Stephen
Many recognized singer Pekka Heino from the band Brother Firetribe which was made for the melodic rock and AOR market, and this time, he formed another different beast under the name Leverage to suit the market needs for an energetic melodic metal band. Empowered by guitarist Tuomas Heikkinen whose style was influenced by Blackmore and Van Halen, Leverage unleashed their debut, "Tides", in 2006, a collection of darker-edge traditional heavy metal songs but still polished with a thick melodic paint.
"Fifteen Years" kicks the door with a bombastic guitar slap and gigantic chorus. This single track alone might rush you out to buy this album. "Superstition" shows a deadly keyboard/guitar combination, "Dreamworld" and "Sails" are another upbeat favorite with lovable chorus. "Follow Down That River" and "Twilight Symphony" are another highlight and an awesome midtempo rockers. They also included some ballads here, "Horizon", "Gone", and "Stranger", but all of them are not in a very outstanding shape compared to Brother Firetribe's. That's because maybe they concentrated on making a great uptempo songs here and ballads are bonuses to cool down the album a bit, not a bad thing to listen though. If you can get the Japanese or European version, one of the bonus tracks, "Waterfall", is another standout gem worth to have.
Leverage surely delivers a jaw-dropping non-fillers debut, a complementary album for Brother Firetribe fans and a great choice if you like Finnish heavy/power metal style. With some songs aren't as strong as the highlight, this reason rejects the album from a perfect score, but "Tides" still fully deserved a solid four stars rating. Fantastic!