Album review: LEVERAGE – Above The Beyond

Frontiers [Release date 15.10.21]

AOR, Melodic Rock, Power Metal, Progmetal … Leverage are none of these yet they are all of these. On their 5th album now and the music gets harder to define and easier to admire.

It’s perhaps best described as heavy rock with stunning melodies and a penchant for unconventional song structures, and indeed, challenging lyrical themes.

Judging by the rip roaring opener ‘Starlight’, the band’s restless musical aesthetic seems to have settled on Celtic rock. But that’s only the beginning, the first step on a musical journey that seems rich with possibilities, and never fails to excite.

They move through the album with an athletes speed and grace, threading traces of hard to pin down folk tunes through the torqued up, heavy metal guitars of the Art Rocking ‘Into The New World’, then carrying ‘Emperor’s hulking riff through radiant bursts of spine tingling guitar/keyboard orchestration, into a majestic, melodic rock chorus.

We might immediately assume that tthose tracks were the highpoints, but no, there’s much more. Like the fabulous AOR Metal of ‘Do You Love Me Now’, the Seventies’ Prog stylings of ‘Angelica’, echoing the distinctive tones of Robbie (Kansas) Steinhardt’s memorable violin moments.

It’s impossible to avoid comparisons … some bands’ music encompasses so many influences. ‘Under His Eye’ and ‘Falling Out Of Grace’ have fairly obvious religious connotations. The fact that they are delivered with the urgency of Tyketto’s muscular melodic rock, and the pomp of Brother Firetribe’s classy concertos doesn’t undermine the message.

All that said, they are still their own band. Kimmo Blom is a world class rock vocalist. Their music captures your imagination and and gets you where it counts.

There are no certainties in rock’n'roll, but I would wager that this album will top quite a few Best Of The Year lists come December. *****

Review by Brian McGowan


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 25 February 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 27 February 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 4 March 2024

COLLATERAL Glass Sky (Big Shot Records)
THE ZUTONS Pauline (ICEPOP)
THE GEORGIA THUNDERBOLTS Rise Above It All (Mascot)
MATT PEARCE & THE MUTINY From Here To The Moon (indie)
THE BLACK VULTURES Never Say (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 4 March 2024

09:00-12:00 LEE AARON Tattoo Me (Metalville)
12:00-13:00 THE END MACHINE The Quantum Phase (Frontiers)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply