by Steve Foglia
Just recently our Steve Foglia conducted the interview with Swedish death metal band LEACH, talking about their latest EP “PSYCHOSOMATIC”, released on 9th October 2026. Join the chat below.
What are the origins of your name, LEACH?
We came up with it during a period when a lot of bands were choosing names consisting of four or even five words. And we wanted something completely in the opposite. Something short, concise and easy to say. We ended up with LEACH, an intentional misspelling of “leech.” No massive philosophy behind it at the time. It simply sounded right, was easy to remember and looked good written down.
You recently released your new EP, PSYCHOSOMATIC, a concept album centred around mental illness. How did this idea come about?
We came up with the concept before writing any music. Based on personal experiences and the intention to write each song as a different phase. The idea was never to present recovery as a straight line or offer a simple conclusion. But more as being circular and that some battles may return, and recognize and manage them better.
Each song represents a stage of mental illness: loss of self-control, resilience, depression and intrusive thoughts. Is there one particular theme among these that feels most personal to you, or that caused you pain during the songwriting process?
They are all personal in different ways, but “One Beat From Calm, One Crack From Wide” probably comes closest to the actual breaking point. It represents the moment when the functionality you have relied on suddenly collapses. Writing about it was not necessarily painful in the moment because there had been enough distance and reflection by then. It was more about finding the right language for something that had previously been difficult to explain.
Do you believe your record can help people suffering from these disorders, perhaps by making them feel more understood?
I hope it can, or maybe make somebody feel recognized in their own personal journey. If somebody hears these songs and recognizes their own experience in them, or feels that their thoughts are not as impossible to explain as they believed, then the record has served a purpose beyond the music itself.
Your work blends modern death metal sounds with hardcore elements. Who are your main influences?
Growing up in Sweden, the Gothenburg sound naturally became part of our musical DNA, with bands such as At The Gates and The Haunted showing how aggression and melody could strengthen each other. At the same time, we were drawn to the rawness of Stockholm death metal, Entombed, Grave etc. The physical directness of hardcore, Raised Fist, Hatebreed. And the precision and aggression of American thrash, Slayer, Exodus etc. So we’ve developed a sound somewhere between those worlds where Scandinavian melody and melancholy delivered with a more direct hardcore and thrash mentality.
Where did you record PSYCHOSOMATIC?
Produced by Christian Silver and Manne Engström at Studiomega in Varberg, Sweden. Well known studio who have had bands like Arch Enemy, Soilwork, and the Crown ao. Our forth time working with them and there’s a strong level of trust there by now. We do not have to spend time trying to explain what LEACH should sound like. The main priority was to keep the production tight, clear and powerful while preserving the aggression and emotional character of the performances.
How did the songs on the EP come together? Is there one primary songwriter, or are you all involved in the creative process?
Everyone brings riffs and basic ideas to the table, so the initial material can come from any member of the band. From there, I usually take the different parts and compose them into complete songs. I often already hear how the vocal melody or rhythm should sit on top of the music, how many syllables a line needs and where the words should land against the riff. The lyrics work similarly. Everyone can contribute themes, phrases and initial ideas, and I then shape them to fit the vocal rhythm and the overall direction of the song. So it’s a collaborative process, where I normally handle the final composition and bring the different elements together.
If you had to add a fifth track to this EP, what would it be about?
The honest answer is that I probably would not add one. Once the four tracks existed, the journey felt complete, and adding songs simply to make the release longer would have diluted the concept and maybe not as focused.
If you could feature any artist on a track, who would you want in the studio with you?
I’m a big fan of Peter Dolving era of the Haunted. I believe he’s not active whatsoever within the scene but he has an incredibly expressive voice and can move between pure aggression and something much more vulnerable and unsettling. So that would be an interesting choice I think. Been working with Björn Strid from Soilwork on prior single D.O.D and had Marcus Sunesson from The Crown lay down a solo on Apathetic so we would continue on with the swedes that way.
Why did you choose to release an EP rather than a full-length album? Do you think the album format is dying out?
The EP format was dictated mainly by the concept where we wanted the tracks representing the different stages we’d come up with. So when those songs were finished, the story felt complete, and adding more material simply to reach album length would not have improved it. I do not think the album format is dying. But the way people discover and consume music has changed. Individual songs and shorter releases often receive more attention, especially for independent bands. There will always be listeners who want to experience a complete record from beginning to end, I’m one of those guys. The format should serve the material. Some ideas need a full album, while Psychosomatic needed four focused tracks and nothing more.
What are your upcoming plans?
The immediate plan is to give Psychosomatic a proper life beyond the release itself. We want to bring the new songs into the live set, reach new listeners and continue developing the visual and conceptual world surrounding the EP.
Tracklisting:
1. ONE BEAT FROM CALM, ONE CRACK FROM WIDE
2. STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
3. N.F.F.N.S.N.C.
4. SERPENT OF TIME
LEACH are:
Markus Wikander – guitars, vocals
Joachim Dahlström – drums
Robert Karlsson – lead guitar
Tobias Oja – bass
