Circus Colossus

Circus Colossus is the third album, released on 4 November 2009, on which Leverage tied classic hard rock instinct to symphonic breadth. The band moved to Spinefarm, holding the line of the first two records while pushing orchestral elements further forward than ever. It was recorded at Studio Audio from May to August 2009 by Jari Mikkola and Torsti Spoof, and mastered by Henkka Niemistö at Chartmakers in Helsinki. When the 1:54 orchestral overture “Rise” clears, “Wolf and the Moon” pours in — orchestrated by Sami Boman, given a video, and still the band's most-streamed song. “Movie Gods,” past six minutes, is a co-write with Spoof; “Rider of Storm” and “Revelation” are Spoof's alone. The two-and-a-half-minute “Don't Keep Me Waiting” was written with drummer Revonkorpi, and the centre of gravity drops toward the closing “Prisoners” and “Broken Wings.” The long-form passages keep their momentum and never leave the listener behind. An ambitious record balancing scale with approachable hooks — but soon after its release the band fell into a long silence.