Brighton five piece Furyon are being widely hailed as one of the big white hopes of the British heavy metal scene and - although they may find themselves somewhat lagging behind some of their contemporaries (and near-neighbours, naming no names), in that they are still hawking this debut full lengther around record companies - the ten tracks offered here certainly add much credibility to their claim.

Produced by heavyweight Rick Beato (best known for his work with Shinedown and Fozzy), 'Gravitas' is an album that lives up to its monicker, as it is a seriously heavy beast of an album, with moments of sheer brutality mixed with kickass riffs and melodies, thanks to the awesome twin guitar attack of Chris Green and Matt Heath.

Opener 'Disappear Again' has a very heavy Alice In Chains influence to it, especially on the intro and first half, but the band do enough to stamp their own individuality on, especially through the highly distinctive vocals of Matt Mitchell, which at turns are hoarse and gravelly and others soar like Myles Kennedy or even a heavier, deeper Joe Elliott (probably a comparison we'll not get thanked for!). There are moments of epic, progressive grandeur - such as 'Souvenirs', the Dream Theater-like 'New Way Of Living' or closer 'Desert Suicide' - others of classic no nonsense metal - 'Stand Like Stone', current video 'Don't Follow', the chugging 'Voodoo Me' - and, then, the frankly magnificent - 'Wasted On You' or, surprisingly, the lilting ballad, 'Our Peace Someday'.

Each of the ten songs is beautifully crafted so that there is not a weak link in this particular metallic chain, and this is an album is hard to ignore in its claim to mark the arrival of "the UK's best new metal band." All we can say is check it out for yourself: we dare you to be disappointed.

You can check out Furyon, and buy 'Gravitas', at www.furyon.net

You can watch the video for 'Don't Follow' at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFJOQq_aWmo

Furyon play Twitrfest 2, alongside My Great Affliction, Kingdom Of The Blind and Groan, at The Snooty Fox, Wakefield on 25 February, and headline the first day of the Arctic Festival at the Classic Grand, Glasgow on 21 April.