The engines are screaming, the neon is flickering, and the countdown has begun. Carpenter Brut has unleashed his latest single, “Speed Or Perish,” a high-octane descent into chaos pulled from his forthcoming album Leather Temple, arriving February 27 via No Quarter Prod / Virgin Records. The track doesn’t simply play — it detonates.

Pre-order Leather Temple here:
Pre-Order Leather Temple

Leather Temple marks the third and final chapter in Carpenter Brut’s Leather trilogy — a saga that has fused cinematic horror, glam-metal excess, and dystopian synthwave into a blood-soaked neon mythology. This new installment places listeners at the heart of Midwichpolis, a post-apocalyptic metropolis born from nuclear fallout. At its core stands the Leather Temple itself — a brutal coliseum where speed is survival and hesitation is extinction.

“Speed Or Perish” captures the sonic violence of that arena. Propulsive synth lines slam against electro-stomp percussion and heavy, razor-edged riffs, while dramatic electronics escalate the tension into something primal. It feels like engines revving before impact — like a crowd roaring as war machines collide in a life-or-death race.

Directed and written by Seth Ickerman and produced by No Quarter Prod, the accompanying video transforms that concept into a high-speed bloodbath. Blades flash. Gunfire erupts. Metal tears into metal. It is relentless, visceral, and unapologetically brutal — a visual extension of the track’s ferocity.

Leather Temple pushes Carpenter Brut’s sound into even more cinematic territory while sharpening its attack. The album leans into a saturated ’90s electro atmosphere — dark, unflinching, and driven by distorted layers and cutting beats. Each track functions like a scene in a film: concise, charged, and kinetic. There’s no time for exposition. It hits fast. It hits hard.

The Leather series began in 2018 with Leather Teeth, a stylized homage to ’80s glam rock excess. In 2022, Leather Terror shifted into darker territory, delivering a slasher-horror narrative centered on the vengeful killer Bret Halford. With Leather Temple, the trilogy reaches its climax — a final act that blends cinematic storytelling with relentless sonic propulsion.

Leather Temple Track Listing:

Ouverture (Deus Ex Machina)
Major Threat
Leather Temple
She Rules The Ruins
Start Your Engines
Neon Requiem
Iron Sanctuary
The Misfits The Rebels
Speed or Perish
The End Complete

Since 2012, Carpenter Brut has carved out a singular space within the global synthwave movement, merging electronic music, metal aggression, and deep-rooted 1980s pop culture into a cohesive, shadow-drenched universe. Drawing inspiration from horror auteurs like John Carpenter and Dario Argento, as well as the sonic assault of Slayer and Justice, he has built a stylized world where retro thrillers collide with futuristic dystopia.

That immersive vision explodes to life on stage. Carpenter Brut has announced a run of live shows across Europe, the USA, and Canada in March 2026, including a special standalone UK headline appearance at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on March 22. Full dates and ticket information are available here.

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