Leverage
Blind Fire

It is now well known that from Antarctica, some years ago, extremely long ice cores were extracted. With these 3-4 km "tubes," besides being able to make tons of excellent aperitifs or cocktails during wild happy hours, it is also possible to go back in time up to 600,000 years ago. For what reason? For example, to scientifically verify how the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air have varied. Curious? For 599,850 years, the CO2 value fluctuated between 180 parts per million and 280. The fluctuations over this vast period have been extremely slow and gradual, and if we were to transpose them onto paper, it would result in a graph with smooth curves: the slopes reach maximum values during interglacial periods and decline during glaciations. However, from 1850 onwards, the CO2 parts disregarded graduality and took the elevator, hitching a ride on an exponential curve that just happened to be passing by. From the value of 280, they quickly soared to the current 385 (http://www.grida.no/climate/vital/07.htm).
Replaying the leap, I must admit it is astonishing. Excellent platform and perfect wind exploitation. A leap I would dare to call almost incredible, which 95% of the scientific community defines as a result of DOPING!!! I thought of an image to better convey the current situation. It’s like an adult person, for 20 years between diets and various weight gains, oscillates in weight between 70 and 80 kg, and then suddenly gains 10 kg in just one day!!!
However, the remaining 5% of the scientific community reassures us, saying it’s not 100% certain that such an increase is determined by man. Maybe, but values keep rising, and instead of trying to get out of oil dependency, people think of how to make cows fart less, as their methane (a molecule more impacting than CO2 concerning the so-called greenhouse effect) is the real culprit!!! Please….
As can be understood, although I'm not an environmentalist, I am very concerned about the topic, especially after reading reports like those from the IPCC and books written by distinguished scientists for my thesis. I believe global warming exists and will have heavy repercussions already for our children. However, I never thought this phenomenon would also affect my beloved music...

Indeed, it seems that the frozen sector of hard rock - melodic metal is waking from the long hibernation in which it was deeply immersed. The exuberant start of 2008, after the good surprise from the newcomers Saint Deamon, continues with the second album from the Scandinavians Leverage.
No sonic revolution be clear, but another extremely enjoyable CD that can be savored all in one go. Considering the lean times in the past, this is already a good-excellent starting point for the newly begun solar year. In my opinion, the sound lies at the borderline between rock and softer, melodic metal with riffs that are never too invasive or aggressive. Pride Of Lions, Harem Scarem, Masterplan, or the best of Europe (if we want to look for similarities with famous bands) can be reference points to understand the offering as we approach listening to Blind Fire.
Rock songs, in the sense that they have a nice catchy rhythm, yet they are delightfully soft like marshmallows and enriched with many well-done solos: cherries on the cake added there by the guitarist Tuomas Heikkinen to sweeten a product curated in every minute detail. The sound, confirming the good work done in production, proves to be clean. Pekka Heino’s voice is slightly rough and not too high-pitched to meet everyone’s needs. And the keyboards? It's known that Scandinavians have a weakness for this instrument, but Leverage doesn’t overdo it and often limit themselves to using them as embellishment: a precious frame for choruses and crescendos. I could bore you with a track-by-track. I could, but don’t you find it more important to reassure you about the quality of the overall setlist? For example, listen to the mid-tempo "Don't Touch The Sun" and enjoy unexaggerated melodies with the presence of guitars, keyboards, and the singer’s passionate and mutable voice. If you like it, then you are on the right track and ready to appreciate the softer "King Of The Night" or the more sombre "Sentenced". You will find that the aforementioned pieces, representing the two "extremes" of the work, still have connection points. In short, "Blind Fire" is an easy, linear, and heterogeneous work in the (high) level of composition.

It has, therefore, the great merit of being able to get stuck in your head right away, and I am sure it will be appreciated by those who love the genre because it has been impeccably crafted. However, be careful not to let it die prematurely. If you take a piece of advice, don’t listen to this CD too many times in a row after the inevitable initial infatuation period. Instead, alternate it with something different and more elaborate. Only in this way will Blind Fire, with each new listen, always offer you an hour of excellent melodic rock music.

3 and a half stars.