Leaf Hound Records
A Japanese independent record label focused on 1960s- and 1970s-inspired stoner, doom, and hard rock.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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History
Leaf Hound Records emerged as a Japanese specialist label during the renewed international interest in heavy music influenced by late-1960s and 1970s hard rock, psychedelic rock, and early doom. Rather than operating as a broad mainstream label, it concentrated on a connected underground community of bands whose music drew on heavy riffs, extended instrumental passages, fuzz, blues-derived structures, and occult or psychedelic atmospheres. Its name referenced Leaf Hound, the British hard rock group, signaling the label’s interest in the formative period of heavy rock and its later reinterpretation by underground musicians. The label’s early catalogue established a balance between Japanese artists and overseas acts. One of its earliest listed releases was Blood Farmers’ Permanent Brain Damage, followed by recordings from Sonic Flower and Place of Skulls. Church of Misery became one of the most prominent Japanese names associated with the label, with the two-CD Early Works Compilation and later physical editions connected to Master of Brutality and Vol. 1. The catalogue also featured Japanese group Ogre, helping place domestic artists alongside bands from the broader international doom and stoner scene. Leaf Hound’s international scope was especially visible in its treatment of European and American groups. The label released or reissued titles by the Netherlands’ Orange Sunshine, the Welsh band Acrimony, and American acts including Acid King, Blood Farmers, Revelation, and Iron Man. Releases such as Orange Sunshine’s Homo Erectus and Bullseye of Beling, Acid King’s III and The Early Years, and Acrimony’s Tumuli Shroomaroom and Bong on—Live Long! illustrate the label’s focus on substantial physical catalogue editions in CD and vinyl formats. Archival reissue work formed another important strand of the business. Leaf Hound issued several albums that had first appeared through Germany’s Hellhound Records, including Revelation’s Never Comes Silence, Iron Man’s The Passage, and Blood Farmers’ self-titled album. It also handled Revelation’s Salvation’s Answer, originally associated with Rise Above Records, and listed further Revelation projects. The catalogue records some planned or unreleased items, demonstrating that announced titles did not always become available: Revelation’s Unreleased Album and Iron Man’s Black Night are identified as never released in the supplied discography, while Release was announced as a fourth Revelation album. The label subsequently began producing Japanese versions of releases from Rise Above Records. Its documented examples include Witchcraft’s The Alchemist, Electric Wizard’s Witchcult Today, Gentlemans Pistols, and Winters. It also issued Japanese editions of Witchcraft’s earlier albums Witchcraft and Firewood. These projects gave Japanese listeners access to important contemporary heavy-rock recordings while extending the label’s role beyond signing or directly developing local artists. By 2008, the label’s continuing operation was uncertain. A cited interview with Tom Sutton of Church of Misery attributed the uncertainty to the owner’s severe nervous breakdown. The available reference material does not establish a later owner, a confirmed closure date, a new corporate structure, or a current official website. Leaf Hound Records is consequently documented primarily through its historical discography and its contribution to the circulation of Japanese and international stoner, doom, and psychedelic heavy rock.
- 2008
Operating status becomes uncertain
[1]A contemporary interview cited by the reference article indicated that the label’s status was unknown following the owner’s severe nervous breakdown.
- 1995
First listed catalogue release
[1]The discography begins with Blood Farmers’ Permanent Brain Damage on compact disc, catalogued as LHR-001.
Expansion into Japanese and international heavy rock
[1]The label’s catalogue broadened to include Japanese acts such as Church of Misery, Sonic Flower, and Ogre alongside American and European groups.
Hellhound Records reissue programme
[1]Leaf Hound reissued selected albums originally released by Germany’s Hellhound Records, including titles by Revelation, Iron Man, and Blood Farmers.
Products and positioning
A specialist independent label connecting Japanese and international artists in stoner, doom, psychedelic, and vintage-influenced heavy rock, with an emphasis on physical releases, licensing, and archival reissues.
Music recordings
Church of Misery releases
Leaf Hound’s catalogue includes several releases by Japanese doom and stoner metal band Church of Misery, including the two-CD Early Works Compilation, a vinyl edition of Master of Brutality, and the Vol. 1 LP paired with a seven-inch single. These releases represent the label’s connection to a leading Japanese act in the international underground heavy-rock scene.
Music recordings
Acid King releases
The label issued Acid King’s III and The Early Years. Together, these titles combine a contemporary full-length release with an archival presentation of earlier material, reflecting Leaf Hound’s interest in both active heavy-rock bands and retrospective catalogue projects.
Music recordings
Orange Sunshine releases
Leaf Hound released Orange Sunshine’s Homo Erectus, Love=Acid Space=Hell, and Bullseye of Beling in CD and, for selected titles, LP formats. The group’s psychedelic and hard-rock sound fits the label’s emphasis on vintage-influenced heavy music and physical collector editions.
Music recordings
Acrimony releases
The label’s Acrimony catalogue includes Tumuli Shroomaroom in CD and double-LP formats and Bong on—Live Long! on CD. These releases illustrate Leaf Hound’s role in presenting European doom and stoner rock to its Japanese market and wider specialist audience.
Licensed Japanese editions · 2008
Witchcraft Japanese editions
Leaf Hound issued Japanese versions of Witchcraft, Firewood, and The Alchemist. The releases connected the label with Rise Above Records’ catalogue and provided localized editions of a Swedish band whose sound draws heavily on early heavy rock and doom traditions.
Archival reissues
Hellhound Records reissues
Leaf Hound re-released selected albums that had originally been associated with Germany’s Hellhound Records. Documented examples include Revelation’s Never Comes Silence, Iron Man’s The Passage, and Blood Farmers’ self-titled album, with some additional titles announced but not released.
Brand decisions
- Build a cross-border heavy-rock catalogueStrategy
Background
Leaf Hound operated in a specialist market spanning Japan, North America, and Europe, where underground heavy-rock artists and collectors depended on international licensing and physical distribution.
Action taken
The label combined releases by Japanese bands with albums from American and European groups, including Church of Misery, Acid King, Orange Sunshine, Acrimony, and Revelation.
Aftermath
The strategy gave Leaf Hound a distinctive international catalogue, although the available sources do not establish its later commercial performance or continuing operations.
- Expand through licensed and archival editionsStrategy
Background
Many relevant heavy-rock recordings were originally issued by specialist labels outside Japan, including Hellhound Records and Rise Above Records.
Action taken
Leaf Hound issued Japanese versions of selected Rise Above releases and reissued titles connected with Hellhound Records, including material by Witchcraft, Electric Wizard, Revelation, Iron Man, and Blood Farmers.
Aftermath
The label became associated with bringing established underground recordings to Japanese listeners, while several announced projects were never released.
Recent events
- 2008
Leaf Hound Records operating status reported as uncertain[1]
Other
A 2008 interview with Church of Misery’s Tom Sutton reportedly indicated that the label’s status was unknown after its owner suffered a severe nervous breakdown.
Leaf Hound Records releases and licenses international heavy-rock catalogue[1]
Product launch · Other
The label’s documented catalogue expanded beyond Japanese bands to include American and European artists and Japanese editions of releases associated with Hellhound Records and Rise Above Records.
Sources1 sources
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