01. Fifteen Years
02. Superstition
03. Horizon
04. Dreamworld
05. Follow Down That River
06. Stranger
07. Sails
08. Marching to War
09. Twilight Symphony
10. Gone
11. Waterfall [Japanese bonus]
12. Land of Flames [Japanese bonus]

Tides marks the entry of yet another great Finnish band to the scene. Most of us like our Finnish music dark and heavy, with a lot of interesting melodies written in the dark of midwinter. Leverage do have that melodic quality, but with a tad softer and more retro approach - melodic heavy rock with notable progressive influences from bands such as early Rainbow. This debut clearly displays their possibilities, and a direction they'll take in the future, capturing the listener completely.

Its main strength is the nice balance between tracks. There are fast numbers which are perfect for the band to display their playing abilities, which especially applies to the two guitarists. Torsti Spoof was actually once a guitar pupil of Tuomas Heikkinen, but they're both of equal quality. There are the nice relaxing mid-tempo tracks and a Leverage special, touching and powerful ballads.

In short, a little something for everyone - you can indulge yourself into guitar-driven "Fifteen Years" and "Follow Down That River," soulful ballads such as "Horizon" and "Stranger," the eclectic worlds of "Dreamworld" and "Twilight Symphony" and everything in between. The production could be a bit better - though it doesn't damage their sound, it could show a better display of their qualities. Aside from the already mentioned guitarists, yet another band member who deserves a mention is the vocalist Pekka Heino, as one of the better vocals and charismatic frontmen to emerge from the land of the midnight sun in recent years. And that is no small praise.

Performance:	9
Songwriting:	9
Originality:	8
Production:	8