Leverage - Blind Fire CD review
Progressive metal has become a victim of its own excess lately, with so many bands jumping not only on the symphonic rock bandwagon, but having also succumbed to the sickly syndrome known as 'opus-itus.' These days, it seems like too many metal musicians are trying their hand at becoming modern classical composers (and only a few are doing it right), trying to prove some point and taking it further by attempting to teach us something by stretching a 'concerto' out with a wild concept to not only 'entice' and ‘intrigue’ us, but to also 'impress' the fans and 'outdo' their peers for all the wrong reasons – and in the process, the heart and soul always tend to suffer (the melodies and the songs), where the music often lacks catchiness and soul – so trust me man, we want to rock and roll and not have to be 'taught' about what the hell is going on, even when the music has a technical edge to it. But when it comes to the whole genre of the supposed 'thinking man's metal,' there have been several great bands appearing out of the woodwork lately that have shrugged off the "I'm progressive/I'm a fucking composer" arrogance to rock out with the technical edge; artists such as Dominici, Sun Caged, Vox Tempus, Sphere of Souls, Twinspirits, Stride, Circus Maximus, and Saint Deamon, among others, are putting the melodic gusto forward, first and foremost.
Another band that is no exception to that rule is Finland's Leverage, a six-piece outfit that truly delivers the musical goods, with music that kicks ass, executing the thick riffage, layered instrumentation, and big choruses; blending AOR and skillful progressions in the right manner for powerful and thoughtful anthems of real progressive metal glory, complimenting and expanding upon what Dream Theater and Fates Warning created. You won't hear any wild tangents or improvisations here, folks.
And it’s no surprise that this band has inked a deal with melodic rock giant Frontiers Records where, of course, it's all about the mastery of good tunes, not wanky, spanky musicianship. But don't get me wrong – these guys can play; dueling leads, harmonious keyboards, powerful rhythmic punch, and fierce vocals provided by Pekka Heino (like Graham Bonnet crossed with Jimi Jamison), all the right elements of honest-to-God metal are in place. Just having hit the racks is their latest album, Blind Fire, a record of melodic progressive metal mastery; where you have anthemic cuts such as "Hellhorn," "Mister Universe," "Heart of Darkness," and the hard-driving "Shadow of the Rain" that sound like late-period Stratovarius crossed with House of Lords, executing catchy AOR mastery with a sub-power metal approach. Still, cuts such as the dark, staccato-laden "King of the Night," the emotive "Sentenced," and the ballad "Learn to Live," keep Blind Fire within a diverse path.
Offering up a heap of brutally sweet tracks with a highly dense sound, the album really touches the heart and soul while nailing the basis of what a 'thinking man’s metal' album should be, but then again, does metal really require any 'thinking' at all.
Not only has Blind Fire hit the racks, but their debut, titled Tides, is finally more widely available, as it has been reissued by Frontiers with bonus tracks. Tides is the album that planted Leverage's flag, and although tracks such as "Dreamworld," "Marching to War," and "Follow Down that River" make the record fall into more precision-based territories (think Mattsson crossed with Europe), with lush arrangements and the abundance of solos, these guys knew how to convey melodies all along – offering up an impressive debut, where Blind Fire tends to be more "song-based," Tides has a higher knack for the technical ear candy.
(Click on the CD covers to buy Blind Fire or Tides from Amazon.com)
posted by Rev. Keith A. Gordon at
4:52 PM
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