Determinus

Determinus is the 2019 comeback, released on 26 April, on which Leverage broke a ten-year silence and put Nordic melodic metal's power and hard rock's melodic feeling back up front. The return, begun with the 2018 digital EP The Devil's Turn, brought two new faces: guitarist Mikko Salovaara (ex-Kiuas) and singer Kimmo Blom — the same Blom who was meant to sing on the demos behind the debut. Heikkinen called it a circle closing. After the advance track “Red Moon Over Sonora,” “Wind of Morrigan” adds folk shading through Lotta-Maria Heiskanen's violin and became a video. As “Burn Love Burn” and “Heaven's No Place for Us” show at over seven minutes each, the songs carry big choruses while the riffs keep weight and shadow. “Tiger” and “Mephistocrate” swing toward straight heavy metal, and “Rollerball” and “Troy” close it out. Heikkinen produced, Eero Kaukomies mixed, Svante Forsbäck mastered. The Japanese edition adds an acoustic “Wind of Morrigan.” A commanding record, worthy of the wait.