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Sweden is a country known for many things, whether it be for Abba, Vikings, Absolut Vodka, or consistently producing some killer fucking Metal. How positive some of these associations are is up for debate, but the last one we can agree is always great, and Viral are here to prove it yet again with their debut. Musically, this is more on the laid-back end of the NWOBHM style, complete with hooky melodies, an onslaught of old-school riffing, and the raspy delivery of singer Abin Forsell that occasionally gives way to the high-pitched wails we all look for in this kind of thing. There's nothing terribly surprising here, as you get everything you want out of an old-fashioned Metal album: speedy numbers like opener "Scarred" and closer" Devil's Clockwork", references to past greats like Maiden ("Viral", "Selo's Tale"), Priest ("Gonna Lose It"), and even Iced Earth ("Mephorious"), arena rockers like the title track, and even a solid semi-ballad in "Gallows", complete with a lovely piano melody closing it out. You can't call anything the band does groundbreaking, but they do emulate the Golden Age of Metal with energy and style, and that's more than enough for me. A band to watch.