Perpetual Etude - Now Is The Time (CD/LP)

 

Swedish band Perpetual Etude boasts former members of bands like Dionysus, Treasure Land, Air Raid, Nation, Stormwind etc. Musically Perpetual Etude is actually not that far from any of them (except maybe Air Raid). Opening track “I’ve Got The Power” immediately kicks off with a Strat that really sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen, but keeping in mind what Mr Malmsteen has released in the last couple of years, this sounds way more interesting. They are touching on neo-classic metal, but with a big dose of classic melodic metal/hard rock and I’d place them somewhere alongside Alkatrazz. Singer, Kristian Fyhr, is a gem with really powerful vocal cords, high pitch but with a nice raspy edge. Me like!  ”Show Me” reminds me of Graham Bonnet era Rainbow a bit, but with a bit more power under the hood. A strong touch of AOR, but without sounding sleazy. “Straight Through The Heart” starts off with some really nice guitar harmonies from the excellent shredder Magnus Mild and if Yngwie didn’t have a big dose of hybris, he would kill for a song like this. Magnus is also found in mega project Gathering Of Kings, but if I’m honest, I do prefer Perpetual Etude. Not putting GoK down, but they sometimes feel a bit scattered and unfocused while this album has a common thread and high quality all the way, both musically and performance wise. “Once We Were One” again throws in some Yngwie-souding Strat licks and it also flirts with the man musically. It does remind me quite a bit of Europe’s old “Scream Of Anger” (which was written by Marcel Jacob, hence the obvious Yngwie touch). There are similarities, yes, but it does stand on its own legs. This band’s Jens Johansson is Kaspar Dahlqvist who has previously played with prog metal band Treasure Land. On this album he sure shows his skills and there are several really nice keyboard-guitar interplays, such as in the neo-classical “Hell Fire Burn”. As if this wasn’t enough, we also find a guest appearance by former Yngwie (and many more) singer, Göran Edman in the song “Sail Away”. All in all, if you’re into classic hard rock, melodic metal with strong melodies, shredding guitar/keyboard work, solid production and some neo-classical vibes, don’t hesitate!

/Janne Stark

Year: 2021

Label: Black Lodge

SKULL PARADE – Skullparade (CD)

Swedish hard rockers Skull Parade (featuring former Treasure Land bassist Magnus Lind) released their debut in 2014, a pretty good debut indeed. The follow-up opens with a kick ass quirky hard rocker entitled Nightmare, which makes me think of both Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and TNT in their “Transistor” era. Nice melodies and cool guitar playing. Drained continues in the quirky vein with some really cool and odd chord changes. If you’re into bands like Galactic Cowboys and Matches For Maggie (sure, you wouldn’t know about them, would you?), these first two tracks should be right up your alley! Beyond Protection almost draws a bit on thrash or US power metal. Not a huge fan of the vocals in this one. The oddly entitled Lost Ball In High Weeds starts out with acoustic guitar and vocals, but soon turns into some strange doom type song with a touch of Metallica in the verse, while the chorus is almost a bit grungy. Interesting. Fair Weather Friend throws the ball in a totally different direction, fast but still quite proggy and with singer Erik Anell not trying to smooth things out. He’s a good singer, but he sometimes gets a bit too rough around the edges for my taste. Acid Rain starts out as an acoustic ballad and turns into a slick poppy thing, quite different from the previous songs. Train To Nowhere takes us back to the quirky, funny hard rock that started the album, and it’s definitely where the band catches my main attention. Awaken The Masses is another tracks that’s a bit hard to define. Great, quirky guitar playing, cool riffing, but the vocals is the letdown for me, I’m afraid. This 9-tracker finishes with Ballad Of Cloaks, a theatrical, doomy, semi-ballad. Actually not bad at all! Except for the f***ing saxophones… So, my general impression: a bit scattered, but it still comes together in a way, some great songs and some that didn’t attract me that much, great musicians, cool guitar solos, but the vocals are the weak link for me. Works great in some songs, but feels a bit too raw and untamed in others. Well worth checking out!

Janne Stark

Year: 2017

Country: Sweden

Label: Rexius Records