Leverage â Gravity Review
By Steel Druhm
Finlandâs Leverage are one of those bands that always seemed to operate at the outer fringes of heavy metal. Their 2006 Tides debut showcased a strong 80s rock base with just enough of an over-the-top edge to make it plausible to call them a metal act. Most of the songs reminded me more of Survivor and Night Ranger than any specific metal act, but the writing was catchy enough that it didnât matter. Follow-ups Blind Fire and Circus Colossus kept the template in place with only modest tweaks, and when very distinctive frontman Pekka Heino decamped, they replaced him well with Kimmo Blom. Blom passed away in 2022, and now Leverage return with a new frontman as they try to soldier on. For 6th album, Gravity, they also added a full-time violinist to expand their sound beyond their familiar rock/metal blueprint. Since Iâve enjoyed all the Leverage albums to some degree, I was curious if they could bounce back from tragedy and keep on delivering the earwormy goods.
Iâm happy to report that Gravity is very much a typical Leverage outing in most regards. New singer Paolo Ribaldini (ex-Skiltron) sounds a lot like both Pekka and Kimmo, so thereâs no real acclimation period for the longtime Leverage fan. Opening cut âShooting Starâ is everything youâd want and expect from them, with big, bombastic radio rock energy pinging off a tougher metal aesthetic and a vague country-western drawl, and the writing is designed to stick immediately. The chorus is catchy enough to ensure you wear it home like gum in your back hair. Paolo wins you over immediately with bold, forceful vocals that bring enough power to the 80s retro party. From there, Gravity blasts through a series of tracks that balance cheese with iron, radio rock with metal, and the emphasis is always on hooks. âTales of the Nightâ belongs on the soundtracks for Rocky III AND IV, and you will want to create your own training montage to this thing. âMoon of Madnessâ is so Survivor it almost leaves no survivors, but the hooks are there, and the fiddle bits are odd, but interesting.
The band takes some chances and stretch their writing at times, as on âAll Seeing Eyeâ which sounds like a Dio-era Rainbow song thatâs been lost in a dusty vault until now. It has that 70s coolness factor and the same grandeur heard on cuts like âStargazerâ and âThe Gates of Babylon,â and Paolo really comes into his own with a gritty, badass performance full of gravitas. âKing Ghidorahâ sounds like a mash-up of Nightbreaker era Riot and the more hard-charging Deep Purple classics, and that means a rabble-rousing good time. Hell, even the nearly 10-minute title track works for the most part, stealing some of Avantasiaâs trade secrets on how to write ginormous power ballads crammed full of bombast and cheddar. Itâs ultimately about 3 minutes too long, but itâs an entertaining tune at its core. The big set-piece tracks suffer some unsightly bloat, but the shorter, more immediate tracks power the album along at a brisk, breezy pace and keep you bopping along.
With the usual Leverage vets all in place and doing their thing, Paolo is given a solid foundation to work with and build from, and he impresses with his macho vocal efforts. Heâs enough like past Leverage singers, but he has a few extra gears to reach for when needed. He does the whole Jorn/Coverdale hard rock growl well and brings enough of his own style to the table to sell the material like cupcakes outside a CBD superstore. Tuomas Heikkinen continues to marry hard rock and 80s rock idioms with harder-edged riffwork and makes it all work together. He can be flashy, but heâs the kind of guitarist that puts song before wank. New violinist Lotta PitkĂ€nen is only noticeable at a few key moments, and the rest of the time sheâs deep in the background behind the keyboards. Iâm not sure sheâs needed, but she does provide a nice gloss when audible.
Iâve never been disappointed by a Leverage album, though I have my favorites. Gravity is good enough to drop right in the middle of their discography with a few playlist-worthy cuts that demand poaching. If you like bands in the Brother Firetribe / The Night Flight Orchestra vein, Gravity should be right in your wheelhouse. Itâs not quite a must-hear, but it packs enough entertainment value to be worth a flyer. Iâm glad theyâre still with us. R.I.P. Kimmo.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking STREAM
Label: Frontiers Music
Website: facebook.com/leverageofficial
Releases Worldwide: June 20th, 2025
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