Swedish Melodic Metallers, PERPETUAL ETUDE, have dropped their aptly named debut album "Now Is The Time" boasting a modest 8 track listing I'm sure that it will hit all the right notes. The artwork is interesting, nothing particularly out there or shocking, but a good cover none the less.

Opening the album is "I've Got The Power" and straight away the introduction grabs your attention with a hard guitar line and pounding rhythm. Vocalist Kristian's powerful vocals round off a really strong performance from all members. Wailing guitars, intricate accentuations and one hell of a guitar solo has left the hairs on my arms stood on end and I cannot wait to see what is still to come. "Show Me" might be a slightly more calm pace, but the same ingredients are there once again to create a track that delivers everything I could want.

When I saw "Straight Through The Heart", I won't lie I was kind of hoping for a cover of BATTLE BEAST. However, I was not disappointed by what I heard. A steady and deliberate track that once again has so many different elements to it that there is just so much about this track that makes it fantastic. "Once We Were One" picks the pace back up again, delivering a more high octane and breathless track that would go down a treat in a live environment.

This new found energy continues into "Hell Fire Burn" and some more guitar mastery displayed by Magnus with running licks interspersed with some little flicks that really take the track to a different level. And the pseudo call and answer section between guitar and keyboard is just utterly divine. "Now Is The Time" is just another absolutely solid track in this album of bangers.

I would really like for PERPETUAL ETUDE to seriously consider the naming conventions for their tracks, as once again I let my hopes get built up for a mesmerising Heavy Metal cover of ENYA with "Sail Away" (I know theirs isn't called sail away but my mind went there ok!). But my disappointment was short lived, as the brand of hard hitting Heavy Metal that the Swedish quintet are peddling is an even better option than what I had initially hoped for. "Our Love" takes the record out kicking and screaming, determined to live on in the minds of the listener for as long as possible.

Overall, this is a fantastic album that is a great display of what PERPETUAL ETUDE capable of delivering. And that is some really slick, polished and professional music. This has been one of my favourite albums from this year, and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.