Artist: LEVERAGE
Album: BLIND FIRE (CD)

Release date: 2008
Media type: CD

Finland comes to bring in a fresh air to Heavy Metal and Hard Rock music. It is a fact that we need something fresh to attract younger people to our music, and for the old ones it is a burning need to search for new things; it reminds us that we grow older and wiser.

LEVERAGE came out of nowhere in 2006 with their first album, "Tides", and they immediately climbed the Finnish charts, plus with songs like "Follow Down That River" they became really popular to the Hard Rock community. LEVERAGE use the strong Hard Rock melodies and the Metal harmonies to reproduce the old Hard Rock/Metal feeling with a fresh attitude and improved sound.

"Blind Fire" is the second studio effort of LEVERAGE. When your first step is this successful you must be careful. Many people expect this release to see if LEVERAGE would be one more of those one-album bands. "Blind Fire" opens triumphal with "Shadow In The Rain" that has an amazing and melodic intro, just a taste of what is coming next. "King Of The Night" enters with the keyboards to en-rich the whole atmosphere, and with beautiful chorus that can stick to your head. Pekka Heino, named "vocalist of the year" in Finland; he proves that he is the one, with amazing melodic lines and feeling in his performance. "Stormchild" has the riff that brings Yngwie Malmsteen plus late RAINBOW to my mind; LEVERAGE write songs that could have easily made a hit in the 80’s ,too. Tuomas Heikkinen is the band’s main composer and his solos have the Malmsteen mentality that create this entire attitude.

"Sentenced" is one of the album’s hits definitely. With strong chorus melody, mid tempo rhythm, beautiful lyrics and strong steady performance by Pekka Lampinen on bass and Valtteri Revonkorpi on drums, this song can be the first single form "Blind Fire".

"Hellhorn" enters like "Gates Of Babylon" by RAINBOW, with unidentified keyboard sounds that makes you wait for the steady riff that kicks in to give the song its certain Hard Rock form. Marko Niskala makes a great job on the keyboards, setting the carpet for the rest of the crew and elevates their music. "Don’t Touch The Sun" has a medieval guitar intro, rhythm and atmosphere in the intro that turns to a power ballad on the verse and chorus. "Heart Of Darkness" with the slow emotional intro, gets harder on the verse with solid Hard Rock riff and a powerful chorus. "Blind Fire" closes with "Learn To Live" another ballad even more emotional, amazing melodies that build up as the song progresses to the open-chords chorus, a great way to close this album.

LEVERAGE made a loud and solid first step; their second one will be a step even stronger. With "Blind Fire", LEVERAGE prove that they are a solid Hard Rock band and definitely they are here to stay. You Hard-melting-soul-Rockers can give in to LEVERAGE without fear.

TRACKLIST:

Shadow In The Rain
King Of The Night
Stormchild
Sentenced
Hellhorn
Mister Universe
Don’t Touch The Sun
Run Down The Hill
Heart Of Darkness
Learn To Live

LINE-UP:

Pekka Heino - Vocals
Thomas Heikkinen - Guitar
Torsti Spoof - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Pekka Lampinen - Bass
Marko Niskala - Keyboards
Valtteri Revonkorpi - Drums