Metal Underground.com

What’s in a name, really? Since discovering this Swiss act in 2008 with the release of the debut “Seven Times Eternity,” I always wondered what drew the band to the name Pertness. Without being overly “presumptuous,” it isn’t the name that I see metal kids flocking to. However, if there was ever a time for a band to emerge on the scene, it would be now and that band would be Pertness. After tinkering with the melodic power metal formula for nearly 20 years, the band has introduced enough thrashy elements to now establish a new take on an older genre.

“Frozen Time” is as melodic as the band has ever been, yet it seems at the same time oddly swallowed up by Testament like thrash. The band always showed flashes of this direction on its previous two albums, but with “Frozen Time,” the group seems hell bent on unleashing it full frontal and the formula wins.

The title track establishes the analogy…a driving melodic power crusher encased in block of thrashy ice, a refreshing number that really solidifies the word “power” to a capital Thrash! “Farewell to the Past” continues that feel as does “Cold Winds of Death,” with guitarist/vocalist Tom Schluchter sounding especially gritty, immediately grasping my attention in a “modern old school” way. "Frozen Time" presents highly energized power thrash in a way where one side doesn’t dilute the other and makes for a perfect combination of catchiness and raw rage.

Where “No More Messiah” and “Lost In Time” capture the band’s power metal origins with its prototypical rhythmic catchy headbanging greatness and proto-Blind Guardian choruses, “The Last Survival” and “Shadow Knights” fill that melodic thrash side much in the style of Evile. However, throughout the entire release the melody persists with a hint of folk, which gives it the binding glue to make this such an enjoyable release. The band finds the happy medium that should please fans of power, traditional, old school thrash, and modern elements. The album rounds out with the colorful metallic cover of the old Irish traditional hymn “The Star of the Country Down.”

Pertness has put it all together to make the band’s best and most enjoyable release by far. However, where it will stand in the hearts of metal fans remains to be seen. There are certainly enough elements in the pot to make “Frozen Time” appealing to a vast variety of listeners, though no one element may be prevalent enough to garner the hardcore fan’s distinct styles. What Pertness dares to do is cross stitch a couple of compatible genres to make “Frozen Time” one all around metal album.