2021 also saw a new release from heavy metal act LEVERAGE, as the 6-piece released “Above and Beyond.” We talked with mastermind Tuomas Heikkinen about how the band has experienced 2021. Read the complete interview below…
What musical goals did you set for 2021? Did you achieve them?
Our goal was to deliver the best LEVERAGE album ever and we feel we achieved that.
Were you able to dedicate as much of 2021 to your project/band as you had hoped?
No, due to many reasons. First, we couldn’t book any kind of tour for the release due to reasons beyond us. Secondly, we had limited resources for boosting the new album.
What were some of the highlights you realized in 2021?
The response to “Above the Beyond” in reviews from all over has been awesome. Not just in the positive way, but also in the very few negative reviews we have received. The album creates an opinion and that is great. The obvious highlight is the new music we have out there, and the fact that there are people, not masses of them but anyway, all over the world that have waited for it and have now fully enjoyed it.
Is there anything you learned during 2021?
To name one thing, you get out the same amount you put in. Can’t expect miracles sitting on your butt, then again, you have to really consider how much you can realistically put into something.
Have you (re-)discovered any new music during 2021?
On a personal note, many of the recordings I used to listen to as a child or adolescent sound really different now. You hear the time, the technology, the evolution, all that. And also, you hear that the bands actually really blasted the music live in the studio, great recordings breathe, have dynamics, some flaws, or lucky mistakes, etc.
What can we expect from you in 2022?
We want to get out to play LEVERAGE music, old and new. That is in the works, but it is early to say anything beyond that.
Written by Laureline Tilkin
