Search - Leverage :: Blind Fire

Dependable Finnish hard rock

Paul Lawrence | Australia | 10/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having first heard Leverage vocalist Pekka Heino plying his trade for the wonderful Emppu Vuorinen side project Brother Firetribe. And therefore decided to give Leverage a listen.



All up Leverage play a fairly non distinct but nicely accomplished hard rock that is driven along by the usual Euro combination of drums/guitars/keyboards while Pekka (not a name that travels well) croons smoothly over the top with his mid range voice that also seems to be able to wander up the register at will and with control. As such the band can and do address a few different speeds, such as the somewhat lumbering Sentenced. In terms of direct comparison with Brother Firetribe - which given that a chunk of their sales will probably come from Pekkas' association with that band is a valid thing - well let's state simply that Leverage are a somewhat more serious band, less attention given to super lush Foreigner/Journey/Styx keyboard deluges. There is less tongue in cheek preening and the production is also less ornate and the guitarists are allowed to add a few mro metallic tints to the mix. If anything what this album lacks is a certain star quality, some indefinable character to push it into the buttock kicking category.



If you enjoy straight ahead hard rock of a reliable nature that doesn't dabble into `weird' sub genres then this may be for you. If you like the two Brother Firetribe albums released thus far (as I write) then you really would do well to give this a spin. Otherwise there isn't a lot of reason to buy this album as opposed to any of a dozen other of their competitors who are all playing around the same average quality wise. But then that's not a reason NOT to buy it either... it's all gonna depend on your budget."

Great record!

P. guzzando | Planet Earth | 09/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These guys can't do any wrong. A lot of emotion and killer riffs. I just wish there were more bands like this in the USA, but I guess we are forced to accept the Jonas Bros BS. For those of you that are looking for real music......look no further than LEVERAGE."

Melodic hard rock from Finland

G. Richards | Overland Park, KS | 12/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Leverage, a new band from Finland, is probably best classified as melodic hard rock. Their music also incorporates some progressive metal elements. While they readily acknowledge the early Rainbow albums as an influence, they have their own style, reminiscent in places of the English band Threshold. They favor dense instrumental backgrounds, with dual guitars and prominent keyboards. The mid-range vocals are rather melodramatic, and some of the choruses sound nearly operatic. The songwriting is for the most part quite good, and significantly better than on their earlier CD, Tides. This is a solid, competent effort."