Originally starting under the band name of ABYSS in 1999, PERPETUAL FIRE hail from the city of Milan in Italy and have released 2 previous albums since changing their name in 2005; "ENDLESS WORLD" was their debut released through Adrenaline/Steelheart Records in 2006, followed up by 2010's offering titled "INVISIBLE" and was released courtesy of Rock It Up Records. PERPETUAL FIRE returns once again in 2017, brandishing the release "BLEEDING HANDS"; and are now calling Sleaszy Rider Records home.

As self-professed artisans of Melodic Metal, I was expecting a healthy dose of flamboyance with this album; and it most definitely opens in such fashion with "Look beyond the Night". With a battery of percussive prowess, punchy beats are in perfect formation with meaty guitar riffs; but then there is a timing change that loses some power to the overall feel to the song, and the vocal melody is additionally somewhat bland. The singer possesses a really good range that can wander between strong, clean harmonies; to a raspy kind of snarl dripping with anger. But the catchiness just wasn't there.

The next track "When You're Dead" meanders past with similar fashion; but then "Crimson Twilight" burst into life. This song is more up-tempo, and has an exciting feel to it; the speed of the instruments give the longer drawn out vocal melodies, a great base to skim over the top, much catchier playing here and a great guitar solo.
"Let the Snow" is a soft, sympathetic ballad that is driven by a delicate piano basis; this was a very pleasant touch that opened the floor to the next track. "A New World Begins" is a mid-paced piece of metal mastery, all of the musical pieces really falls into place here; the later part of this album certainly is the strongest representation of PERPETUAL FIRES's ability.

All in all, this is a solid release; expert musicianship with some super tough vocal work. There were however some parts that were as I said, a little bland and not too catchy; and sometimes the rhythm section of the instruments could have been a little louder to fatten the sound. A bit too much emphasis on vocals, but still; it's a thumbs up fellas.<