Leather Laces - Intercontinental Ballistic Music

​Leather Laces

Intercontinental Ballistic Music
self-released; 2026

By Dan Weston
​

Leather Laces treat industrial metal as both sound and costume on Intercontinental Ballistic Music. The album is framed through riot gear, tactical masks, weaponized song titles, and the language of armed resistance, but the concept only matters when the music itself carries enough force to support it. At its best, the project turns that militarized imagery into something physical, using programmed drums, distorted guitars, and synth patterns that move with the hard precision of machinery.

The record was built over eighteen months at Devisal Studios, and that longer process shows in the density of the production. The synths are clipped and metallic, the guitars carry an 80s and 90s metal influence, and the drums often hit with a quantized, locked-in pressure. There is a deliberate stiffness to the album, and while that can make some moments sound boxed in, it also fits the project’s mechanical design.

“Extruder-Destroyer” opens the album with fast, restless drums that brought DJ Shadow and Aphex Twin to mind. It was my favorite song on the album, and I wanted more of that drum programming across the record. The track has momentum, texture, and a sharper electronic edge that gives the album an immediate charge. “Mind Control Techniques,” featuring _SHOE, moves closer to video game music, with synths that give the track a digital, combative quality. “Rocket Launcher,” also featuring _SHOE, is built from a mechanical pulse but has some funk in the movement, while “Deployed To Hell” pushes closer to metal through heavier guitars and a more direct 4/4 drive.

The album finds a stronger balance on “Marching In The Fog,” where the metal and electronic elements connect with more purpose. It is one of the better songs here because neither side of the sound overwhelms the other. “Heavy Machine Gun” and “Massive Dark Raid” both have solid moments, especially when the rhythm section and synth work tighten around the guitars. The closer, “Unit Goes Home,” gives the album a decent final stretch without breaking from the overall industrial frame.

​Intercontinental Ballistic Music can be rigid, precise, and heavily quantized, but that seems to be part of the point. Leather Laces are not chasing looseness or warmth here. They are building a controlled, aggressive sound out of metal riffs, programmed drums, and cold electronic textures. The mix works more often than not, and the project’s visual identity gives the music a clear sense of direction. There is some cool material here. Great stuff overall, take a listen.

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