Vicious Rumors

About Vicious Rumors

The American Power Metal band Vicious Rumors may lack superstar status, but the group deserves credit for always having stayed true to their musical identity and for consistently delivering soulful music, independent of trends, that their fans clearly appreciate. Vicious Rumors was founded in 1980 in Santa Rosa, California, by guitarist Geoff Thorpe. The original line-up also included singer , guitarist Jim Cassero, bassist Jeff Barnacle and drummer Walt Perkins. In its very first year the band gained initial recognition when it played Metal Mondays at Bill Graham's Old Waldorf nightclub. These shows marked the beginning of what later became known as the Bay Area metal scene – the largest, longest-lasting and most significant metal community in the United States. After a few self-released singles and contributions to important metal compilations, Vicious Rumors signed their first record deal in 1984 with the up-and-coming label Shrapnel Records, run by Californian metal pioneer Mike Varney. By this time, several drummers had filled Perkins' position; Larry Howe eventually got the job and stayed for ten years. was also replaced by singer Gary St. Pierre from Hawaii, while Chuck Moomy replaced Cassero on guitar and bassist Dave Starr replaced Barnacle.

The debut album Soldiers of the Night was released in 1986 and was particularly well received in Europe. The guitar virtuoso joined the band shortly after Moomy's departure, but did not stay long, as he was pursuing a solo career as an instrumentalist. Even before he left the band, St. Pierre also had to go, and the classic Digital Dictator line-up of Vicious Rumors came into being: singer Carl Albert, guitarists Thorpe and Mark McGee, bassist Starr and drummer Howe. This line-up stayed together for nine years. The second album on Shrapnel, Digital Dictator, was released in 1988, and with growing popularity in the USA the band was signed by . Their first album for the new label came out in 1990 under the title Vicious Rumors, which they supported with extensive touring. Although they never reached the status of a top band in the USA, at the beginning of the 90s it seemed as though the band had a real chance of stepping into the spotlight with groups like and . The rise continued with 1991's Welcome to the Ball and 1992's Plug in and Hang on: Live in Tokyo, which documented an extremely successful tour of Japan.

During a break caused by an injury to Thorpe, the band was released from its contract with Atlantic Records, possibly because of its relative inactivity and the waning interest in melodic Power Metal in the USA. Nevertheless, numerous European and Japanese record deals followed, along with a few line-up changes, as the band battled its way through the 90s. Word of Mouth was released in 1994, and the band remained active, touring the USA and Europe. As they were preparing for their next album, Something Burning, Carl Albert died on 22 April 1995. The band decided to carry on and released an EP in Albert's memory and a live recording of his last performance. Something Burning finally came out in 1996 and featured tracks on which Thorpe, in addition to his guitar work, stepped in as lead singer. The album strengthened the band's European fan base, as it brought many positive reviews and a successful tour.

Although Thorpe's vocals were certainly convincing, the guitarist could not match Albert's flexibility, and a new singer was needed to perform older songs live. joined the band for the recording and tour of Cyber-Christ in 1998, but was replaced in 2000 by Morgan Thorn, who can be heard on 2001's Sadistic Symphony. After the album's release, the band took a short break, reunited in 2006 and released its ninth studio album, Warball, which stylistically was once again closer to the traditional Power Metal of the early years. The band moved to the well-known German hard rock label and released its next albums there: Razorback Killers (2011), Electric Punishment (2013) and Concussion Protocol (2016). ~ Vincent Jeffries, Rovi

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