Viral - The Merchant

Angry Metal Guy

When it comes to matters of taste, I find myself repeatedly surprised by the promo sump this year. I thought I knew what I would gravitate towards, but there have been several records this year that challenged that convention, both favorably and unfavorably. Swedish heavy metal quintet Viral marks yet another notch in that belt with their sophomore release, The Merchant. The only remaining question is how they’ve challenged my expectations.

Something of a lovechild between Iron Maiden and Tarot, Viral offer anthemic, classic steel, well-worn but reliable. Galloping riffs, thunderous bass lines, hooky percussive rhythms, and soaring melodies abound, shepherded by tight, concise songwriting (with the exception of an obligatory epic closer, of course). All the requisites met, there’s some question as to what Viral offer to help them stand out in the crowd. I’m not convinced Viral concern themselves with standing out, instead opting to have the most fun possible with a style that they love. I respect that, and that passion comes through clearly in these short 40 minutes of energetic heavy metal.

The Merchant by Viral

As it should be, the guitars are the star of the show on The Merchant. Guitarists Marcus Borggren and Larri Malinen propel The Merchant with palpable momentum, almost feeling restless in their constant motion across the frets, dueling between plucky leads and rollicking rhythms that inevitably lead into a squealing solo or two (“The Sage,” “Maverick”). While obviously derived from the generally accepted conventions and landmarks of the genre, the thunderous gallop of opener “Shake Your Shackles,” the standout bridge riff on “Lilith,” and the beautiful core refrain of highlight closer “Oceans” nonetheless get the head bobbing and the face stanking. But the guitars aren’t working alone. Linus Melchiorsen does a bang-up job holding his end on the skins, pounding double-bass runs and groovy fills out with a flair for creative transitions that give these songs lots of interest (“The Sage,” “Bow to Me”). Meanwhile, bassist Christian Ståhl offers a steady thread of low-end rumble beneath the guitars, either following their lead or splitting off to spin some counterpoint for extra dynamics (“Sands of Madness”). Put together, these instrumental performances coalesce into a record perfect for high-speed cruising with the top down.

Unfortunately, Albin Forsell’s whiskey-soaked vocals threaten to send the album experience careening into the guardrail. While he acquits himself admirably on “Oceans” with perhaps his best and most stable performance, his execution elsewhere is sometimes downright distracting. On “Maverick” in particular, his vocal tone and inconsistent pitch make it difficult to enjoy the music behind him. In other areas—heard in multiple places across The Merchant—vocal melodies often layer with one or more harmonies, but just as often they don’t end in sync with each other, adding to an already substantial disruption. And even though I know his voice is accented, it’s still extremely difficult to make out what Albin is saying, even with the lyrics in front of me, which makes thematic engagement a challenge.¹ Albin delivers his lines with passion and with verve, and that deserves much credit. It’s clear he is having a ton of fun, the expression of which is among the most difficult aspects of any vocalist’s role. However, he needs to work on hitting the right notes with greater consistency and finessing his tone for falsetto duties, to find that sweet spot that makes records like this shine as they should.

In the end, The Merchant isn’t a disappointment, but it should’ve been much better. Instrumentally, all the goods are there, energetically exhibited. While their songwriting can feel derivative overall, Viral nonetheless offer lots of fun and vitality. But vocally, The Merchant needs tuning. To nail this style, a vocalist needs to be able to keep up with the instrumentation, and of course, the iconic acts that popularized heavy metal set a sky-high bar. Consequently, the next milestone for Viral is to either meet it or clear it. I have every confidence they can do it, and so I await their future wares with a measured sense of hope.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: viraltheband.com | facebook.com/viraltheband
Releases Worldwide: August 15th, 2025

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