• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Not like we need another set of Power Metal heroes from Germany, it's odd that in a dying age of the Helloween/Gamma Ray fallout there are still small bands crawling out of the woodwork producing albums of outstanding eminence. It's been some time since an unknown release has floored me so, but that's exactly what Ferrum Gravis – the second full-length from German hopefuls Viron – did with aplomb. Distinguished, stylized and graceful on one side, feral, brutish and ferocious on the other, Ferrum Gravis is Metal by numbers, for the masses who like a good thrash-along in the verse and a fist-pumping hook in the refrain. Like the bastard child of Tad Morose, Brainstorm, and Angel Dust, Viron are like a fist full of poison thrust into the face of a respected sovereign. Their ability to chop out churning rhythms and tight, melodic choruses is refreshingly intrinsic, as it appears no necessary effort is needed from these guys, who turn out a belter with every attempt.

As if to stamp down their authority, the first three tracks – "Liberator", "On the Run" and the speedy "Isle of Man" – are all respective examples of Viron's chameleonic nature; tight, Megadeth-esque precision, pelting double kicks and swirling bass one minute; light, Euro Metal hooks and high, soaring vocals the next. A veritable salver of Power Metal madness that just eats away those minutes when your body refuses to do anything but rock out. It is still teething time for the hungry Germans, but if they keep penning tracks like the Maiden-esque blockbuster "Sniper", or the progressive crunch of "Led Astray", Viron could very well become an addition to our vocabulary as one of our Power Metal's many superlatives.