Frontiers Music [Release date 20.06.25]
When we reviewed Leverage’s 2021 album, Above The Beyond, we said: “It’s perhaps best described as heavy rock with stunning melodies and a penchant for unconventional song structures, and indeed, challenging lyrical themes.”
It would be easy to say that since then nothing has changed, when in fact everything has. We’re referring here to the loss of Kimmo Blom, a world class rock vocalist whose distinctive voice played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s identity.
Since then, the band’s guitarist and songwriter, founding member Tuomas Heikkenin, has recruited former Delain vocalist, Paulo Ribaldini to fill the void. And it works.
Heikennin has written a bunch of well crafted songs here. Stories of twisted relationships and grim realism, which are, as usual, full of vivid colouring, sinuous hooks and razoring axework.
His upfront guitars lean heavily on the rhythm section to create the kind of grown up, mature grained hard rock/metal that’s typified by the sinewy, mysterious ‘Tales Of The Night’, and the emotional surge of ‘Hellbound Train’ (shades of Magnum).
You’re not too far in before concluding that this is heavy rock in a highly sophisticated form, with melodies, bass lines and chord progressions tightly controlled.
There’s room too for old world metal, like the majestic ‘Shooting Star’, and the galloping ‘Moon Of Madness’. Iron Maiden, foot on the monitor blasts from another age both.
Heikkenin has clearly kept a firm hand on developments in the studio. Gravity is less adventurous than previous albums. This’ll be Ribaldini’s settling in period, and he gives his all in terms of style and volume.
His voice soars on the heroic, 7 minute Blue Murder – esque ‘All Seeing Eye’, and adds grit on the magnificently apposite closer, the 10 minute title track, ‘Gravity’, a symphonic metal epic. ****1/2
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 30 June 2025
THE DAMN TRUTH – Addicted (indie)
MANNIFESTO – Human Kind (indie)
STRIPPING THE PISTOL – Sunshine In The Rain (TLG/Zoid)
SEVEN BLOOD No Breakout (indie)
VAN ROYALE Gold (indie)
MORNINGSTAR Free (indie)
THE VIOLENT HOUR The Violent Hour (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 30 June 2025
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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