Leaflet? Really? I mean it’s kinda like calling yourself Junk Mail or Takeaway Menu. Still I thought it made a little sense when the CD declared all but one song was written by singer and guitarist ‘J Leaflet’ even if it seemed unlikely with the Finnish nature of the band. Oh yeah and then the PR sheet says a much more believable Lehtinen. Maybe it’s all an obscure Finnish joke. Maybe it’s because Flyer was taken…
Ahem. Anyway. Band name musings aside, what we have here in this debut is unashamed modern hard rock with not a 70s cliché in sight thankfully. Back in the 80s when I was up to my neck in the NWOBHM I also had a side-line in searching out odd US/Canadian hard rock gems, stuff like 1994, New England and Touch, so this is not an alien world. Melody, hooks, passion rule the roost, fluid guitar licks and soaring breaks. Opening song ‘Outta Door’ has a nice little guitar run from the off and some nice vocals with just enough edge and a classic melody. I mean don’t go expecting great philosophical lyrics but it’s a good little firecracker of an introduction; sharp, bright enough to need shades and catchy. Yeah, clearly a polished outfit. Second song ‘Chain Reaction’ just confirms this with a soaring chorus that some emocore band would love to bolt onto the dull section of their own chop ‘n’ chug boring verse bit. Thankfully Leaflet wrote an entire song, and a good one at that even if weirdly it reminds me of Reign Of Fury… ‘For A Long Time’ takes things down a notch speed and intensity wise and doesn’t have the immediacy or the hooks of its predecessors even if we do get a closer look at the vocals which would grace any of the resurrected US hard rock bands of the last few years. It’s OK I guess. Same goes for ‘I Can’t Make You’. In fact to be brutally honest every time they take their foot off the gas and drop into soft rock or full on ballad they lose a little character and a lot of hooks. It’s almost like they’re trying too hard for that cigarette lighter moment (which reminds me, with all this vaping will people start waving those around at gigs? Or are we stuck with blinking mobiles…?)
‘1000 Miles A Second’ though…. Ah, look any song that ploughs in with the smooth turn of speed of a Ferrari, makes me want to dance and manages to remind me of the head down velocity I tried to hit the world with just leaving my teens is spot on superb.
Overall this is a nice debut. A good collection of songs (kudos for writing a song around the film Memento, too) but room for a little strengthening to the quieter moments for me. I always wonder when this happens to an album predominantly written by one guy whether a little more varied input to the writing might help, just a little nudge here or there. Ah what do I know..?
Yeah, good start. It’s not High Spirits yet, but, hey, stick around there will be better to come. And I bet you they are great band to be introduced to live.
(6.5/10 Gizmo)
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