Here's a band with a name that gets to the crux of their intentions: Ram. This Gothenburg, Sweden's full-length debut bears the equally self-descriptive title of "Forced Entry." More often than not, you can tell a lot about a band by its name and album title (as well as song titles). And in the case of Ram, this adage is most definitely true. But then again, Ram do pretty well within the confines of those expectations.

Ram are a quintet of musicians playing fast, aggressive power metal. They are less about virtuosity and more about attitude... but truth be told, that is okay. Ram don't pretend to be anything other than what they are. If you want balls-to-the-wall 80's-influenced power thrash with soaring vocals and machine-gun percussion... well, Ram is your band.

Vocalist Oscar Carlqvist sounds like ex-Iced Earth vocalist Gene Adam by way of Agent Steel - he usually sings in a clean, averagely high range, but whips out some King Diamond-level falsettos at least once every track. At the same time, Carlqvist has a decidedly gritty edge to his throat, almost bordering on harsh at times. The result is a power metal vocal style that is diverse and interesting while hitting all the 'essential' power metal buttons at the same time. Whether it is pairing growls with insanely high-pitched screams on "The Beast Within" or the catchy sing-along choruses of "Machine Murders" or the ballad-esque "Breaking Through," Carlqvist is easily the strongest and most appealing aspect of Ram.

Unfortunately, the rest of Ram leaves something to be desired by one who seeks challenging and thought-provoking music. Guitarists Harry Granroth and Daniel Johansson (the first of whom founded the band) are certainly proficient axmen, but don't really boast any songwriting or soloing skills that dozens of other Swedish metal bands don't have. Bassist Leif Larsson actually offers up some exceptional bass lines and fills, and might be one of the better power metal bassists I've ever heard... but he tends to be overshadowed by louder, less-awe-inspiring musicians. And to be totally honest, who goes out of their way to listen to power metal bass anyway? Pete Perez notwithstanding, of course. Drummer Morgan Pettersson closes the circle of five, and is certainly an adequate drummer. But no style of western rock-based music is as percussion-centric as heavy metal, and Pettersson just doesn't hold a candle to the countless numbers of better-skilled percussionists throughout underground metal.

Ram are far closer to the thrash-oriented, attitude-driven shade of power metal than the neoclassical European version. And to compare Ram to bands like Iced Earth and Nevermore simply isn't far. To Ram.

And what the hell does "Infurirator" mean, anyway?

Ram are never bad. They never pretend to be anything but emotion-driven hard-hitting power metal. But "Forced Entry" falls into the swamp of average far too often. There are some great songs here, and some great moments, but not nearly enough. Then again, this is Ram's first proper album, and there is always the chance that Ram will ascend to the ranks of metal deities in the future. So long as Ram concentrate on improving their songwriting and songplaying skills between this album and the next, I can see this Gothenburg quintet becoming a powerhouse in the genre of aggressive power metal. But too much power metal focuses on being 'traditional' rather than pushing the boundaries of their music... so we'll see.