Reviewing a debut album is always an interesting experience. There will probably never be a more exciting time in a band's life than releasing their first full-length, and while it rarely actually defines a band forever, it's usually the first impression the public will have of them. With the demise of Kalidia, vocalist Nicoletta Rosellini was no doubt eager to get back to power metal and soon joined forces with two former Kalidia bandmates, as well as Draconicon guitarist Alessandro Mammola and Altair bass player Luca Scalabrin to form Alterium. After a number of singles, the band's first album, "Of War And Flames" is now upon us.

Immediately, the record's opening track "Drag Me To Hell" (which was also the band's first single) gets things off to a flying start. It's very fast and a lot of fun, with an excellent chorus that rings in the listener's head for a good while to come. The speed is something Alterium are all too happy to play with throughout the album, as evidenced by another of the album's highlights, "Shadowsong," which also boasts a very catchy hook that makes it jump out. On "Chasing The Sun," there are traces of Dragonforce to be found via the pure fury it delivers, with a contrasting sweeping approach.

Alterium are smart enough to know that with a debut album, it's good to demonstrate variation within a limit, which is to say let everyone hear what you can do, without doing something just for the sake of it. Subsequently, the listener is treated to the piano-led power ballad, "Crystaline," which is an example of the fine songwriting on offer, while the following song, "Heroine Of The Sea," captures the nautical theme perfectly through its beautiful atmosphere. This song is one of two that seems to offer a glimpse at the naval, or pirate interest of the band, with the line in the chorus "Sailing on like a pirate queen" saying it all, while "Crossroad's Inn" contains a rather jaunty melody which wouldn't go amiss on the more serious Alestorm songs.

While not every song is a certified banger, each track includes enough quality to appeal to fans of the power metal genre. "Firebreather", for example, is another fast number that this time stands out for the use of keyboards, but arguably gets lost in the shuffle here. The title track meanwhile is a good power metal song but has a tough job following the excellent first two tracks. These are moments when the album loosens its grip, but doesn't quite let go completely, keeping the curious onlooker interested in listening further for better songs.

As debut albums go, this one could well be one of the best of the year, though, of course, we're only in the third month so far. "Of War And Flames" is powerful and fierce, but knows when to display a more vulnerable side and compliment the more aggressive moments with lush elements. Based on the strength of this showing, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Alterium talked about alongside the likes of Visions Of Atlantis or Unleash The Archers very soon. Let's hope the Alterium doesn't get brushed to one side given the commitments the band members have to other groups, because this could be the start of something special.