture a different state of actually living through it. From the moment you crack. The ongoing struggle and questioning of yourself and life choices behind. The search for a final release with the potential of driving you back deeper within it.”
Courtesy of Hold Tight PR
Discography:
• »Blindfold« LP (2012)
• »Above All« EP (2014)
• »Hymns For The Hollow« LP (2018)
• »D.O.D« Single (Brutal Records, 2021)
• »Lovely Light Of Life« LP (Brutal Records, 2021)
• »Gone To Waste« Single (2024)
• »All Rise« Single (2024)
• »Slice Of Life« Single (2024)
• »New Model Of Disbelief« LP (2024)
• »Ominous One« Single (2025)
• »Psychosomatic« EP (2026)
Leach is:
Markus Wikander – Guitar, Vocals
Robert Karlsson – Guitar
Tobias Oja – Bass
Joachim Dahlström – Drums
FFO: The Haunted, Arch Enemy, Warbringer, Soilwork, Revocation, The Black Dahlia Murder, Havok, The Halo Effect
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well