Crematory drummer Markus Jllich, wanting to create a “true” metal band, recruited musicians in the German Rhein-Main-area to partake in his vision to reach the same success as groups like Hammerfall and Sonata Arctica. Hence, Seduction was formed releasing a couple of demos but due to creative differences they disband. They regroup shortly thereafter, dropping the keyboardist and adding a second guitarist, changing their name to Viron. Two years after the release of their well received debut, NWOGHM, Viron serve up their latest platter of aggressive power metal, Ferrum Gravis.

Ferrum Gravis light things up with a thrash inspired opener, Liberator, complete with its Metallica influenced riffing. Singer Alexx Stahl is a suitable vocalist, complimenting the pace of this rocker. He does get a tad off key during his higher wails but not so much that it takes away from what the band is trying to accomplish, creating some in your face power metal. The great thing about Viron is that they mix up the pace throughout the album. Along with the aforementioned Liberator, The Isle Of Man and Metal Ball keep things callous while the presence of some mid-paced rockers like the catchy On The Run and the impressive closer Sniper. They also offer up a ballad in War, which reminds me of the Scorpions.

Ferrum Gravis, which roughly translates from Latin as Heavy Metal, is a well-rounded power metal release recorded without the use of computer editing and keyboards but not at all sounding dated. Everything is very tight, especially from drummer Neudi who puts on an awesome performance, which makes this a very solid release.

Now, do not expect anything ground breaking or original from Ferrum Gravis and as usual, with a majority of albums, there seems to be a couple of filler tracks but overall this is a very strong album that paves the way to a hopefully brilliant future for Viron. I would recommend this for fans of Brainstorm, Crimson Glory, Blind Guardian and the like. Check them out.

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