Released by: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Release Date: 26 April 2019
Line Up:
Kimmo Blom – vocals
Mikko Salovaara – guitars
Tuomas Heikkinen – guitars
Sami Norrbacka – bass
Valtteri Revonkorpi – drums
Marko Niskala – keyboards
Tracklist:
Burn Love Burn
Wind Of Morrigan
Tiger
Red Moon Over Sonora
Mephistocrate
Afterworld’s Disciple
When We Were Young
Heaven’s No Place For Us
Hand Of God
Rollerball
Troy
I feel like I’m pretty knowledgeable about the music I love, but from time to time (as exhibited by some of my reviews over the years) I miss a band. I’ve been a regular music reviewer for the better part of my adult life from different publications across the spectrum so I’ve always got feelers out for new stuff. Despite focusing on young new bands most of the time, I am always trying to seek out those I’ve missed out on that have some age to them. I just discovered another one and if this release is anything like their stuff before, I’m a fan for life. The Finnish band Leverage is hitting the scene after a ten-year span between albums (maybe that’s how I missed them) and they are hitting it perfectly.
Their latest is called DeterminUs and is a genre-crossing stunner. Parts Power, parts AOR, parts Prog for good measure, and even a couple scoops of 70’s era Metal (think Rainbow) that make them a truly unique band. As I spun the album I thought I had them pinned down as to who they reminded me of, then they took a turn and reminded me of someone else. Sometimes when a band tries to create something that spans so many distinct styles they will create a chaotic mess, but Leverage manages to pull it off. Where most bands will genre hop, these guys have created a sound that is all-in-one thus creating something so distinctly Leverage. Though the whole album is fantastic such standout tracks are “Rollerball,” “Wind of Morrigan,” “Heaven’s No Place For Us,” and “Burn Love Burn.” I just can’t get over just how good this album is.
If you’re reading this and you’ve not checked out Leverage before you need to grab DeterminUs. It’s grand and majestic, it’s melodic and catchy, it’s hard hitting and guitar driven, it’s exactly what I needed to hear right now. And I feel like you need to hear it too.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: 8/10
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