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Way to improve guys and gals – color me impressed. Any fault I could have picked with Lyriel has pretty much been remedied on the band's fourth full-length Leverage. If there was ever a time to check out this band, it is now. Fans of later period Nightwish are going to be in paradise, and to be fair fans of most female-fronted metal are going to want to place this high up on their wish list.

The album is quite short at just under 35 minutes, and this serves as nothing but a benefit. Nine full tracks which are short, accessible and highly catchy. The band has even incorporated heavier moments into their sound, which again is an absolute benefit. The folk elements take a slight backseat but this is still folksy and the melodies particularly ring out the folk influence. Jessica sounds a lot better here, and way more in control with every song having a powerful hook. Tracks such as "Side by Side" and "Parting" slap the bad taste the last Nightwish album left right out of my mouth, but really most of the tracks leave me feeling positive.

This isn't going to change the mind of those who can't stomach female-fronted metal, and a lot of the melodies are admittedly poppy, however this does make a nice break from the more oppressive music that I'm sure a lot of us normally listen to. Leverage is an utterly charming affair, and has been well conceived. I'd highly recommend this to any fan of female-fronted metal, and those who enjoy melodic and accessible metal are going to want to give this a look as well. Recommended.