MCR Guitarist Starts New Band

11/20/08 2:49pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

While My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way has been busy with his comic book series and its movie offshoot, guitarist Frank Iero has started a new band called Leathermouth.

The band have signed to Epitaph and will release a full-length debut in January. Although the record doesn't yet have a title, Iero wrote on Leathermouth's website that it will have 10 tracks. Three demos are on the band's MySpace page.

"Damn it feels like its been a lifetime of waiting for this record to see the light of day.. but it really is a dream come true," Iero wrote. "I apologize to everyone that has been waiting along with us but fuck man, I've been busy ...and we realy wanted to make sure everything was right and now...finally, I truly feel its coming out right."

Iero, who sings in the band, told MTV News that friends formed the group and played one of their songs for him. He originally considered signing the band to his label, but after they told him their singer had never written any lyrics, he made it his goal to save the group from sinking and wrote all their lyrics in a week. Iero says he'd never written any lyrics before because other people did it instead.

The man who was voted the world's sexiest male vegetarian earlier this year told MTV News that most of the lyrics are inspired by horror films, and the band sound more like "dirty rock 'n' roll" than anything resembling My Chemical Romance.

"I think that people that get into Leathermouth because of my past bands and stuff like that, I think they'll be kind of bummed out, if that's why they're into it. But it's definitely a lot different, and it's really fun for me, man. It's really cathartic and just a great experience."

In addition to his conributions to My Chemical Romance and Leathermouth, Iero has previously worked with Pencey Prep, Give Up The Ghost and Reggie And The Full Effect, among other bands.