Tides

Leverage is the newest Finnish 80s rock/power metal sensation, and while they don't have much new to offer to the genre, they are catchy and fun, and the music here is of a generally high caliber, reminding of such great recent acts as Dream Evil, Firewind or even Rocket Ride-era Edguy. In the mood for some easy on the ears, catchy music? Look no further.

The songs here range from really good to fairly mediocre, with the best by far being "Dreamworld"---an absolutely fantastic song with infectious melodies, a bombastic, symphonic flair backing it and a fantastic, soaring chorus that seems to rise straight up to the heavens. "Follow Down the River" and "Sails" are also rocking, melodious tunes with great choruses that will be lodged in your brain for days, and "Marching for War" is pretty cool too. All of them feature hard-hitting and heavy riffs sprinkled with light keyboard touches for extra flavor, along with the powerful and clear voice of Pekka Heino. He's got a lot of conviction and attitude, and reminds me quite a lot of Niklas Isfeldt of Dream Evil, albeit less aggressive. There are a few ballads here, and while "Horizons" is rather dull, "Stranger" is much better. Although cheesy, it does work a lot, and it's one of the best songs on the album.

Not every song here rules, as there are several I'd deem as filler; just unmemorable, lackluster songs that won't stick with you at all, and there is one really bad one - the highly lame "Twilight Symphony" with its annoying chorus and simplistic grooving riffs. However, there are some really good songs here that show quite a lot of potential, too. Leverage could go places if they keep this up, so pick this up if you like this style of music.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com