Blind Fire

Leverage is a relatively new melodic power metal band hailing from Finland. With already one full-length CD under their belt (‘Tides’), Leverage have now released their 2nd CD, called ‘Blind Fire’. Still quite unknown in the metal world, Leverage will definitely make waves this year with their new CD, as it is a great leap forward from their debut release.

With influences ranging from Thunderstone, At Vance, Sonata Arctica, Edguy and Last Tribe, Leverage have really broken through with a marvelous new CD. I enjoy melodic metal quite a lot and this new release sounds quite fresh and very enjoyable. On Frontiers Records, the sound and production on ‘Blind Fire’ is fantastic. With a sprinkle of progressive metal thrown into their mix of classic melodic metal guitar riffing, deep bass, appropriate keyboarding and great songwriting, I cannot praise this band any higher.

Bringing a breath of fresh air into the melodic metal world, is vocalist Pekka Heino. His vocals are brilliant on this CD. He has such a marvelous voice, very strong and emotional; just like a melodic metal vocalist should be and more. Heino has a great range and does not sing the same way on every track. If this guy wasn’t the band’s singer, this CD just wouldn’t be as good as it is.

Again, sticking relatively close to their sound structure of ‘Tides’, the songs on ‘Blind Fire’ are around the mid-paced level, some a little slower and some a little faster, with 1-2 ballad-type tracks. With all the tracks really grabbing you with its freshness, they are all entertaining and emotional, with catchy choruses. None of the songs get that ‘heavy’ in its mid-paced way, melodic metal is not meant to be heavier than it should be; the band themselves proclaiming that they play ‘heavy rock’.

With some of the best songwriting I’ve heard from a melodic metal band in some time, every song is a winner. Tracks to look forward to once you get your hands on this CD are “Sentenced” and “Heart Of Darkness”. An emotional track, “Sentenced” starts out with a pounding riff, followed by a slow verse with a piano in the background supporting Heino’s inspiring vocals. The chorus lifts the tempo and is very catchy. “Heart Of Darkness” is driven by Heino’s vocals, the song itself is uplifting and again catchy as hell. A mid-paced emotional rocker all the way through, with a nice solo in the middle. Other tracks that all will enjoy include the CD opener “Shadow In The Rain”, the quick-paced “Stormchild”, the eerie and melodic “Mr. Universe”, “Run Down” and the wonderful emotional ballad “Don’t Touch The Sun”.

Overall I am very impressed with Leverage’s effort in ‘Blind Fire’. Not knowing much about them before reviewing this CD, I am very thankful for getting a chance to hear this great band. Leverage will make great strides in 2008 once this CD makes the rounds in Europe and the United States. There is something on this CD that every metal fan will appreciate, whether they are a melodic metal fan, a power metal fan, a progressive metal fan or just a novice heavy metal fan.

Excellent CD that is highly recommended. Great stuff!

Originally written for www.metalcdratings.com (2008)

I'm really proud of Leverage. The debut, Tides, wasn't anything fantastic, but it was fun and pretty catchy, with a few really stellar songs that kept me interested. I had hopes for this one, the follow up, and luckily, they were exceeded, as Blind Fire just fucking smokes all the way through. Leverage have exceeded their potential on the debut here, completely blowing that album out of the water with class and style to boot. Listening to both of them back to back really underlines the jump in quality, as even though the style of music played on both albums isn't much different, the debut is made almost unlistenable by this new one.

One thing you'll notice is that Leverage are no longer straddling the line between heavy and power metal. No, here on Blind Fire, they have embraced a sleeker, more streamlined melodic power metal sort of sound and also cleaned up their production to a more polished sheen, while still keeping all of the elements from the debut - Pekka Heino's calm, powerful vocals (one of the band's strongest assets, honestly - they wouldn't be the same without him), the infectious keyboard melodies, soaring solos, all of it - that made that album good. You'll hear definite shades of Edguy, Helloween, mid-period Nocturnal Rites and Sonata Arctica on various songs here, yet Leverage incorporate these elements into their now signature sound, raising it to new heights that honestly surprised me, as I did not expect a second tier band like this one to ever put out anything this tight, memorable, and just overall kick-ass!

Indeed, what I never expected from Leverage were smashing, powerful compositions like the fantastic, Kamelot-esque "Shadow in the Rain," with it's harmonized chorus and soaring melodies, or the radio friendly, yet absolutely stellar, "Sentenced," or the menacing "Heart of Darkness," with it's huge, window shattering hymn-wide choirs, or especially not the awesome, epic stomp of the monstrous "Hellhorn," which is the best song they've ever written, or the shimmering glory of any number of power metal firebombs just waiting to hit you in the face around every corner here. They even have a ballad in "Learn to Live" that never gets cheesy or boring at all, remaining poignant and sorrowful throughout it's duration. Fantastic song. Rest assured, every song here is memorable after just one listen, and none of them are weak or lacking at all.

On the debut, Leverage had all the pieces of what could be a good sound, but on Blind Fire, they've really come into their own, and created a solid album of killer melodies and all-around enjoyable songs that will satisfy anyone with even so much as a passing interest in hard rock or heavy metal. The choruses are bigger and better, the riffs are punchier, the melodies are sharper, the production is polished up, and the vocals are clearer and even better than before. This is accessible, yes, but that just means that you'll like it from first listen and also that it will not grow stale after fifteen listens. While Leverage might never be a world class band, this is a damn fine album, and if they continue to put out material like this, I'll keep supporting them. Recommended.

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